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. A major part of the Oxford House philosophy is that dependency is best overcome through an acceptance of responsibility. In Oxford House, each member equally shares the responsibility for the running of the House and upholding the Oxford House tradition.

The Oxford House Organization

Oxford Houses flourish in metropolitan areas such as New York City and Washington D.C. And thrive in such diverse communities as Hawaii, Washington State, Canada and Australia; but they all abide by the basic criteria. This was the purpose of the first Oxford House established in 1975, and this purpose is served, day by day, house after house, in each of over 1,200 houses in the United States today.

Welcome to North Carolina Oxford Houses

The example of Oxford House members going to AA or NA meetings on their own is contagious. It has been the experience of Oxford House that participation in AA and NA is extremely high in an environment where one individual can see another individual, with the same disease, reaping great benefits from AA and/or NA participation. Oxford House, Inc. acts as the coordinating body for providing charters for the opening of new Oxford Houses.

How to Start an Oxford House

• Failure to adhere to any of these three requirements would bring the entire Oxford House concept into question.
• Oxford Houses of North Carolina, established in 1991, is a statewide network of recovery residences, chartered by Oxford House, Inc., the 501(c)(3) umbrella corporation.
• Nearly all members of Oxford House utilize the AA and/or NA program in order to obtain and keep a comfortable sobriety.
• In fact, Oxford House creates an environment whereby each member can more fully realize the benefits available from active AA or NA membership.
• Each member has one vote and majority rule applies except that 80% of the members must agree in accepting new persons for membership.

All too often, an abrupt transition from a protected environment to an environment which places considerable glamour on the use of alcohol and drugs causes a return to alcoholic drinking or addictive drug use. 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 https://ecosoberhouse.com/ a tendency to test and retest the validity of any real, potential, or imagined restriction on their behavior. 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.

Self-run, Self-supported Recovery Houses

It is inconsistent with the Oxford House system of democratic rule to have a professional manager of Oxford House. Some operate for several years and then, because of expiration of a lease, dissatisfaction with the facilities, or simply the finding of a better location, the members of a particular House will move into a new location. In both cases, financial assistance is in the form of a loan having a pay back schedule, not to exceed one year, defined up front. (Since 1989, many new Oxford Houses have taken advantage of state revolving loan programs. Failure to adhere to any of these three requirements would bring the entire Oxford House concept into question.

The Oxford House Concept

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.

Initially, the structure and supervision of such facilities were acceptable because physically and mentally, we were exhausted. Later, some of us were to move into half-way houses which provided shelter, food, and supervision. As our recovery progressed, the supervision and dependency on a half-way house created dissatisfaction.

Self-Help for Sobriety Without Relapse

• Each House represents a remarkably effective and low cost method of preventing relapse.
• A representative of each House in the Chapter meets with the others on a monthly basis, to exchange information, to seek resolution of problems in a particular House, and to express that Chapter’s vote on larger issues.

Starting new Houses through the mutual assistance of existing Oxford Houses is a tradition because each House was started with the help of existing Houses and tends to pass on to others that which they received. Once more applications are received than there are beds available, the members of any Oxford House will begin to look around for another suitable house. When they find such a house they will bring it up with the other existing Houses and oxford house traditions if there is a consensus they will attempt to find the start up money and members to fill the new house. Often several members of an existing House will move into the new House to provide a core group of new members who already know how an Oxford House works. 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.

Oxford House is built on the premise of expanding in order to meet the needs of recovering alcoholics and drug addicts. 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. 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.

• And thrive in such diverse communities, as Hawaii, Washington State, Canada and Australia; but they all abide by the basic criteria.
• Within an Oxford House group, it is not unusual to find some members who have problems which cannot be dealt with by the group.
• Modest rooms and living facilities can become luxurious suites when viewed from an environment of alcoholics working together for comfortable sobriety.
• In deference to that tradition, Oxford House has never sought nor obtained sponsorship from any AA or NA group.