WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW CAN HURT YOU: HOW A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF ADDICTION AND RECOVERY MIGHT LEAD TO HEALTHIER FAMILIES AND CONGREGATIONAL SYSTEMS

Abstract

ABSTRACT MATTHEW THOMAS DUVALL WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW CAN HURT YOU: HOW A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF ADDICTION AND RECOVERY MIGHT LEAD TO HEALTHIER FAMILIES AND CONGREGATIONAL SYSTEMS Under the Direction of Graham B. Walker, Ph.D.

The topics of addiction and recovery are neither uniformly nor sufficiently covered in the M.Div. program for ministers going into the local church. Yet no more universal issue impacts every congregation than addiction to substances and processes and the need for healing through recovery. The lack of knowledge leads to silence and inaction on these issues, which perpetuates shame and judgment and continued struggles with addiction. This project explores how effective a compressed educational module about addiction and recovery might be in shifting the knowledge, attitude, and sense of competency in a local church minister lacking in this area. I pulled together a cohort of ministers from local churches in the greater Atlanta area. We explored the concepts and history of the understanding and approach to treatment for addiction. We discussed concepts around recovery, particularly focused on the 12-step programs because of how widespread and effective they have been through the years. We thought about how ministers and congregations have a unique and essential role in supporting individuals and their families in addiction and recovery and how the church can create an ecosystem of healthy flourishing through recovery. The results of the project, surveys, and interviews were encouraging. The participating ministers communicated that they did not know enough and that this information should have been a part of their ministry since seminary. Through the project, all eight ministers demonstrated a shift in their knowledge, attitude, and sense of competency around addiction and recovery. Each of the participants had clear and practical next steps they planned to take to engage these issues further.