News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The state of Tennessee certified its 1,000th Faith Based Recovery Group this month.
Baxter’s Real Life Recovery Leader said faith is the key.
Beth Henley founded the group affiliated with Rock Castle Church after going through her own struggles with addiction. Henley said she had been through every program and therapy imaginable.
“I was in and out of jail,” Henley said. “In institutions. I tried maintenance programs. Therapy. And what the bottom line was, what the answer was for me was turning my life over to Jesus Christ.”
Henley said she is thankful she has been clean for nine years. She said her past allows her to connect with fellow addicts for recovery.
Henley said almost 400 people have sat in the seats at Real Life Recovery’s program, and they are now all part of a family.
“We are not your typical NAAA meeting,” Henley said. “Someone is struggling at 3 a.m., you pick up that phone and call me. We will get someone to you. And it works.”
Henley said she is out in the community. Her outreach calls her to be among those in need just as others were there for her.
“I’m very bold in my approach,” Henley said. “I’m like, hey, why don’t you come try a meeting? You’ll love it.”
Henley said her Thanksgiving dinners include people from the program, and her children have adapted to her inclusive life.
“We are a family helping each other get through,” Henley said.
Other Upper Cumberland faith-based initiatives certified by the state include Life Church of Cookeville, First Baptist Church of Livingston, and First United Methodist of McMinnville.
In 2018, about five Tennesseans died from overdose every day. As the state developed its response to this crisis, department leaders recognized an opportunity to leverage faith communities to help address addiction. They developed certification guidelines for Faith Based Recovery Groups, which have grown into a thriving network across the state today.
