Organization: Resilient Recovery Ministries
Background/Context:
Research published over the last 24 years has revealed that all recovery programs struggle to engage and retain addicts and alcoholics.
- Approximately 50% of individuals who reach out for help never attend their first appointment.
- Of those who attend the first appointment, approximately 40% do not attend their second appointment.
- And of those who start treatment, 30% leave or are removed within 30 days.
The purpose of the Stay in Touch Program will be to follow for one year a cohort of up to 50 individuals seeking help with a substance abuse disorder through a church-based recovery program called Resilient Recovery Ministries.
This project is funded by: The Antioch foundation
Research Question:
Does staying in touch with individuals by text and phone every two weeks increase retention in a Resilient Recovery program or another recovery program compared to retention rates in the published literature?
Study Aims:
- Understand the barriers and motivators for sobriety among those participating in the study.
- Understand the barriers and motivators for continuing to attend Resilient.
Impact:
The results of this study will inform how to increase the retention rate of individuals in recovery to better serve and support individuals and their families.
Open Positions: Fully Staffed
Timeline: March 2025 – March 2026
5 Responses
August 2024 Update: Recruitment is now complete for this study and our research team is in ongoing contact with our participants. Our first wave of participants will be completing their 2 month assessment soon. We are blessed to have a study coordinator and a volunteer research assistant rounding out this team. Thank you for your prayers and support!
November 2024 Update: Contact with participants is still in progress and we are working on collecting 4-month assessments. We have started on a second wave of the study using an enhanced recruitment strategy. Recruitment will be complete by the end of this month. Thank you for your prayers and support!
February 2025 Update: Recruitment is complete and we are conducting final surveys and qualitative interviews with participants. Project aims for completion the end of March. Thank you for your prayers and support!
May 2025 Update: Surveys and interviews are complete – analyses are being finalized. Stay tuned for results! Thank you for your prayers and support!
August 2025 Update: Data collection and analysis are now complete, and we’re excited to be in the process of drafting a manuscript for submission to a peer-reviewed journal. Sharing these findings with the broader clinical and research community is an important next step in advancing this work. Thank you for cheering us on with your prayers and support—it means so much as we move toward publication!