Abstinence Social Support: The Impact of Children in Oxford House

Abstract

The present study compared the characteristics of individuals living with (42 men, 52 women) and without children (561 men, 241 women) residing in a communal-living recovery program called Oxford Houses. Results indicated that men living with children and women living without children had more general social support, compared to men living without children and women living with children. Additionally, women and residents of adult-only houses reported having more drug users in their social networks. However, men and women living with and without children reported similar levels of social support for abstinence. It is suggested that that men in recovery who take care of their children are in situations more advantageous to sustained recovery and have more resources compared to recovering women with children. Women in substance abuse recovery and taking care of children may require additional resources and assistance compared to men.

KEYWORDS:

• abstinence
• social support
• Oxford House
• substance abuse
• children
• mutual help

Funding was made possible in part through National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) grants #5F31DA16037 and #R01DA13231.