Addict Response Center At CCF

From the Capital-Gazette:

A local church has created a program to assist the families, friends and loved ones of addicts.

While many programs and rehabilitation centers have sprung up to aid addicts, the Addiction Response and Resource Center in Davidsonville is designed to support those around the addict.

Pastor Christian Hipsky, who leads outreach and environments at Chesapeake Christian Fellowship in Davidsonville, said, as a church they were seeking a way to respond to the community.

“What can we do about this?” he asked. “How do we help the family? If an addict goes through recovery and then returns to the same environment as before, the cycle will just repeat. We see ourselves as a cog in the wheel in trying to break that cycle.

“When families understand the difference between tough love and enablement, when they figure out how to help this person, what kind of help they need, then things will get better. So many families deal not only with the problems of the addict but feelings of anger, resentment, hopelessness, helplessness, shame, sorrow and more.”

Hipsky said this is just the beginning of the ARRC. Dr. Darryl Arrington, the family counselor at Helping Out Mission in Baltimore and member of CCF, is the facilitator at the ARRC weekly meetings. This gives them a licensed therapist for anything beyond the scope of both support and resource.

While there are volunteers available to pray with attendees who wish it, the meetings are nondenominational and open to anyone dealing with addiction. ARRC exists to equip, support and educate families, friends and spouses with information, boundaries and resources available to help them as they navigate addiction and recovery with their loved ones.

Each week a specific topic is addressed along with information about available resources and discussion of individual questions. ARRC meets every Wednesday evening from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at 3168 Braverton St., fourth floor, in Edgewater (the big brick office building off Mitchells Chance Road).

Hipsky said they are still learning the ropes as far as what’s going to resonate with the community.

“There’s a lot of stigma attached to the problem,” Hipsky said. “No one walks around with a sign saying, ‘My kid’s an addict’ or ‘My husband’s an addict.’ We’re just trying to get the information out there where it can do the most good.”

For more information, call 410-798-1413 or email ccf@4thlord.org.