Community Is Central to Recovery in Nation’s Addiction Crisis, Says Treatment Center Founder

Healing is best done in good company

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International treatment ministry leader Andy Partington grew up in a rehabilitation center, where his parents worked, and witnessed both the destruction wrought by addiction and the hope born out of recovery.

This led Partington to spend a year as a missionary after high school before continuing his education and eventually pursuing his doctorate at the London School of Theology, where he also served as director of training. Partington later served as the CEO of the Yeldall Manor addiction treatment center, where he was raised, and now leads the recovery center Novō Communities. He recently wrote the book “Hope in Addiction” to provide understanding and encouragement for the fast-growing population of those who grapple with addiction.

He writes: “Is recovery possible? Absolutely. Is it easy? Not remotely. Recovery is an arduous journey, fraught with danger, that is best not tackled alone.”

“It involves addressing the relationship with the object of the addiction, breaking a habit that has been hardwired into place, and tackling the underlying issues that made the individual vulnerable to the addiction in the first place. For long-term success, recovery capital—physical, personal, social, and community—must be bolstered to deliver the resources needed to operate without the rewards offered by the experience at the heart of their addiction. Animating it all, like yeast kneaded into dough, there must be hope: the desire for recovery, vision for the future, and belief that change is possible.”

Moody Publishers

The Epoch Times: Addiction statistics today are staggering—what do you think is behind this continual rise of addiction? Has the nature of it changed?

Andy Partington: Drug overdoses are the leading cause of death among Americans under 50. Today, the number of Americans addicted to drugs and alcohol exceeds the population of California. Forty percent of us struggle with addictions to activities like gambling, porn, and food.

Why are we facing an addiction pandemic? An old Scottish proverb observes, “They speak of my drinking, but never my thirst.” While we need to be concerned about the supply side of the addiction issue, to make sense of our age of addiction we need to shift our attention to the demand side to ask: What’s stimulating our unquenchable thirst for addictive experiences?

The short answer to that question is that modern life is a fertile seedbed for the flourishing of addiction.

Vast numbers of us are gripped by addiction because when we look forward, we feel hopeless; when we look within, we find emptiness; when we look behind us, we see personal stories characterized by abuse, neglect, dysfunction, and regret—adversities that have left us deeply wounded—and, when we look around us, we find we’re disconnected from others, detached from a sense of community and belonging.

We use drugs and alcohol, and we keep using them even when they start to do us serious harm because we’re hurting, hopeless, empty, and alone. The same is true of gambling, porn, food, shopping, work, and more. The objects of addiction offer a dependable, immediate, and immersive alternative to the harsh reality of life.

The Epoch Times: Both your parents worked in rehabilitation, so you must have long been aware of what addiction and recovery is like. What was it like growing up with that in the backdrop? What do you see as the hope?

Mr. Partington: I did my first night in rehab at 5 years of age. I didn’t leave until I was 18. I was raised in rehab. It was the 1980s, and the staff of Yeldall Manor, a residential rehab center in the southeast of England, mostly lived on-site with their families to create a sense of community for the men who joined the year-long program. In my family’s case, that meant taking up residence in a small apartment on the first floor, right above the oak-paneled dining and games rooms.

Andy Partington (C) with his family. Courtesy of Andy Partington

We ate lunch and dinner together daily—staff, residents, and visitors. I’d eat quickly, and as soon as I could, I’d slip away to the pool table in the hope of a game with one of the residents or out onto the front lawn to play soccer or cricket.

Growing up in that community shaped me profoundly. I was keenly aware that recovery from addiction is possible. Indeed, the data backs that up. Ten percent of the U.S. population have resolved a drug/alcohol addiction. I also saw first-hand how meaningful community was central to long-term recovery. No one can do it for you, but you can’t do it alone.

The Epoch Times: Could you share some advice for those who want to help loved ones struggling with addiction?

Mr. Partington: Walking alongside a loved one in addiction means journeying along a treacherous path. As you walk that path, you need support too. Community is as vital to those supporting a loved one in recovery as it is to those who battle addiction. 

A key challenge is discerning between caretaking and caregiving. In caretaking mode, we do things for others so they don’t have to do them for themselves, solving problems and minimizing consequences. In contrast, in caregiving mode, we stand with others, helping them to carry their burdens. Where caretaking weakens, caregiving empowers, giving our loved ones the best possible chance of finding long-term freedom from addiction.

The Epoch Times: Could you share some advice for those who want to seek help?

Mr. Partington: Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Do something today that will put you on a different path, whether walking through the doors of a 12-step meeting, talking with a trusted friend, contacting a therapist, or calling a rehab. You won’t find perfect help in any of these places, but you will find genuine support. Remember, no one can do it for you, but you can’t do it alone.

The Epoch Times: The program your organization uses, like many other programs, has a specific focus on the spiritual component in the road to recovery. What role does spirituality play in all this?

Mr. Partington: Japanese pagodas are renowned for their ability to withstand earthquakes. The pagoda’s resilience is attributed to the shinbashira—a thick cypress wood pillar at its heart—providing strength and flexibility. Spirituality often functions like a shinbashira in the lives of those in recovery from addiction. A dynamic connection with a “higher power,” and participation in a faith community increases resilience in recovery by deepening our sense of meaning, peace, and belonging. 

At Novō Communities, our vision is to bring new life to individuals, peace to families, and hope to communities gripped by addiction. How do we do that? By empowering local teams in developing nations to create transformational communities that offer healing, wholeness, and hope. We view addiction as a whole-person problem (bio-psycho-social-spiritual) requiring a whole-person solution. As a Christian organization, we believe that long-term recovery is achievable, whatever a person’s story or circumstance, and that a living relationship with God through Jesus Christ is an incredible shinbashira for long-term recovery.