Increasing Retention of Individuals in Substance Use Recovery Programs

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:

  1. Understand the barriers and motivators for sobriety among those participating in the study.
  2. 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: 1 Field Research Assistant (please note project when applying)

Timeline:  March 2025 – March 2026

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2 Responses

  1. 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!

    • Affiliation - The Meros Center
  2. 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!

    • Affiliation - Meros Center

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