COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) - The road to recovering from an addiction can be a long journey. One local church believes that the journey can be completed with the help of Christ.
John Burdeshaw with New Horizons Behavioral Health says 9 out of 10 of The Fort Church at Eastern Heights' members are individuals who are recovering addicts or have turned their lives around.
"I found God here and now God's with me every day," said one member in long-term recovery from addiction.
"The Fort Church is come as you are. 90% of our church is in recovery to addiction or people still trying to get into recovery from an addiction," said Burdeshaw, "Everyone is welcome, we're extremely diverse here at The Fort Church."
The Fort has service every Sunday at noon. Members encourage you to get there at least 15 minutes before for fellowship with people from all walks of life. Burdeshaw is also a recovery coach and outreach leader at The Fort.
"We just started trauma anonymous meetings here on Mondays. We have 3 or 4 rehabs come to church here. We have a van that picks them up and brings them every Sunday."
The church hosts Narcotic Anonymous meetings as well.
Burdeshaw has been helping with church outreach for the past ten years, the same amount of time he's been in long-term recovery. He's recovering from a long list of hard drugs, some of them including meth, heroin, and cocaine.
One of his friends and fellow church members Cameron Getting shares that he found Jesus while in prison and once he was released he knew he needed a church home.
"I came to The Fort and I found a home. There's so many of us dealing with different things in recovery and there's a lot of us here with the same story and we're all looking to Jesus to guide us and give us strength because we need Jesus," said Getting.
Another member says it wasn't until he met Burdeshaw that life changed for him through the church ministry.
"I started resolution treatment and I met John Burdeshaw and I started showing up to meetings, started going to church here and I've never been to church in my life. It does something for me now, something like I've never had in my life. Everybody is welcome here."
Leadership at the Fort encourages anyone who is struggling with addiction to visit the church or any of their counseling peer groups for additional support.
The Fort has two locations. The other is the Fort at Mount Zion located on 1232 Double Churches Road.
This service provides help to individuals seeking access to treatment and wanting to enhance their overall well-being and personal recovery.
Day Program
This program is offered in Muscogee County. Treatment is available to those seeking intensive recovery support for three to five days per week, as well as those seeking aftercare and less intensive treatment one to two days per week. Treatment includes recovery groups based on the 12-step model and evidence-based practices. Additional services include psycho-education regarding substances and the addiction process, group and family counseling, and random drug screens. This program is also offered in a gender-specific version.
MEDICATION-ASSISTED TREATMENT FOR OPIOID USE DISORDERS
New Horizons Behavioral Health is pleased to announce its Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Program for Opioid Use Disorders. Call 706-569-0727 for an Intake and Assessment Appointment. No Insurance is necessary. Financial Assistance with medication was provided.
Family Education
This group is designed for family members who are seeking to better understand and support a loved one recovering from addiction.
CONNECTIONS
Connections is a recovery-oriented and peer-led hangout spot that anyone can drop in at any time during the week. Support groups are offered routinely as well. Connections is located at 4827 14th Avenue, Columbus, GA 31904. Contact Program Director Ada Thomas at 706-507-9016 to learn more.
Residential Programs
Journey to Recovery is a semi-independent living program in Columbus that provides help to men and women struggling with addiction in a supportive living environment. Residents are assisted with achieving sobriety and employment. Two Crisis beds are available for persons just entering treatment and three transitional housing beds for persons needing to continue their aftercare in a safe and structured environment.
The Shelter Plus Care Program is a scattered-site housing program located in Harris County and funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Community Affairs.
The Harm Reduction Case Management Program is designed to help those needing extra support with reducing the harmful consequences of risky behavior related to drug and alcohol abuse.