About Oxford House – Charleston
Oxford House in Charleston, South Carolina is in the Hampton Park area just off Rutledge Ave. It is one of more than 3500 Oxford Houses nationally that house more than 24000 persons in recovery annually. The Oxford House concept began in 1975 and developed into a nonprofit organization supporting a network of democratically run, drug free homes. There are no detox, counseling or therapy services available here. The primary objective is to create an ideal sober living environment to prevent relapse.
All Oxford Homes adhere to three principles. They believe that self help is the foundation of recovery, disciplined democracy is key to living together and relapse can be avoided through a comfortable and self supportive environment. These principles seem effective. A DePaul University study found that only 13% of Oxford Home residents relapsed.
You can enter an Oxford House after completing a 28 day rehabilitation program or a five to 10 day detox program. After you complete an application for residence then you are interviewed by the existing members of the House. Around 80% of the members must approve for acceptance. Houses have eight to 15 members and self elected leaders. All members have equal say regardless of how long they’ve been a resident. Living expenses and utilities are split between members and abstinence is mandatory.
Men and women can apply for residency but live separately. There is no time limit to how long you can stay and most residents stay for up to a year. Some residents stay longer and no one in good standing is ever pressured to leave.
The Oxford House model appears to be an ideal sober living solution for those in recovery. The inclusive, democratic milieu focused on self sufficiency seems to be an effective support for lifelong sobriety.