Oxford House, Inc. acts as the coordinating body for providing charters for the opening of new Oxford Houses. It also acts as the coordinating body to help individual houses to organize mutually supportive chapters. Through chapters individual houses are able to share their experience, strength and hope with each other to assure compliance with the Oxford House concept and its respected standardized system of oxford house sober living operations. The only members who will ever be asked to leave an Oxford House are those who return to drinking, using drugs, or have disruptive behavior, including the nonpayment of rent. No Oxford House can tolerate the use of alcohol or drugs by one of its members because that threatens the sobriety of all of the members. Neither can an Oxford House function if some do not pay their fair share of the costs.
- Equal Expense Shared (EES) is generally between 80 and 160 dollars a week and includes utilities.
- Modest rooms and living facilities can become luxurious suites when viewed from an environment of alcoholics working together for comfortable sobriety.
- Experience of Oxford House has shown that from 8 to 15 members works very well.
- Such meetings should be used to resolve any operational or personality problems facing the house.
- During early recovery for alcoholism and drug addiction, some members had to leave an institution in order to make room for an alcoholic or drug addict just beginning the recovery process.
The Oxford House Organization
- While Oxford House is not affiliated with AA or NA, its members realize that recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction can only be assured by the changing of their lifestyle through full participation in AA and NA.
- Q. How much sobriety or clean time is needed before an individual can be accepted into an Oxford House?
- Since Oxford Houses are self-supported, they are the most cost-effective way to deal with recovery from alcoholism, drug addiction and co-occurring mental illness.
This policy ensures that the Oxford House maintains a safe and supportive sober living environment for all residents. As part of a comprehensive addiction treatment plan, recovery housing like Oxford Houses can play a crucial role in helping individuals stay in treatment and maintain their sobriety. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a stable living environment can significantly improve treatment outcomes. To learn more about the importance of recovery housing, you can read this NIDA article on recovery housing.
What Do Your Costs Cover?
Using this cost-effective way to improve the chances of recovery from addiction may be the best way to show the community that recovery works and that recovering addicts can become model citizens. This was the purpose of the first Oxford House established in 1975, and this purpose is served, day by day, house after house, in each of over 1,200 houses in the United States today. During 2010, approximately 24,000 individuals lived in an Oxford House for some or part of the year.
Why Do People Choose to Live in an Oxford House?
While no one is ever asked to leave an Oxford House without cause, some individuals will simply outgrow living in an Oxford House. They will return to their families; they may start new families; they may simply move into another living situation. Equal Expense Shared (EES) is generally between 80 and 160 dollars a week and includes utilities.
What Do Oxford Houses Offer?
- With their self-run, democratic structure and emphasis on peer support, Oxford Houses empower residents to take responsibility for their recovery while fostering personal growth.
- Repayment from those start-up loans assures the continuation of the revolving fund to enable other new houses to get started — just as repayment of loans to chapters permits the same resources to be used again and again.
- Parallel to this concept lies the organizational structure of Oxford House, Inc.
- All they need to do is to find a house to rent in the name of the group, and apply to Oxford House, Inc., for a charter.
- Q. What is the “ideal” number of individuals to make a self-run, self-supported recovery house work?
Nearly all members of Oxford House utilize the AA and/or NA program in order to obtain and keep a comfortable sobriety. However, an Oxford House relies primarily upon example for assuring a high percentage of AA and/or NA attendance from its members. As a general rule formal AA or NA meetings are not held in an Oxford House member who has maintained comfortable sobriety in an Oxford House makes it a practice to attend a lot of AA and/or NA meetings on a regular basis. Repayment from those start-up loans assures the continuation of the revolving fund to enable other new houses to get started — just as repayment of loans to chapters permits the same resources to be used again and again.
Q. What is the “ideal” number of individuals to assure a well-run self-run, self-supported recovery house?
As soon as Oxford House Inc., hears of such problems, it takes corrective action because the good name of Oxford House is an important factor in the recovery of thousands of individuals. During early recovery for alcoholism and drug addiction, some members had to leave an institution in order to make room for an alcoholic or drug addict just beginning the recovery process. Other members were asked to leave half-way houses in order to make room for a recovering alcoholic or recovering drug addict who was ready to move into a half-way house. Each individual recovers from alcoholism or drug addiction at a different pace. All too often, an abrupt transition from a protected environment to an environment which places considerable glamour on the use of alcohol and drugs causes a return to alcoholic drinking or addictive drug use.
Self-run, Self-supported Recovery Houses
Modest rooms and living facilities can become luxurious suites when viewed from an environment of alcoholics working together for comfortable sobriety. Yes, the Oxford House community is built on the foundation of peer support. Residents are encouraged to share their experiences, learn from one another, and help each other stay accountable. In addition to the support from fellow residents, many Oxford House members also participate in external recovery programs and support groups, further strengthening their commitment to sober living. If a resident relapses, they are usually asked to leave the house immediately to protect the sobriety of other residents. However, they are encouraged to seek help and may reapply for residence once they have reestablished their commitment to sobriety.
Of that number 4,332 relapsed [19%] and were expelled, while 7,668 moved out clean and sober. One can only be dismissed from an Oxford House because of drinking, using drugs, non-payment of rent, or disruptive behavior. Every opportunity should be given to a member who needs professional help to see that he obtains it.
