The most commonly endorsed suggestion for increasing Hispanic/Latino representation in Oxford House was to provide more information regarding this innovative mutual-help program. Residents indicated that personal motivation for recovery was a necessary component of their success in Oxford House (Alvarez, Jason, Davis, Ferrari, & Olson, 2007). Additionally, mutual help, social support, a sober living environment, and accountability emerged as strongly-endorsed therapeutic elements of the Oxford House model. Finally, consistent with a broad conceptualization of recovery, residents reported that living in Oxford House helped them remain sober but also facilitated the development of life skills and a new sense of purpose along with increased self-esteem.

  • The alcoholic or drug addict alone begins to compare himself to those members of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous who still have family and friends.
  • The members of an Oxford House assume full responsibility for the operation of the House.
  • Neither can an Oxford House function if some do not pay their fair share of the costs.

The Oxford House™ residential program has been identified as an evidence-based practice by the National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices. We were founded jointly by Vanderburgh House, an operator of sober houses in Massachusetts, and Vanderburgh Communities, an organization supporting sober living and recovery home operators. If you would like to add a listing to our sober house directory, please let us know.

Board Member

Individuals living in a house are expected to participate in a recovery program in the community during their residence. When
there were just a few Oxford Houses there was no need for Chapters because each Oxford House
President was a member of the Board of Directors of
Oxford House, Inc. and met once a month in order to share the experience, strength and hope of each house. By 1988, the number of individual
Oxford Houses had become so great that it became difficult to have a meeting at which
everyone would get a chance to speak. Some longed for the “old days” when there
were fewer houses and the combined group of houses was smaller.

  • The rent that is charged the members is determined by the members themselves in a democratic fashion.
  • Neither type of facility permitted self-injurious behaviors (e.g., physical self-harm or misuse of medication) or destructive acts (e.g., destroying site property or others’ possessions).
  • In its simplest form, an Oxford House describes a democratically run, self-supporting and drug free home.

Each year, 600,000 inmates are released back into communities, and many are released with ongoing drug addictions (substance abuse within correctional facilities ranges from 74 to 82%; Keene, 1997). One of the strongest predictors of criminal recidivism is substance use (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2005). Of those with substance use addictions/dependence, only about 10% even reach any type of substance abuse treatment. This suggests a large need for creative new types of screening methods to identify patients in need of treatment.

DePaul University Research on Oxford House

Receiving abstinence support, guidance, and information from recovery home members committed to the goal of long-term sobriety and abstinence may reduce the probability of a relapse (Jason, Ferrari, Davis & Olson, 2006). This experience might provide residents with peers who model effective coping skills, be resources for information on how to maintain abstinence, and act as advocates for sobriety. One of the greatest threats to the sobriety of a recovering alcoholic or drug addict is loneliness. At a time when we acquired a serious desire to stop drinking or using drugs, many of us had lost our families and friends because of our alcoholism and/or drug addiction. Too often, newly recovering alcoholics and drug addicts are faced with the necessity of living alone and of relying solely on contacts with Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous to stay sober.

oxford house traditions

Oxford Houses’ case management includes attending house and chapter meetings, mediating disagreements between house members, landlords or neighbors. Monthly New Member orientations help Oxford House service participants understand the principles and traditions of Oxford https://ecosoberhouse.com/ House. Alumni, Chapters and Friends of Recovery offer workshops focusing on house officers, communications, and trauma-informed care. We collected data at the individual, house, and state levels, and at times compared data over these different levels of analysis.

Calling Out AA in Social Work

After days of discussions, an organized plan began to evolve which gave the group the confidence they needed to give it a try. Their experiences in the halfway house, both positive and negative, helped them develop an organization to carry the responsibilities themselves. Oxford Houses promote a rigorous culture of honesty, accountability and results. Residents will participate in a program such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous. They will recover at a very high rate–as the article points out–and they will be some of the most self-aware, servant-minded residents in the neighborhood.

What are the three principles of the Oxford House?

1. Each house should be democratically self-run, 2. Each house should be financially self-supported, and 3. Each house should immediately expel any resident who returns to using alcohol or drugs.

Our group has recently received a federal grant to explore this new type of culturally modified recovery home. Kim, Davis, Jason, and Ferrari (2006) examined the impact of relationships with parents, significant others, children, friends and co-workers on substance use and recovery among this national sample of Oxford House residents. They found that children provided the only type of relationship that was able to affect both substance use and recovery in a positive direction.

