We should spread the word about Oxford House, but be wary of individuals who place their own personalities before the principles that made Oxford House work. Oxford Houses are dedicated to recovery and group support; not individual gain. 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. The members of an Oxford House assume full responsibility for the operation of the House.

There are over 3,500 Oxford Houses across the United States

When they find such a house they will bring it up with the other existing Houses and if there is a consensus they will attempt to find the start up money and members to fill the new house. Often several members of an existing House will move into the new House to provide a core group of new members who already know how an Oxford House works. The reason that each Oxford House is independent arises from the very practical consideration that those who are closest to a situation are best able to manage it.

A tribute to our late co-founder and CEO, Paul Molloy

Oxford House gave me the opportunity to practice the principles and action. 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 Houses are democratically self-run by the members who elect officers to serve for terms of six months. House officers have term limits to avoid bossism or corruption of egalitarian democracy. Every member has an equal vote regardless of how long they’ve been there. The average stay is about a year, but many members stay three, four, or more years.

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• Mr. Molloy and the other residents devised the basic rules of self-government that have shaped Oxford House ever since.
• Many individuals in society are able to abide by the strict letter of any rule, regulation , or law.
• Be honest and straight-forward when sharing the Oxford House concept with others.
• Oxford House, Inc. provides technical assistance to foster the expansion of the Oxford House Model.
• A house full of sober, recovering alcoholics and drug addicts invites informal AA or NA “meetings after the meeting” and each day finds many informal AA or NA meetings before individual members each go off to their regular AA or NA meeting.

If an Oxford House follows the democratic principles and traditions of Oxford House, Inc., it should have no difficulty in running smoothly. Those democratic principles will also enable the members of a particular Oxford House to take pride in their new found responsibility. The Oxford House Model provides community based, supportive, and sober living environment. 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.

Each Oxford House follows three simple rules.

The Oxford https://yourhealthmagazine.net/article/addiction/sober-houses-rules-that-you-should-follow/ House Model provides a unique and successful system of operations that differs from traditional sober living homes and halfway houses. In its simplest form, an Oxford House is a shared residence where people in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction can live together and support each other in a drug and alcohol-free environment. The Oxford House concept is a sound one, based on sound principles, and has demonstrated its worth with an established track record.

• The Oxford House Model provides a unique and successful system of operations that differs from traditional sober living homes and halfway houses.
• Therefore, it is important that each Oxford House meet these minimum responsibilities in order for its charter to be continued.
• The easiest way to find an Oxford House is to use our vacancy locator at oxfordvacancies.com.
• The line between an Oxford House of recovering alcoholics or drug addicts and an Oxford House of active alcoholics or drug addicts is a thin one.

Democratically self-run

I just had to follow the rules, get along with everyone, and work on my recovery. It took me awhile to get used to being with a group of guys like myself. But together we have learned to manage and maintain the house and interact as a family.

This system enables prospective members to find openings quickly and apply to houses. Oxford House set out for national expansion by hiring the first outreach workers to start opening houses in other states. In 1987, Sober Houses Rules That You Should Follow the late Bill Spillane, Ph. D., who had retired from NIDA and was teaching at Catholic University School of Social Work in Washington, D.C. Followed up on each house application and tracked down the individuals who had moved out. 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.

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. Nearly all members of Oxford House utilize the AA and/or NA program in order to obtain and keep a comfortable sobriety.

Initially, the structure and supervision of such facilities were acceptable because physically and mentally, we were exhausted. Later, some of us were to move into half-way houses which provided shelter, food, and supervision. As our recovery progressed, the supervision and dependency on a halfway house created dissatisfaction. The dissatisfaction was in part the realization that we were shirking responsibility for our own lives and in part a resentment of authority.

There are over 3500 self-sustaining Oxford Houses in the United States and more than 24,000 individuals in recovery living in these houses at any one time during the year. No member of an Oxford House is ever asked to leave without cause — a dismissal vote by the membership because of drinking, drug use, or disruptive behavior. Oxford House should rely on democratically chosen leaders, but the leaders must always be but trusted servants. To discourage an excessive dependence on leaders, it is a principle of Oxford House that no member should serve in the same office for a continuous period of longer than six months. Oxford House should rely on democratically-chosen leaders, but the leaders must always be but trusted servants. While Oxford House, Inc. has the sole authority to grant Oxford House charters, the World Council acts as an advisory council to the board.