The power of community to help people recover from alcohol and drug dependency.

By John Leonard
Beginning with self deception and progressing to self centered fear, addiction can isolate us from those we love and the things we care about. We become so self-centered that we no longer see how our behavior is affecting other people. Alcoholics Anonymous teaches us that our sobriety is dependent upon the daily maintenance of our spiritual condition. We do this through a relationship with a Higher Power. This is not just a vertical relationship with God but with a community of recovering people. Often, God works through other people and we must learn to take direction from those that God has put into our lives. We need people that have walked a similar path to show us the way and hold us accountable to the spiritual principles of the Twelve Steps.

Here in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St Paul, we are very fortunate to have one of the more vibrant recovering communities in the country. Minnesota has been a destination for people seeking recovery for over six decades. People come here from all over the world to find recovery.
The Retreat, a small non-profit organization in the Twin Cities, has a continuum of recovery services grounded in the spiritual principles of the Twelve Steps. Using over three hundred volunteers every month, The Retreat has effectively harnessed the power of community in their mission of helping people. The message these people share is carried with passion and enthusiasm and based on their own experience; they are giving back that which was freely given to them. The entire staff is recovering, and there is a genuine feeling of “We’re all in this together.” With so many volunteers, there is a large and dynamic pool of wisdom available to Retreat guests. In this approach, the volunteers actually become the direct agents of change. Showing someone how to recover rather than telling them what to do is often better received by people that are accustomed to doing things their own way.
Surrounding people that are motivated for change with those that are living their recovery at the highest level makes recovery very attractive and helps to integrate people into the community. With its community approach, The Retreat serves as a vehicle for recovered people to carry the message to newcomers and has helped to raise the collective bar for recovery in the Twin Cities.

Bill Wilson, the founder of AA once said that “AA is all about love and service.” With this in mind, The Retreat has embraced the power of community. After all, when we extend ourselves for the benefit of others, we grow spiritually and that is the essence of recovery.