UCE Addictions & Recovery

We are a group of people who have struggled with our own addiction and the addictions of others. We hope to struggle well together as we work towards finding sanity, peace, love, and healthy relationships in our lives. We will strive to spend our time together in the spirit of love, embracing the inherent worth and dignity of all. We accept and respect the varied paths our members will take to find sanity, peace, love, and healthy relationships. We covenant to be together in a safe, confidential environment where we can explore our paths and our stories.

We understand “addiction” in its broadest sense to include substance abuse and behavioral addictions, such as gambling, eating disorders, sex and love, pornography, indebtedness, etc. We believe that one is addicted to a substance or behavior if one suffers serious negative consequences from its use and continues that use in spite of the consequences.

We meet every Monday night 7:00-8:30 pm. via Zoom. Click here to join the meeting.

The group is open to church members and friends who are age 18 and older. Those under 18 who would like to talk about addiction issues are invited to contact Rev. Eileen Wiviott for resources and referrals.

We have a general resource list here: Additional resources in the wider world.

We believe addiction is in part a spiritual disorder, and long-term recovery is in large part a spiritual process, involving reconnection to one’s true self and to others. Such healing most often takes place in community. Because Unitarian Universalists profess the inherent worth and dignity of every person, we believe our faith community is well-suited for this work.

The aim of our group is to create an atmosphere of openness and compassion for those who suffer from addiction, directly or indirectly. By lifting the silence surrounding addictions, we seek to ease suffering and promote understanding and recovery. If you, or members of your family, have been touched by addiction, we want the church to be a safe place for you to talk about it.

We mostly work our way through books selected by the group, but we are always open to people bringing specific topics for discussion. We have an archive of some older meeting agendas at https://uceamg.wordpress.com/.