Author: John Carter

What Is an Oxford House & How Does It Work? Self-Run Home

A long-running study by Chicago’s DePaul University shows that people completing one year of residency maintain a sobriety rate as high as 80 percent. Find a house, fill out the application, and call a house to schedule an interview. If a house votes to accept you, you can tell them whether or not you accept the invitation to move in. Call the contact person for each house you’re interested in to set up an interview.

Acceptance

Our network of houses is only as strong as the community support we receive and the involvement of current and former members. Individuals living in each of the Oxford Houses have also been responsible for starting many new groups of Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous having meetings near an Oxford House. This not only helps those individuals to become more involved in AA or NA, and thereby reap greater individual benefits, but also helps to build strong bonds between local AA and NA groups and Oxford House.

Self-Help for Sobriety Without Relapse

The rules which govern the house are for the most part also made by those who live in a particular Oxford House Such autonomy is essential for the Oxford House system to work. By running Oxford House on a democratic basis, members of Oxford House become able to accept the authority of the group because the group is a peer group. Each member has an equal voice in the group and each has an opportunity to relearn responsibility and to accept decisions once they are made.

• 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.
• It is inconsistent with the Oxford House system of democratic rule to have a professional manager of Oxford House.
• 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.
• 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.
• At the Oxford House World Convention held annually, Oxford Houses throughout the country vote for representatives to the World Council.

Q. Don’t zoning laws limit where a group of unrelated individuals can rent a house?

• Any member who drinks alcohol or uses drugs will be immediately expelled.
• Oxford Houses are dedicated to recovery and group support; not individual gain.
• Generally an individual comes into an Oxford House following a 28-day rehabilitation program or at least a 5 to10-day detoxification program.
• We’ll show you how Oxford Houses work together to form a self-supporting network of houses.
• Generally an individual comes into an Oxford House following a 28-day rehabilitation program or at least a 5 to 10 day detoxification program.

Oxford House, Inc. is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that employs both office and field staff. It doesn’t matter if they’ve been living in the house for one day or for multiple years. In deference to that tradition, Oxford House has never sought nor obtained sponsorship from any AA or NA group. However, Oxford House members firmly believe that the Oxford House concept can expand as an independent entity, while fully utilizing the benefits of Alcoholics Anonymous and/or Narcotics Anonymous. Experience has shown that Oxford Houses work for both men and women, but not in the same house.

Q. How many residents have served jail time?

Oxford House is built on the premise of expanding in order to meet the needs of recovering alcoholics and drug addicts. This principle contrasts sharply with the principle of providing the alcoholic or drug addict with assistance for a limited time period in order to make room for a more recently recovering alcoholic or drug addict. Oxford House grew out of the need for many of us to begin a new life without fear of backsliding because of loneliness or renewed dependency on former drinking companions. Throughout its tradition, Oxford House has combined the concepts of self-support and responsibility with a fellowship having the common purpose of continued and comfortable sobriety. By the time many of us had stopped drinking, we had lost jobs; we had lost families, and some of us either had no place to live or no place to live which was not an invitation to start drinking again.

• Find a house, fill out the application, and call a house to schedule an interview.
• Yes, the prospective residents of the House can find a suitable house, rent it, put up the security deposit and pay the first month’s rent themselves.
• Each member has an equal voice in the group and each has an opportunity to relearn responsibility and to accept decisions once they are made.

Once you find a house that has a vacancy, you can call the contact person to set up an interview. Alternatively, you can apply online and your information will be sent to all of the Oxford Houses in your area that have an opening. The average stay is about a year, but many members stay three, four, or more years. The applicant will call the contact person for each house they’re interested in to set up an interview. Alternatively, if they would like to send their application to all houses near them that have an opening, they can Apply Online. Each has a term limit of 6 months to further support a well functioning democratic environment.

Q. Is there any financial aid available to start a new Oxford House?

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. 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. Other Houses often help that type of move as well as the brand new House. 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.

Q. How many individuals lived in an Oxford House during 2010?

He was also an alcoholic whose drinking would eventually cost him his job, his family and his home. I just had to follow the rules, get along with everyone, and work on my recovery. But together we have learned to manage and maintain the house and interact as a family. The easiest way to find an Oxford House is to use our vacancy locator at oxfordvacancies.com.

sober

While research on AA has been limited by the role of anonymity in recovery, the willingness of the Oxford Houses to open their doors to academic research gives us an opportunity to see recovery from addiction in action. Generally an individual comes into an Oxford House following a 28-day rehabilitation program or at least a 5 to10-day detoxification program. Traditional programs may include fees that cover additional services such as coaching or structured therapy. In contrast, Oxford Houses rely solely on residents’ pooled contributions.