The house members will invite applicants to the house for an interview where they will ask questions and then decide as a https://ecosoberhouse.com/ group who they will vote into the house as a new member. 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.
House Traditions
Halfway houses are typically state or federally funded, and residents must adhere to strict rules and regulations. In contrast, Oxford Houses are self-run with democratically-established rules by the residents themselves, and they are self-supported through the residents’ pooled finances. Oxford House, Inc. is a separate nonprofit organization that provides support and training to the network of houses to help expand the Oxford House Model. More than 80 percent of Oxford House residents remain clean and sober for the long term even though many of them come from backgrounds that have included lengthy alcohol and drug use, periods of homelessness, and incarceration. Our network of houses is only as strong as the community support we receive and the involvement of current and former members. An underlying principle of Oxford House is that each individual member has the ability to be responsible for himself.
What is Oxford House? A Guide & Comparison to Other Facilities
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. The opportunity for a house to democratically function requires periodic meetings within the house — at least once a week. Such meetings should be used to resolve any operational or personality problems facing the house. 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.
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- Plus, this option may actually be cheaper than other housing environments given the fact that residents split the household costs among several residents.
- It also acts as the coordinating body to help individual houses to organize mutually supportive chapters.
- Propagation, or spreading the word, of the Oxford House concept is given the highest priority by the members of Oxford House.
- With Oxford House there is no need for a recovering individual to live in an environment dominated by loneliness.
Oxford House has as its primary goal the provision of housing and rehabilitative support for the alcoholic and drug addict who wants to stop drinking or using drugs and stay stopped. Each Oxford House is managed by its residents, with each member having equal responsibilities and rights. The members what is Oxford House follow house rules and are expected to contribute to maintaining a clean and safe living environment.
Tradition IX
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. The OHI field staff travel to Oxford Houses, Chapters, and Associations to provide technical assistance and training, assist with expansion, and network in the community.
- Residents are often involved in treatment programs, attend support group meetings, and participate in other wellness activities together.
- For example, the landlord and phone company may require a security deposit and, while furnishings are generally donated, members will often have to rent a truck in order to pick them up.
- Electing members to staggered three-year terms of office assures continuity of the 12-member World Council.
- In fact, Oxford House creates an environment whereby each member can more fully realize the benefits available from active AA or NA membership.
- The applicant will call the contact person for each house they’re interested in to set up an interview.
What is the Model?
Living within an Oxford House provides both the opportunity and motivation for all residents to regularly attend AA and/or NA meetings. The example of Oxford House members going to AA or NA meetings on their own is contagious. 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.
There are over 3,500 Oxford Houses across the United States
- Being community-based, the Oxford House Model has helped numerous individuals recover from addiction with nearly 3,000 houses in the United States and other countries.
- Their role is to help keep the house and its finances organized, and to help the house operate effectively under the guidelines of the Oxford House Model.
- This section will compare Oxford House facilities with other common types of recovery facilities, such as halfway houses and sober living homes.
- This assures integrity and correct application of the Oxford House system of operations as documented in the Oxford House Manual© and Oxford House Chapter Manual©.
Oxford Houses are primarily for those recovering from drug and alcohol addiction. The general criteria to live in an Oxford House include the resident’s commitment to sobriety, their willingness to contribute to the house’s general upkeep, and their ability to pay their portion of the house’s expenses. Residents should also be prepared to participate in the democratic decision-making processes within the house. At AAC, we offer trained and compassionate admissions navigators that can help answer questions about treatment and recovery. Plus, some of our treatment facilities—such as the Desert Hope Treatment Center in Las Vegas and Greenhouse Treatment Center near Dallas/Fort Worth—include sober living environments.
Who Starts and Manages Oxford Houses?
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. Some are able to keep from drinking in spite of the loneliness with which they were faced. 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. Loneliness oxford house sober living and self-pity soon lead such individuals back to alcoholic drinking or drug use.
- These factors allow them to support each other in their efforts to abstain from alcohol and substance use.
- 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.
- However, the members of Oxford House have found only by being active in AA and/or NA have they found comfortable, long-term sobriety — for themselves and the Oxford House in which they live.
The Oxford House Concept
Compared to other facilities, Oxford Houses are self-run and provide a structured, cost-effective option for maintaining sobriety with a supportive peer network. There is no reason to believe that society as a whole had the responsibility to provide long-term housing within a protected environment for the alcoholic and drug addict. However, there is every reason to believe that recovering alcoholics and drug addicts can do for themselves that which society as a whole has no responsibility to do for them. Oxford House is built on the premise of expanding in order to meet the needs of recovering alcoholics and drug addicts.
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