The houses are not a boarding house or a halfway house, but a home run democratically by the service participants themselves. If everyone pays their own way, does not drink or use, and abides by the democratic process, they may stay in an Oxford House as long as they wish. During our drinking and drug use years, and even before, many of us found it difficult to accept authority. Many individuals in society are able to abide by the strict letter of any rule, regulation , or law. Alcoholics and drug addicts seem to have a tendency to test and retest the validity of any real, potential, or imagined restriction on their behavior.

Such meetings should be used to resolve any operational or personality problems facing the house. A major part of the Oxford House philosophy is that dependency is best overcome through an acceptance of responsibility. In Oxford House, each member equally shares the responsibility for the running of the House and upholding the Oxford House tradition. All aspects of Oxford House operations, from the acquisition of the house to the acceptance or dismissal of members, is carried out under democratic procedures. Each member has one vote and majority rule applies except that 80% of the members must agree in accepting new persons for membership. There will be a meeting tomorrow in council chambers between the neighbors and South Bend Common Council at 6 p.m.

Self-run, Self-supporting Recovery Housing

Experience has shown that both the individual
houses and Oxford House, Inc. as a whole are more
likely to succeed and last if
every house belongs to a Chapter. “Are they rehabbing alcoholics, are they rehabbing addicts, are they rehabbing murderers,” said Patrick Farrell, who lives nearby. SOUTH BEND, Ind. —- Neighbors in a South Bend community expressed concern on Tuesday about a sober living facility named Oxford House. With these jobs she feels she never works because she loves what she does for the Recovery Community. Through her job at Mirror Inc., she can educate people about Oxford House who are looking to find a safe and sober place to continue their recovery journey in an Oxford House. With a commitment to justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion, Leigh Anne will
ensure the financial strength and sustainability of Friends of Recovery.

  • Jill Schmidt entered recovery with an open mind to become the best version of herself.
  • In fact, Oxford House creates an environment whereby each member can more fully realize the benefits available from active AA or NA membership.
  • These findings suggest that a high level of psychiatric severity is not an impediment to residing in self-run, self-help settings such as Oxford House among persons with psychiatric co-morbid substance use disorders.
  • Half the individuals interviewed also had concerns about being the only Hispanic/Latino House member.
  • Oxford House has as its primary goal the provision of housing and rehabilitative support for the alcoholic or drug addict who wants to stop drinking or using and stay stopped.

In their enthusiasm, they have been anxious to share Oxford House with any recovering alcoholics and drug addicts who want to establish an Oxford House in their community. Friends of Recovery Association’s mission is to support and collaborate oxford house sober living with Oxford Houses in Kansas, which are self-supporting, democratically-operated homes for recovering individuals. Friends of Recovery and Oxford Houses assist service participants to attain and sustain recovery from substance addiction.

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Some operate for several years and then, because of expiration of a lease, dissatisfaction with the facilities, or simply the finding of a better location, the members of a particular House will move into a new location. In both cases, financial assistance is in the form of a loan having a pay back schedule, not to exceed one year, defined up front. (Since 1989, many new Oxford Houses have taken advantage of state revolving loan programs. The opportunity for a house to democratically function requires periodic meetings within the house — at least once a week.

Does Oxford have Gothic architecture?

Keble College (C19th) 1868-82

An impressive example of Gothic Revival by William Butterfield. It was named after a key figure in the Oxford Movement and intended for the education of poorer students. A striking use of brick creates a lively chequered decoration.

We try to provide current information but cannot monitor every recovery home listing and do not guarantee the accuracy of listings. Sober House Directory is a helpful starting place to find a recovery home and includes listings for sober houses, recovery residences, structured group homes, and other sober living for men and women in recovery. Our next large scale completed study received funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). This study examined abstinence-specific social support and successful abstention from substance use in a national sample of over 900 Oxford House residents. Results were quite positive; only 18.5% of the participants who left Oxford House during the course of the one-year study reported any substance use (Jason, Davis, Ferrari, & Anderson, 2007). Additionally, over the course of the study, increases were found in the percentage of their social networks who were abstainers or in recovery.

Findings indicated that there were no significant differences between the crime rates around Oxford Houses and the control houses. These results suggest that well-managed and governed recovery homes pose minimal risks to neighbors in terms of criminal behavior. In its simplest form, an Oxford House describes a democratically run, self-supporting and drug free home. Parallel to this concept lies the organizational structure of Oxford House, Inc. This publicly supported, non-profit 501(c)3 corporation is the umbrella organization which provides the network connecting all Oxford Houses and allocates resources to duplicate the Oxford House concept where needs arise. Visit the Sober House Directory for a listing of recovery homes throughout the United States.