Oxford House has as its primary goal the provision of housing and rehabilitative support for the alcoholic and drug addict who wants to stop drinking or using drugs and stay stopped.
In its simplest form, an Oxford House describes a self-run, self-supporting and drug free home.
The philosophy behind Oxford House is three-fold:
- Self-help is the bedrock of recovery.
- Disciplined democracy is key to living together.
- Self-support builds efficacy in sobriety comfortable enough to avoid relapse.
Oxford Houses are self-run because:
This permits individuals in recovery to learn responsibility, and
The cost associated with self-run housing permits extensive replication of houses.
The number of residents in a House may range from six to fifteen; there are houses for men, houses for women, and houses which accept women with children.
Each House represents a remarkably effective and low cost method of preventing relapse. This was the purpose of the first Oxford House established in 1975, and this purpose is served, day by day, house after house for 40 years.