Creating Communities for Addiction Recovery: The Oxford House Model

by Leonard A. Jason (Editor), Joseph R. Ferrari (Editor), Margaret Davis (Editor)

Learn to create a positive research/action alliance similar to that of DePaul University and the Oxford House community

This book reviews important research conducted in a 13-year collaborative partnership between Oxford House (a community-based, self-run residential substance abuse recovery program) and DePaul University. It also presents practical guidelines for developing effective action research collaborative programs that can cultivate and maintain mutually beneficial community/research partnerships.

Creating Communities for Addiction The Oxford House Model presents and
practical guidelines for developing effective action research collaboratives focusing on the development of trust, respecting the personal experiences of the community members and the group, commitment to serving the community, validating findings with organization members, and accountability
the experiences and attitudes of Oxford House community members in light of their participation in the collaborative research projects described in the book
the essentials of designing and creating an efficient and productive yet homey residential community environment for addicted persons
the factors that make Oxford Houses in the United States and Australia “safe and sober” settings for persons in recovery
the differential growth among self-governed substance abuse recovery homes for men and for women-with a focus on the impact of state loan programs and the utilization of technical assistance in relation to the expansion of women’s houses as compared with men’s
the economic advantages of the Oxford House model as compared with other treatment and incarceration alternatives
the roles of ethnicity and gender in substance abuse recovery
the structural social support of Oxford House men-and the impact of parenthood on these men’s substance use patterns and recovery attempts
the medical care (need and utilization) patterns of a substance abusing and recovering population
how Oxford House’s African-American community functions as a source of abstinent social networks
the sense of community among women and women with children living in Oxford Houses-with emphasis on how the presence of children impacts the household
perspectives of leadership by women (some with children, some without) affiliated with Oxford HousesThe information in this book shows that the rules of the game have changed. Substance abusers now can take charge of their own recovery in effective and efficient ways, and practitioners can find low-cost housing options for their clients with substance abuse problems. As a part of your professional/teaching collection, Creating Communities for Addiction Recovery can help you or your students take understand and make effective use of this rapidly evolving paradigm of community-based recovery.

Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2005

About the author

Leonard A. Jason is a professor of psychology at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois, where he also directs the Center for Community Research. His chief professional interests include the study of chronic fatigue syndrome, smoking, smoking cessation, and Oxford House recovery homes for substance abuse. Jason's interest in chronic fatigue syndrome began when he was diagnosed with the condition in 1990 after having mononucleosis.

Jason is a former president of the Division of Community Psychology of the American Psychological Association (APA) and a past editor of The Community Psychologist. Jason has edited or written 23 books, and he has published 541 articles and 77 book chapters on CFS, recovery homes, the prevention of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug abuse, media interventions and program evaluation. He has served on 83 Thesis Committees (of which he chaired 57), and 70 Dissertation Committees (of which he chaired 36). He has served on the editorial boards of ten psychological journals. Jason has served on review committees of the National Institutes of Health, and he has received over $26,000,000 in federal research grants. He was also a board member and vice-president for an advocacy group called International Association of CFS/ME.

He is a member the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Advisory Committee. In 1999, Jason published an epidemiological study of chronic fatigue syndrome among United States adults. Jason helped organize two major American Psychological Association sponsored conferences on research methods for community psychology and recently co-edited a book on this topic.

Jason has served on the editorial boards of journals including:
-Prevention in Human Services, 1986-1995; renamed Journal of Prevention and Intervention in the Community, 1996–present.
-Journal of Community Psychology, 1983-1986, 2007–present.
-The Journal of Primary Prevention, 1983-1986. Appointed Associate Editor, 1986-2007.
-Special Services in the Schools; renamed Journal of Applied School Psychology 1984-2008.

Jason received the 1997 Distinguished Contributions to Theory and Research Award and the 2007 Special Contribution to Public Policy award of the Society for Community Research and Action. He was presented the 1997 CFIDS Support Network ACTION Champion Award by the Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome Association of America.

He received the Dutch ME Foundation International ME Award in 2003. He has been awarded three media awards from the APA.