With a significant number of families affected by addiction, faith community leaders, staff and volunteers are called on to minister to family members and those struggling with the use of alcohol and/or other drugs. Faith Partners for Recovery offers a confidential and caring way to help faith communities direct their members to people and services to assist in healing.

The nonprofit Faith Partners for Recovery is a free community service designed to decrease the number of high-risk substance users and increase the number of dependent substance users entering recovery programs as early as possible in the course of their illness.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Faith Partners for Recovery educates leaders in faith communities about ways to refer individuals to Recovery Guides — people in long-term recovery who can share their stories about life before entering recovery and what life is like now If individuals are interested, Recovery Guides can offer information about available resources. According to research, these brief interventions can be highly effective.

Faith Partners for Recovery works to identify one or more people in each faith community who are willing to connect high-risk or dependent users with Recovery Guides. People in this role are called Recovery Resource Persons.

In some faith communities, Recovery Resource Persons may be clergy members or lay leaders, such as parish/faith community nurses. Recovery Resource Persons should be informed about recovery but do not need to be in long-term recovery themselves. They also must be:

• Recognized as trustworthy and able to maintain confidentiality
• Welcoming toward those who seek information and advice
• Willing to become familiar with alcoholism and drug abuse
• Able and willing to make referrals to Recovery Guides

Members of Faith Partners for Recovery provide educational programs to congregational leaders, ministerial associations and organizations of all faiths and ask that they spread the word to their members and assist in identifying people who could serve as Recovery Resource Persons and/or Recovery Guides.