I have just recently attended my first meeting last week with Lenny Jason's DePaul University's Group doing Action Research on Oxford Houses. I learned of Oxford House only a few years ago when presenting on a panel with Lenny, and then through a good friend, Maya Hennessey. They have been around for 37 years, and have many in the Chicago, Joliet and Waukegan area. They are opening homes for Latinas, women and children, the deaf community and are open to ideas. I am hoping to get involved as a Research Assistant volunteer with their NIDA and NIAAA grants, and am hoping that perhaps Motivational Interviewing could be used somewhere in this (they are looking at retention) and the use of CRAFT (Community Reinforcement and Family Therapy) as a way of helping folks who are looking for sober living to find a place to obtain sobriety. They do involve AA meeting attendance yet what makes them unique is they are self-supporting and the 12 Traditions are used to govern the homes. That should ideally mean that there is no one making money off of this, anymore than the Central Service Office in New York makes money off of AA meetings.
If anyone has had experiences with an Oxford House, I would be interested. I am hoping to visit a few and get involved, and many thanks to Frank Ponziano who helped bring me into this possible new fold.
Jacque
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Friday, December 3, 2010
Change Talk and the 4th and 5th Steps of AA...
Hi everyone:
I have been pondering the Change Talk that occurs during a 4th Step, in an AA where the participants is to list all their 'character deficts" ( all the thing bridges they have burned while drinking /drugging) and though this Step is avoided with a almost phobic reaction, I have come to believe that here is something power about the works actually coming out of the person''s mouth to another human being, who is just there to be a safe place. Once the works are out of our mouths, we cannot take them back in, and that is often what leads to Commitment Talk. I heard recently "You can't put that toothpaste back in the tube." I believe that to be true. Even if the person does not not follow through, they never forget that they made a verbal agreement about what they had done and what they were going to do with it. This is Commitment Talk, and though it may take a few times, I am so hopeful that folks will finally get better in Betterville, no matter what road they take or door they walk through. All pathways to getting better are good pathways.
I have meet folks who have written out 4th step yet never shared them and they have not done so well. It is that willingness to show ourselves warts and all that allows us to join the human race again.
Jacque
I have been pondering the Change Talk that occurs during a 4th Step, in an AA where the participants is to list all their 'character deficts" ( all the thing bridges they have burned while drinking /drugging) and though this Step is avoided with a almost phobic reaction, I have come to believe that here is something power about the works actually coming out of the person''s mouth to another human being, who is just there to be a safe place. Once the works are out of our mouths, we cannot take them back in, and that is often what leads to Commitment Talk. I heard recently "You can't put that toothpaste back in the tube." I believe that to be true. Even if the person does not not follow through, they never forget that they made a verbal agreement about what they had done and what they were going to do with it. This is Commitment Talk, and though it may take a few times, I am so hopeful that folks will finally get better in Betterville, no matter what road they take or door they walk through. All pathways to getting better are good pathways.
I have meet folks who have written out 4th step yet never shared them and they have not done so well. It is that willingness to show ourselves warts and all that allows us to join the human race again.
Jacque
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