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. During our drinking and drug use years, and even before, many of us found it difficult to accept authority. Many individuals in society are able to abide by the strict letter of any rule, regulation , or law. 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. The gender column indicates whether the house is for men (M), women (W), or women with children (WC). You’ll also see addresses, contact information, and whether a house has a vacancy.

Thus, after individuals assigned to the Oxford House condition were brought to one of 20 residences across the state, current members voted on whether they could become a resident, as per Oxford House policy. Only one research participant was rejected by vote initially, though research staff subsequently brought this person to another house, who approved his/her residence. We recruited 150 participants from inpatient substance abuse treatment facilities in the Chicagoland area. Seventy-five of these participants were randomly assigned to live in an Oxford House, while the other half were randomly assigned to receive standard, traditional aftercare services. When an individual struggling with a substance abuse disorder has been discharged from inpatient treatment, they usually leave with an aftercare plan. Aftercare can include many options such as attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, coming in once a week to see a therapist, or moving into a recovery home.

Wake Network of Care

Our group has recently received a federal grant to explore this new type of culturally modified recovery home. Halfway houses dedicated to sober living are sometimes referred to as sober houses. Other names include dry houses, community-based residential facilities, recovery residences, transitional living environments, residential re-entry centers, or community release centers. Finally, just among Oxford House participants, they tested if individuals who stayed in the recovery residence for 6 or more months had better outcomes. We also designed a study to assess the types of contributions that Oxford House residents report making to their neighborhoods and communities.

There is considerable evidence for the effectiveness of TCs (DeLeon, & Rosenthal, 1989). Substantial reductions in recidivism rates have been found when in-prison Therapeutic Communities (TCs) are combined with community transition programs (Hiller, Knight, & Simpson, 1999; Wexler et al., 1996). Unfortunately, these TC programs often create a financial burden on society, and are not available to all that need them. Also, therapeutic community residents may stay only for a limited time before many return to former high-risk environments or stressful family situations (Goldsmith, 1992). As of 2008, there were 321 women’s Oxford Houses with 2,337 women, and 982 men’s Oxford Houses with 7,487 men, for a total of 1,303 houses serving 9,824 people (Oxford House, 2008). Of the residents, 18% were veterans, and 91% were working with average monthly earnings of $1,480.

The Purpose and Structure of Oxford House

Having houses in good neighborhoods with a safe environment for recovery to flourish may be the single most important reason for the Oxford House success. While no one is ever asked to leave an Oxford House without cause, some individuals will simply outgrow living in an Oxford House. They will return to their families; they may start new families; they may simply move into another living situation.

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 sobriety of all of the members. Neither can an Oxford sober house House function if some do not pay their fair share of the costs. During the last days of our drinking or using drugs, most of us ceased to function as responsible individuals. 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.

How to Stay Sober

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.

A halfway house is often for people recovering from addiction or people returning to society after time served in prison. Halfway houses are also helpful for people looking for stable housing after a mental health treatment program. They are called “halfway” houses because those living in this sort of environment are transitioning halfway between a full-care facility to permanent living in society.

The Sober Living may or may not have a house manager or staff monitoring the home and ensuring sobriety of the residents. In Washington State alone, nearly one million dollars was lent to help start new Oxford House recovery homes. To date, these funds have supported over 1,000 new beds for men and women in recovery. A) 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. The average stay is a little over a year, but many residents stay three, four, or more years. Apart from the initial random assignment to each of these conditions, participants were free to engage in other recovery support services as they wished.

• Oxford House offers a supportive way of living and opportunities to learn skills in a clean and sober environment.
• Half the participants were randomly assigned to live in an Oxford House, while the other half received community-based aftercare services (Usual Care).
• Thus, after individuals assigned to the Oxford House condition were brought to one of 20 residences across the state, current members voted on whether they could become a resident, as per Oxford House policy.
• Finally, Mortensen, Jason, Aase, Mueller, and Ferrari (2009) studied this national sample of Oxford Houses for six years following the completion of our study in order to investigate factors related to whether the Oxford Houses remained open or closed.
• These houses are even more problematic because it is almost impossible for providers to determine the health of the house.
• Some of us had lived for a time in alcoholic and drug rehabilitation facilities.