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 Recovery: The Oxford House Model presents and examines: 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 Houses The 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.

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 Recovery: The Oxford House Model presents and examines: 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 Houses The 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.

For readers of The Least of Us and In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts--a practical, hopeful, and research-based guide for supporting loved ones through addiction and recovery. This isn’t a book about addiction--it’s a book about recovery. Written for every loved one, community member, and recovery professional who wants to know “how do I help?,” Recovery Allies offers real-world solutions, evidence-based strategies, and, above all, hope for the 23 million Americans living in recovery from substance use disorder. Other books describe how to treat addiction or offer stories of recovery and redemption, but this is the first to comprehensively approach our addiction crisis from a community perspective. You’ll learn about: Reducing the shame and stigma that can prevent folks in recovery from asking for help The tools essential to addressing our addiction epidemic How to apply public health strategies across all community sectors, from healthcare and law enforcement to faith organizations and education The critical role of relationships and community support in achieving sobriety and maintaining recovery Relapse prevention, harm reduction, and peer support Recovery Allies is structured around the key pillars of recovery as identified by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): home, health, purpose, and community. It shows you a different way to think about addiction in our country--and what you can do to help in all your spheres of influence. Most adults with substance use disorder don’t receive specialized treatment like counseling, medication, or rehab. Instead, the recovery journey starts in their communities, among family and friends--here and now, with their recovery allies.

In Recovery Groups: A Guide to Creating, Leading, and Working with Groups for Addictions and Mental Health Conditions Linda Kurtz breaks down the recovery movement for addictions and mental health care into three sections.

Research on treatment outcome for addictive disorders indicates that a variety of interventions are effective. However, the progress clients make in treatment frequently is undermined by the lack of an alcohol and drug free living environment supporting sustained recovery. This book suggests that treatment providers have not paid sufficient attention to the social environments where clients live after residential treatment or while attending outpatient programs. It also describes the need for alcohol and drug free living environments. We then review the history of communal living for recovering addicts and alcoholics and provide concrete examples of the Oxford House model, which is a widespread communal living option for over 10,000 recovering persons in the US. The structure and philosophy of Oxford Houses are presented along with recent outcome studies providing support for their effectiveness. This book was published as a special issue in the Journal of Groups in Addiction and Recovery.

Addiction and Recovery in the UK captures the essence of the emerging addictions recovery movement and in particular the emerging evidence base that had been gathered around the umbrella of the Recovery Academy UK. The Recovery Academy was established with the aim of creating a forum for people in recovery, practitioners, commissioners and academics working together to describe and understand the principles of recovery as applied across the UK. Following the first annual conference, researchers who had been involved in academic research on recovery and innovative services and activities that had been evaluated were invited to outline UK initiatives. This book, the result of their contributions, is a vibrant collection of diverse theories and models, critiques and innovations, ranging from two linked papers describing the growing recovery movement in Edinburgh to a recovery walking group in Wales and a model for peer activities in the North of England. The projects are typically ‘community up’ projects whose essence has been captured within this book, and which together paint a picture of vitality and growth in the UK recovery movement. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Groups in Addiction and Recovery.

It was once taken for granted that peer-assisted groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous had no “real” value in recovery from addiction. More recently, evidence-based medicine is recognizing a spiritual component in healing—especially when it comes to addiction. The newest edition of Recent Developments in Alcoholism reflects this change by focusing on the 12-step model of recovery as well as mindfulness meditation and other spiritually oriented activity. More than thirty contributors bring together historical background, research findings, and clinical wisdom to analyze the compatibility of professional treatment and nonprofessional support, day-to-day concepts of relapse prevention, the value of community building in recovery, and much more. Among the topics covered: (1) How and why 12-step groups work. (2) The impact of the spiritual on mainstream treatment. (3) The impact of AA on other nonprofessional recovery programs. (4) AA outcomes for special populations. (5) Facilitating involvement in 12-step programs. (6) Methods for measuring religiousness and spirituality in alcohol research. Whether one is referring clients to 12-step programs or seeking to better understand the process, this is a unique resource for clinicians and social workers. Developmental psychologists, too, will find Volume 18—Research on Alcoholics Anonymous and Spirituality in Addiction Recovery a worthy successor to the series.

For good reasons, Americans are growing concerned about the cost of health care and housing. There are many reasons why people need care-the addiction of a teenage child or spouse, an elderly relative in need of nursing home care, a psychological disorder, or a chronic medical condition—but even moderately successful institutional solutions for these problems are often too costly to be truly helpful. The cost of healthcare is so high it can result in homelessness. Leonard Jason and Martin Perdoux show us a relatively low-cost and effective solution growing in neighborhoods across the country: true community. People are moving in together to meet each other's needs and, in the process, create a much higher quality of life than they would find in an institution. People living together in these healing communities include the elderly, recovering alcoholics and drug addicts, and people suffering from mental illness, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, AIDS, or Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. These communities offer them a way to recover the caring, structure, direction, and respect that a strong family can provide. The authors of this work show us how communities created out of necessity by their members constitute a more sustained, natural means to healing. In his foreword, Thomas Moore points out that the communities described in this book are not only physical homes, but also shelters for the soul, places to find the deepest kind of security. Here you will see concrete ways imaginative leaders help those in trouble find themselves rather than become dependent on institutions. It is a new and promising imagination of how social healing works: not by setting up more programs, but by treating people in trouble as human beings, with certain emotional and social needs. This book teaches how to re-imagine this whole process, and now, in an increasingly technical and lonely world, we need this precious wisdom more than ever.

Substance Abuse Recovery in College explains in authoritative detail what collegiate recovery communities are, the types of services they provide, and their role in the context of campus life, with extended examples from Texas Tech University’s influential CSAR (Center for the Study of Addiction and Recovery) program. Using data from both conventional surveys and end-of-day daily Palm Pilot assessments as well as focus groups, the book examines community members’ experiences. In addition, the importance of a positive relationship between the recovery community and the school administration is emphasized. Topics covered include: The growing need for recovery services at colleges. How recovery communities support abstinence and relapse prevention. Who are community members and their addiction and treatment histories. Daily lives of young adults in a collegiate recovery community. Challenges and opportunities in establishing recovery communities on campus. Building abstinence support into an academic curriculum. This volume offers clear insights and up-close perspectives of importance to developmental and clinical child psychologists, social workers, higher education policymakers, and related professionals in human development, family studies, student services, college health care, and community services.