“Recovery doesn’t stop”

On a frigid Friday night when most people would rather stay home, the doors of a local church open at 6 p.m. sharp. The doors aren’t opening for a Bible study, or a church service. Instead, the doors are opening for a meeting that has “nothing to do with God” but has everything to do with meeting people exactly where they are.

At the beginning of the year, Megan Erwin and Jacqui Miller joined forces to start the first “non-religious” recovery meeting available in Paris. Both women were less than a year out of rehab—Erwin about eight months, Miller just shy of that, and both were eager to help their friends experience the same monumental changes to their lives.

“When I got home from rehab, I was telling her, we need to start a meeting,” Erwin recalled. “We need to give back what we’ve been freely given to ourselves … between the two of us, we have used with nearly everyone in town. We know and care about each one of them.”

It wasn’t easy for the duo to start the group, but they were determined. They eventually connected with local pastors while volunteering at Helping Hands Soup Kitchen, and those pastors offered them a room at The First Baptist Church on Friday nights.

Although their group’s location was at a church, Erwin and Miller said they weren’t looking to start another church-based recovery group. They wanted something different.

Many of the existing programs in town are overtly faith-based, Miller explained, praising the work of Celebrate Recovery, RU and similar groups that meet on different nights of the week.

“Those programs help countless people,” she said. “But, people in recovery and people still using drugs, people (in) active addiction do not necessarily always believe in God and sometimes those groups all seem like very spiritual, like a get you into a church kind of thing … sometimes when you’re in that place it can be hard to even believe that God loves you, or to see yourself as worthy of anything.”

The duo saw a gap and knew from their own experiences that they could help fill the void. Despite their group’s stance, they’re quick to stress that they’re not against faith, in fact, Erwin describes herself as a believer and talked openly about praying before each meeting she hosts.

“This meeting isn’t about convincing people to believe in God. It’s about meeting people exactly where they are,” Erwin said. “Whether they’re eight months clean, eight days clean or still using.”

“We’re going for the addicts and the still suffering,” Miller said. “We don’t even care if you just come for the meal—you’re there. And we just want you to have a place to be.”

The friends chose NA (Narcotics Anonymous) as their group’s structure from their own experiences. The 12-step program focused squarely on addiction and recovery. However, the environment they’ve created has its own distinct heartbeat—one built on radical acceptance, honesty and community.

The meetings officially started on Jan. 9, and from the very first night, people showed up—11 attendees at that initial gathering. Since then, the numbers have only grown; now they are nearly triple the original number.

They meet every Friday at 6 p.m., with doors opening at 5 p.m. for food and fellowship and Erwin stresses that no matter the weather or circumstances outside, their goal is to always have the doors open.

“Recovery doesn’t stop,” Erwin said.

And realistically, they point out, for many of the folks who come, the cold is the least of their worries.

“Most people are homeless,” Erwin shared. “So we’re offering them a meal and a place to be is something we feel we should do, no matter what it feels or looks like outside … there has to be a safe place for everyone.”

When guests walk into the room for a Friday meeting, they don’t find rows of chairs facing forward or a stage up front. Instead, the chairs are in a circle, ready for conversations.

“We have a round circle, because that’s how we roll,” Miller said.

Every meeting begins with readings: the 12 Steps of NA and a selection from the Just for Today NA meditation book. After that, the space opens up. It is then that the duo shares that people can share “whatever is on their heart.”

Whether they relate to the reading, are processing something difficult, talking about what’s weighing on them that week or handling their addiction, Miller and Erwin said all topics matter and nothing is off-limits in the circle—anger, shame, grief, cravings, victories and setbacks all have a place. And what’s said there stays there.

There’s also a clear, firm boundary around safety at meetings, including prohibitions on drugs, paraphernalia, alcohol and weapons.

Most emphatically, Erwin and Miller emphasize that people are allowed to come in “no matter what.”

“We don’t care if you’re high,you won’t be shamed or turned away—but we do ask you to leave any tools or drugs outside,” Miller said. “It’s just really not a place to go meet a drug dealer. It’s a place where you can find recovery.”

“It’s an open meeting,” Erwin emphasized. “You don’t have to be a drug addict. We have people there that come that have never used drugs in their life, and they’re just learning about addiction … It feels very like family. It’s just family. It’s a we program. It’s not an I program. You can’t do it alone. No one can, and we know that better than anyone else.”

For more information Erwin and Miller are always available for questions, by phone, Facebook or by simply stopping in at the church anytime after 5 p.m. on a Friday night.

“We’ve been there and we’ve done it all,” Miller said. “We have used drugs with most of the people in this town, we know their stories and we want nothing but the best chance for everyone.”