Given my personal recovery and professional training, my interests are "helping those still suffering from addiction." The past couple of years however this goal has been taking a little different direction, that is desiring to train others to help those with addiction. A survey I consulted showed that 84% of people seeking help for personal problems initially sought contact with their pastor, priest, or rabbi. The same study also showed that only 12% of clergy had any formal training in addiction. Recently getting my doctorate helps qualify me to aspire to someday teaching such a course in a Seminary or University.
I was recently informed I will be included in the formation of a "Faculty" at First United to help train other interested church leaders and groups in helping the marginalized and addicted. On Nov 8 and 15, I will be holding another of my addiction workshops, this time at Evergreen Community Church in Ferndale WA.
This week I was privileged to be part of a 3 hour workshop with Bruce Alexander, author of The Globalization of Addiction: A Study in Poverty of the Spirit. This is the single most important book I have read on addiction and very pivotal in my interests serving in the DTES. There were only 9 people present giving us a chance to follow up on previous interactions through email while I was still in Oregon. We agreed to continue our dialog at the Dugout. You can follow some of Dr Alexander's contributions on my blog at Dislocation .
The next meeting of the Research and Direction advisory board will be November 3. Our discussions involve treating addiction in the context of the First United Church community.
Thanks so much for your thoughts, prayers, personal encouragement writing to me, and the financial support that is making all this possible. What an adventure!
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