While Oxford House, Inc. has the sole authority to grant Oxford House charters, the World Council acts as an advisory council to the board. The members of an Oxford House assume full responsibility for the operation of the House. The rent that is charged the members is determined by the members themselves in a democratic fashion. The rules which govern the house are for the most part also made by those who live in a particular Oxford House https://sarabhaichemicals.com/healthy-coping-24-mechanisms-skills-for-positive/ Such autonomy is essential for the Oxford House system to work. 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.
Support the Oxford 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. However, the members of Oxford House have found only by being active in AA and/or NA have they found comfortable, long-term sobriety — for themselves and the Oxford House in which they live. 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. All aspects of Oxford House operations, from the acquisition of the house to the acceptance or dismissal of members, is carried out under democratic procedures. Each member has one vote and majority rule applies except that 80% of the members must agree in accepting new persons for membership.
Resident Responsibilities and Expectations
- Residents must strictly adhere to sober living guidelines, avoiding alcohol and drugs entirely.
- Every opportunity should be given to a member who needs professional help to see that he obtains it.
- That would defeat the whole principle of establishing a system that teaches recovering individuals themselves to be responsible.
- Officers have fixed terms of office to avoid bossism or corruption of egalitarian democracy.
- Many people use an online bookkeeping program and/or a desktop filing system with labeled folders.
Whether you’re a current or prospective resident, a peer-support leader, or an operator, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. You can learn from Oxford House–style training and adapt those lessons to your own recovery residence. Oxford House training shows what’s possible when people in recovery are trusted—and oxford house sober living equipped—to run their own homes.
Oxford House vs. Other Types of Sober Living
This discourages isolation and helps the newcomer to learn or relearn socialization to get the full benefit of recovering individuals helping each other to become comfortable enough in sobriety to avoid relapse. It provides quality control by organizing regional Houses into Chapters and by relying heavily upon the national network of mutual aid organizations such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous groups. While Oxford House is not affiliated with AA or Oxford House NA, its members realize that recovery Substance Use Disorder 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 charger compliance problems with respect to a particular house.