Such meetings should be used to resolve any operational or personality problems facing the house. Please fill out the form below to let us send you the latest information about Oxford House. Your stay in Oxford House helped make it what it is today and by keeping in touch with the Oxford House family you will make the organization better. Finding nice affordable furniture, appliances, kitchenware, and other items can be challenging.
It is through these shared experiences that residents find solace, strength, and a renewed sense of hope. The expulsion policy is not intended as a punishment, but rather as a safeguard for the collective well-being of the house. When a member’s behavior jeopardizes the sobriety or safety of others, removal becomes necessary to protect the community and ensure a stable recovery environment for everyone else. This accountability extends to all aspects of life within the house, from contributing to chores and maintaining a job to adhering to house rules and participating in meetings.

Video: Oxford House Traditions: What I Wish I Knew Before Moving In

Frustrated with the limitations of traditional recovery programs, Molloy sought to create a more empowering and sustainable solution. Oxford House has enabled peer-run, self-sustaining, and substance-free housing since 1975. Today Oxford House has more than 20,000 residents at more than 3,500 homes across 47 states and several foreign countries. Generally an individual comes into an Oxford House following a 28-day rehabilitation program or at least a 5 to 10 day detoxification program. Rent your home as an Oxford House and become a vital part in our mission to save lives.
- The World Headquarters acts as a repository of knowledge and experience, offering guidance and support to houses facing unique challenges.
- Complementing these individual efforts is the powerful force of peer support, where shared experiences and mutual encouragement become catalysts for healing and growth.
- For those of us who had been in institutions or halfway houses, resentments against authority were common.
- These core values work in harmony to create a structured yet supportive environment.
What is the Model?
The majority of participants were involved in activities around their recovery. Key findings include 63% of residents involved in mentoring others in recovery, 44% running support groups, and 56% involved in educating the community about Oxford House. The World Council is made up of both alumni and residents of Oxford Houses who are elected by their peers. Electing members to staggered three-year terms of office assures continuity of the 12-member World Council.
Resources and Tools for Success: Guiding Operational Efficiency
Oxford House should rely on democratically-chosen leaders, but the leaders must always be but trusted servants. The Board of Directors maintains the sole right to Charter, and to revoke the Oxford House Charter of, individual Oxford Houses and exercises authority over the policies and officers of Oxford House, Inc. In this way, Oxford House, Inc. remains responsive to the needs of the population it serves. This system enables prospective members to find openings quickly and apply to houses.
A well-defined agenda ensures that meetings stay focused and productive, while clear communication protocols promote open dialogue and respectful debate. Structured meetings are vital for maintaining order, encouraging participation, and facilitating effective communication within an Oxford House. This includes everything from day-to-day operations, such as cleaning and cooking, to more complex tasks like budgeting, house maintenance, and conflict resolution. Members learn from each other, share coping strategies, and celebrate milestones together. One of the most compelling aspects of the Oxford House model is its reliance on collective wisdom. This vision challenged conventional approaches, placing trust and responsibility directly in the hands of those seeking recovery.
- It’s more than just abstaining from substance use; it’s about actively engaging in a process of self-improvement and taking ownership of one’s choices.
- Building upon the foundation of financial independence, the strength of an Oxford House truly shines through its commitment to self-governance and democratic principles.
- The strength of mutual encouragement stems from the shared understanding that residents are not alone in their struggles.
The Importance of House Meetings
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. When we stopped drinking or using drugs, we began to realize just how dependent we had become.
House Rules and Guidelines
List member’s assignments and rotate jobs so that everyone equally shares work to be done. Applicants must complete this membership application and be interviewed by the house they are looking to live at. By providing a clear record of the events leading up to a decision, these forms help to protect the rights of all members and prevent misunderstandings or disputes. Similarly, standardized forms for documenting disciplinary actions and expulsions ensure that these processes are conducted fairly and transparently.
Ensuring Fair Application Processes

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. 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. Chapters are important links in the effective democratic system of operation guiding Oxford House as a whole. They are one way to solve the problem of keeping combined groups of houses small enough to permit each house to share its experiences, strengths and hopes with other houses.Innovation meets simplicity in next-generation crypto trading veltrix ai site.
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. Modest rooms and living facilities can become luxurious suites when viewed from an environment of alcoholics working together for comfortable sobriety. Some of us had lived for a time in alcoholic and drug rehabilitation facilities. Those facilities provided us with shelter, food, and therapy for understanding alcoholism.
Central to this approach is the utilization of recovery literature, which provides a common language and framework for understanding addiction and its complexities. You can stay as long as you like, provided you don’t use drugs and alcohol, are not disruptive, and pay your share of house expenses. Once accepted, an Oxford House member can stay as long as they like, provided they stay drug and alcohol free, are not disruptive, and pay their share of house expenses. An Oxford House member can stay as long as they like, provided they stay drug and alcohol free, are not disruptive, and pay their share of house expenses. 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.
Peer support and the use oxford house traditions of recovery literature create a foundation for a truly collaborative atmosphere within the Oxford House. They offer a framework for understanding addiction, developing coping mechanisms, and building a life free from substance abuse. This can be one of the most profound and transformative elements of the Oxford House experience, where empathy and understanding are freely given and received.
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