Every member has an equal vote regardless of how long they’ve been there. Within an Oxford House group, it is not unusual to find some members who have problems which cannot be dealt with by the group. In those situations, it is not uncommon for the Oxford House members, at a meeting, to strongly suggest that a fellow member seek professional help. In those situations where a member’s behavior is disruptive to the group as a whole, the member may be required to seek such oxford house traditions professional help or more self-help meetings in order to avoid being dismissed from Oxford House. 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.

Democratically self-run

The average stay is about a year, but many residents https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/consequences-of-drinking-and-driving-dui/ stay three, four, or more years. When we stopped drinking, we began to realize that in order to stay stopped, our lives would need to change. Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous provided a framework for us to change physically, mentally, and spiritually. The degree to which we were able to successfully change our lives had a direct relationship to Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. Many of us soon learned, however, that living alone or living among our old drinking companions made it more difficult to practice the principles necessary for continued sobriety. Those who have benefited from an Oxford House have acquired enthusiasm for the Oxford House concept.

Acceptance

Be honest and straight-forward when sharing the Oxford House concept with others. “An AA group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the AA name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest Problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.” Our officers are but trusted servants serving continuous periods of no longer than six months in any one office.

The Oxford House Model is‍time-tested and evidence-based.

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 operations. The members of an Oxford House assume full responsibility for the operation of the House.

• Oxford House should remain forever non-professional, although individual members may be encouraged to utilize outside professionals whenever such utilization is likely to enhance recovery from alcoholism.
• It received a boost after Mr. Molloy successfully lobbied for passage of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988, which established a fund to help provide start-up loans for groups opening residential recovery locations like those 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.
• We were not only dependent upon alcohol and/or drugs, but were also dependent on many others for continuing our alcoholic and/or drug addicted ways.

They called their experiment in group living and joint sobriety Oxford House. It was the first step in a nationwide movement, now almost 50 years old, that has been credited with helping thousands of people overcome addiction and lead productive lives. 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.

As our recovery progressed, the supervision and dependency on a half-way house created dissatisfaction. The third factor affecting us both in the rehabilitation facilities and the half-way houses was the realization that the duration of our stay must be limited because space must be made for others in need of help. It is obvious why Oxford House must strongly protect the sobriety of its other members by asking the drinking member or member using drugs to leave.

Each Oxford House should be financially self-supporting although financially secure houses may, with approval or encouragement of Oxford House, Inc., provide new or financially needy houses a loan for a term not to exceed one year. For more than twenty-five years, a DePaul University-based research team has been involved in studying Oxford Houses in order to better understand the role they play in substance abuse recovery. The national scope of Oxford House and its long history makes it the only recovery house system that has been the subject of so much independent research.

Oxford House Manual: Chapter Manual: Sharing the Experience, Strength, and Hope of Oxford Houses for the Common Good

• Parallel to this concept lies the organizational structure of Oxford House, Inc.
• Today Oxford House has more than 20,000 residents at more than 3,500 homes across 47 states and several foreign countries.
• The charter of each Oxford House requires that an Oxford House meet certain minimum requirements of Oxford House, Inc.
• They will return to their families; they may start new families; they may simply move into another living situation.

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 2000 houses in the United States today. 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. A recovering individual can live in an Oxford House for as long as he or she does not drink alcohol, does not use drugs, and pays an equal share of the house expenses.

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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 amphetamine addiction treatment sobriety of all of the members. Neither can an Oxford House function if some do not pay their fair share of the costs. Mr. Molloy and the other residents devised the basic rules of self-government that have shaped Oxford House ever since. Second, every resident would contribute equally to the expenses and household duties.