Learn to create a positive research/action alliance similar to that of DePaul University and the Oxford House communityThis 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 accountabilitythe experiences and attitudes of Oxford House community members in light of their participation in the collaborative research projects described in the bookthe essentials of designing and creating an efficient and productive yet homey residential community environment for addicted personsthe factors that make Oxford Houses in the United States and Australia "safe and sober" settings for persons in recoverythe 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'sthe economic advantages of the Oxford House model as compared with other treatment and incarcerationalternativesthe roles of ethnicity and gender in substance abuse recoverythe structural social support of Oxford House men— and the impact of parenthood on these men's substance use patterns and recovery attemptsthe medical care (need and utilization) patterns of a substance abusing and recovering populationhow Oxford House's African-American community functions as a source of abstinent social networksthe sense of community among women and women with children living in Oxford Houses— with emphasis on how the presence of children impacts the householdperspectives 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."THIS INFORMATIVE BOOK is at once a systematic evaluation of an important intervention for addiction and a vivid illustration of the value of strengths-based community psychology research. Along the way, the authors show how the process of community research and the amount of knowledge it uncovers are enhanced by a respectful, dynamic relationship between academic scientists and community-based organizations." — Keith Humphreys, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Stanford University"THIS IS AN EXCEPTIONAL, INSPIRING EXAMPLE OF COLLABORATIVE ACTION RESEARCH: a university team of community psychologists and an innovative community-based organization, working as partners in each step of the research. Their exemplary work HOLDS BOTH SCHOLARLY AND PRACTICAL VALUE FOR COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY AND FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE RECOVERY. This research has implications at multiple ecological levels, involving personal recovery within a supportive residential community; organizational functioning of an innovative community setting; the role of physical environmental factors in recovery; understanding how recovery can be promoted among diverse populations; and social policy on substance abuse recovery." — James H. Dalton, PhD, Professor of Psychology, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania

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