Sober Living: Oxford House vs Halfway House

oxford house sober living rules

The average stay is about a year, but many residents stay three, four, or more years. The Oxford House Model provides a unique and successful system of operations that differs from traditional sober living homes and halfway houses. An Oxford House Chapter is an additional level of support for individual Oxford Houses. Chapters are important links in making the democratic system of organization underlying Oxford House™ work. The Chapter is the place where all the members of the Oxford House family of individual houses help each other to stay on track and to remain effective. The Chapter is also the place where individuals expand their network of sober friends as Chapters host all kinds of social events that bring their community together.

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oxford house sober living rules

However, fair housing and drug addiction equal opportunity laws designed to prevent discrimination have made complete regulation difficult. 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. 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.

Drug and alcohol free

oxford house sober living rules

The lack of regulation has led to the creation of homes that lack access to support services or strict rules. In other homes, counselors or case managers visit on a regular basis to provide in-home services. Former residents and treatment alumni may visit regularly to provide additional guidance and support. Your friends or family members may tempt you with alcohol or other drugs by consuming them in front of you.

Oxford Houses work because they are:

Oxford House facilities maintain a consistent model across locations, focused on peer support as an essential component of recovery. There is no in-house treatment or requirement to attend a specific recovery program, but 12-step participation is popular in Oxford Houses. A new house member must be interviewed by current residents and must receive an 80 percent vote of approval to be accepted.

Each house adheres to the absolute requirement that any member who returns to using alcohol or drugs must be immediately expelled. Oxford House, Inc. is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that employs both office and field staff. Once the members of the oxford house new house agree to utilize the Oxford House Model’s system of operations and Oxford House, Inc. issues a no-cost charter.

  • In its simplest form, an Oxford House describes a democratically run, self-supporting and drug free home.
  • An Oxford House is a self-sustaining, democratically run recovery home that offers an environment free from drugs and alcohol.
  • According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a stable living environment can significantly improve treatment outcomes.
  • However, they are encouraged to seek help and may reapply for residence once they have reestablished their commitment to sobriety.
  • Third, an Oxford House must, in essence be a good member of the community by obeying the laws and paying its bills.
  • If an applicant does not get voted into one house they should try another house in the area.

What Are Sober Living Facilities?

Oxford Houses are primarily for those recovering from drug and alcohol addiction. Residents should also be prepared to participate in the democratic decision-making processes within the house. In its simplest form, an Oxford House is a shared residence where people in recovery from substance use disorder can live together and support each other in a drug and alcohol-free environment.

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  • But many sober homes require residents to attend support group meetings or participate in 12-step programs or outpatient treatment, which may be an additional cost for residents to consider.
  • In general, individuals with a history of vagrancy, incarceration or inadequate social support are at high risk of relapse.
  • After the interview, the house members will decide if you’ll be allowed to move in by taking a vote.
  • The residents make a collective decision on whether to accept the individual into the house based on their commitment to sobriety and willingness to follow house rules.

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. 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. Today Oxford House has more than 20,000 residents at more than 3,500 homes across 47 states and several foreign countries. Paul Molloy was a young lawyer on Capitol Hill who had a key role in drafting legislation that created Amtrak and other federal programs.

oxford house sober living rules

Who benefits from halfway housing?

If you are not selected, you should try another house that has an opening. It is not unusual that an individual who gets rejected at one house applies at another house with an opening and gets accepted. If a house votes to accept you, you can tell them whether or not you accept the invitation to move in. Alternatively, if you’d like to send your application to all houses near you that have an opening, you can Apply Online. Call the contact person for each house you’re interested in to set up an interview.

Is there a support network available for Oxford House residents to help with sober living goals?

In Oxford Houses, individuals who relapse cannot return until they complete a 28-day rehab program or complete treatment and demonstrate an ability to continually attend support group meetings. The ways that sober living houses work vary depending on the level of support provided. The National Alliance for Recovery Residences is one of the largest associations of sober living homes in the United States. It developed four levels of support that can be used to characterize most sober living homes. Yes, there are Oxford Houses in Canada, Australia and Ghana with active interest in England, Bulgaria and other countries. Alcoholism and drug addiction are international problems and Oxford Houses can provide recovering individuals the opportunity to become comfortable enough in sobriety to avoid relapse.

Oxford Houses: A Comprehensive Guide to Sober Living Homes for Recovery

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. Oxford House was founded not only to put a roof over our head, but also to create a home where the disease of alcoholism was understood and the need for the alcoholic to stay away from the first drink was emphasized. The bond that holds the group together is the desire to stop drinking and stay stopped.

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