Scottish churches and Christian groups have helped over 2,000 people recover from addiction

On June 7th 2022, the Evangelical Alliance and Serve Scotland presented their new report 'Stories of Hope: addiction recovery' at the Scottish Parliament to highlight the magnitude of activity by Christians and churches to tackle addiction across Scotland.
 
The research highlights the extraordinary efforts that have been made by Christians in Scotland to assist and care for those in addiction, bringing to light the scope of Christian services across Scotland. The Evangelical Alliance and Serve Scotland noted that nearly 30% of residential beds for addiction patients were offered by Christian groups, (121 out of 418 counted by Scottish Government).

Within the past decade, over 2,300 individuals have been directly treated and successfully recovered from their addition through services offered by Christian groups and churches across Scotland.
 
Fred Drummond, director of the Evangelical Alliance Scotland, says: “This report shows that Christians, fuelled by the love of God, are engaging with people going through the darkest of times and walking with them into a place of hope.”
 
Liam, one of the individuals quoted in the report, said, “My whole life I struggled with fear and anxiety as a result of traumatic experiences from my childhood. After 20 years of using drugs and alcohol to ease the pain, I was reduced to a level of brokenness I never quite thought possible… If it were not for the Haven [one of the Christian groups in the report], I would probably be dead, and my family devastated. I can never repay the staff for the impact they’ve had on me, and my family’s lives. Jesus still saves people, he still heals people, and he still changes people’s lives. I am living proof of it.”

With the Scottish Government introducing new policy and funding initiatives to tackle the addiction crisis, the Evangelical Alliance seeks to promote Christians as an integral force in directing government policy through addiction response services. The report details the policies, budgets and programmes offered by Christian communities and includes personal testimonies of men and women who overcame various addictions through Christ's comfort and presence in their lives.
 
Download the report from here.