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An alternative to prison or rehab for drug, alcohol addiction

TULSA — Americans suffering from drug and alcohol addiction often find themselves with few alternatives outside of a jail cell or expensive rehabilitation facilities.

But there is an alternative, available in Tulsa, that provides a chance to turn one’s life around with the help and support of others who know what the struggle is like.

The organization is called Oxford House, and local outreach worker Thomas Floyd says it has experienced rapid growth in Oklahoma in recent years.

“It’s actually the largest sober-living organization in the world,” he told KRMG. “How I actually got involved with it was a life of 20 years of addiction, incarceration, all those things. And the last time I was incarcerated, some people came in to the prison I was in and talked about Oxford House.”

He moved into an Oxford House in 2013, he said.

“The men in that house taught me about a 12-step program and how to live a productive life,” Floyd added.

“We’re growing at a really fast rate here in Oklahoma, we’re up to 102 houses, 899 beds, in which we accept individuals either off the street, or out of treatment or detox, or just like me, out of prison. And we get them plugged into a 12-step program and teach them how to live life, on life’s terms.”

He said there are three charter requirements for an Oxford House, which are segregated into house that accept males, females, or females with children.

“The house must be democratically ran, it must be financially self-supporting, and it must evict anyone who drinks or uses.”

He said residents have to pitch in on chores, hold a job, and contribute to the house’s collective finances.

One can check the Oxford House vacancies website to see if any room is available in a particular area.

A check by KRMG showed a number of beds available in the Tulsa area.

To learn more about Oxford House, visit the website.

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