Oxford house: A review of research and implications for substance abuse recovery and community research

After treatment for substance abuse, whether it is in hospital-based treatm ent programs, therapeutic communities, or recovery homes, many patients ret urn to former high-risk environments or stressful family situations. Return ing to these settings without a network of people to support abstinence inc reases chances of a relapse. As a consequence, substance abuse recidivism f ollowing treatment is high for both men and women. Alternative approaches n eed to be explored, and there are some promising types of recovery homes. F rom a public health perspective, a series of studies conducted at DePaul Un iversity suggests that one type of recovery home for alcohol abuse recovery has much potential. For example, within this self-help communal living set ting, recovering alcoholics were able to maintain employment, thereby reduc ing their need for government subsidies. Maintaining employment for recover ing alcoholics may promote increased personal responsibility, which may imp act self-efficacy beliefs. These pilot studies, then, raised both theoretic al and practical issues needing further evaluation.