Twelve-step program use among Oxford house residents: Spirituality or social support in sobriety?

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Abstract

Oxford House is a self-help, self-governed, democratic communal-living environment for recovering alcoholics and polysubstance abusers. In this study, 134 male residents (M age = 34 years old) were personally interviewed on their recovery process and, in particular, on their experiences with 12-step programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Most residents (76%) reported they attended weekly AA meetings to assist in their recovery, mainly to acquire effective techniques to maintain sobriety (72%). Many AA attendees (43%) claimed no sense of spirituality prior to joining AA, and for most of these men (71%), attendance at weekly meetings was not motivated by “spirituality” aspects of the program. In contrast, the majority of residents (53%) attending weekly AA meetings claimed that a sense of fellowship with similar recovering others was their reason for program involvement. It appears that among men living in a communal setting with other recovering addicts, the need for social support for sobriety from similar others continues beyond the confines of their residence.

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    Portions of this study were presented at the annual meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association (1995, April), Boston, MA.

    Gratitude is expressed to the men residing in Oxford House across Illinois who volunteered to participate in this study, and to J. Paul Malloy of Oxford House, Inc., who provided insight and guidance during the study. We also thank the many research associates who interviewed residents, particularly Paula Dvorchak, Erik Groessl, Barbara Smith, and Patricia Marsh.

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