Detoxification program readmission represents a potential indicator that services received have not facilitated sustained recovery. It has been suggested that for a substantial portion of addicted persons, detoxification does not lead to sustained recovery. Instead, these individuals cycle repetitively through service delivery systems (Richman & Neuman, 1984; Vaillant, 2003). Recidivism rates within one year following treatment are high for men and women, and 52–75% of all alcoholics drop out during treatment (Montgomery et al., 1993). Alcoholism and substance abuse affects over 20 million Americans, and thus is the most prevalent mental disorder facing our nation (Jason, Ferrari, Davis, & Olson, 2006).
To provide safe, stable and supportive living facility for post addiction treatment for men and women seeking continued alcohol and drug abuse recovery by offering hope and support through its programs and services. Oxford House Inc., is a non-profit, tax exempt, publicly supported corporation which acts as a umbrella organization for the national network of Oxford Houses. It provides quality control by organizing regional Houses into Chapters and by relying heavily upon the national network of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous groups. While Oxford House is not affiliated with AA or NA, its members realize that recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction can only be assured by the changing of their lifestyle through full participation in AA and NA. In most communities, the members of those organizations help Oxford Houses get started and report any charter compliance problems to the national office of Oxford House World Services with respect to a particular house. As soon as Oxford House Inc., hears of such problems, it takes corrective action because the good name of Oxford House is an important factor in the recovery of thousands of individuals.
Elected House Officers
Forty-four percent of the sample was involved in administering and running support groups. Involvement around recovery also included involvement in large community initiatives, as 39% of participants reported involvement in informing or advising agencies or local leaders and 32% reported involvement in community anti-drug campaigns. For some, this involvement also included speaking at political events (16%), and attending community meetings (30%), and public hearings and forums (21%). Other general community activities reported by participants included working with youth (32%), fundraising (30%), and volunteering time with community organizations (23%). These findings indicate that Oxford House residents are not only working on their own recovery, but also working to make positive changes in their communities. Our next large scale completed study received funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
Oxford Houses also were more likely than TCs to allow residents to have personal possessions (e.g., pictures, furniture) within the dwelling (Ferrari, Jason, Sasser et al., 2006). There appear to be considerable standardization of locations of Oxford Houses as well as what occurs in these settings (Ferrari, Groh & Jason, 2009). These results, in fact, were replicated in Australian Oxford Houses (Ferrari, Jason, Blake et al., 2006). https://ecosoberhouse.com/ “If we think it’s unsafe for people to live there, then we feel obligated to enforce the rules for their health and safety,” said City Legal Director Nicholas Meyer said. “If you have people living in unsafe conditions where they shouldn’t be living, then these are the proper steps to take.” Recovery homes have proven to have a success rate of 80%—that is a great success rate for recovery from a substance use disorder.
Self-run, Self-supported Recovery Houses
Individuals who are interested in living in an Oxford House should call the house of their choice to see if there are any vacancies, If there are vacancies, an interview will be scheduled. Eighty percent of the house members must vote to accept the applicant as a roommate. Depaul University has a team of researchers that have been studying the Oxford House model for more than a decade.
Flynn, Alvarez, Jason, Olson, Ferrari, and Davis (2006) found that African Americans in Oxford House maintain ties with family members yet develop supportive relationships by attending 12-step groups and living in Oxford House. These different social oxford house traditions networks are able to provide support for abstinence to African Americans. In this same study, we examined the combined effects of 12-step involvement and Oxford House residence on abstinence over a 24-month period (Groh, Jason & Ferrari, 2009).