Drugs, Sex, Gambling and Chocolate, the book title read. Ignoring the first three words, a Sabbath School member breathed out a painful, "Oh, and chocolate!"
The Sabbath School lesson was on addictions, and the discussion turned to real life and real opportunities for God to do for people what they could not do for themselves. After the lesson, the class decided to go home and consider how serious they were about asking God to intervene in places where their lives had become unmanageable.
As a class, they decided they needed outside help for intervention. Some class members previously had successful and not-so-successful encounters with various 12-step programs. When Adventist Recovery Ministries was introduced as a possible way to start a 12-step program, the class decided to give it a try. They contacted Betty Campbell, the Adventist Recovery Ministries regional contact, and got a green light to proceed based on the successful experiences some members had with 12-step programs.
For the past four weeks, eight to 11 people have begun to explore the 12-step methods of Adventist Recovery Ministries. Sometimes ashen-faced, they stare at paragraphs that perfectly fit their situations. They are occasionally overwhelmed with relief to hear about God's miraculous interventions in the lives of others. As a class, they are choosing to move forward one step at a time.
