Strasburg, Ohio - A local church is partnering with the Tuscarawas County Anti-drug Coalition to get more community members trained to help people struggling with substance abuse or other life-controlling issues.

Strasburg Community Bible Church Associate Pastor Janice Strawn says the church will be hosting a class on April 6th to get people trained to administer the Living Free faith-based recovery program. She says this training will give people the tools to help their friends and neighbors. (who may be struggling with issues like toxic relationships, gambling, substance abuse or codependency)

“It could be toxic relationships. it can be gambling. It can be compulsive buying. It can be codependency. It just offers help to anybody but of course, right now, the focus is pretty much on the drugs and the alcohol and the families and the people that are affected with this,” she says.

Strawn says the six-hour training will give people the knowledge to start up a Living Free recovery support group. She says the goal is to get these groups going throughout Tuscarawas County and surrounding communities.

“Around here, I have the Insight group, and New Cumberland, they have one going for Free To Grow, and that’s the next step, and then there will be others like the 12-step program, which would be faith-based. that’s going on somewhere else, so people can have a choice of these groups,” she says.

Tuscarawas County Anti-Drug Coalition Coordinator Jodi Salvo says this is a great, evidence-based program that they are happy to endorse. 

“The reason is the ultimate goal of the Anti-Drug Coalition is to prevent youth substance use, and the only way that we do that is with a healthy community,” she says. In the world of addiction, what we know is needed is a whole community to come together around this issue and to support people going through treatment and recovery is just vitally important.

The cost for the training is $25, which includes lunch and all materials. For more information or to register, call 330-268-1160 or email jstrawn321@aol.com.

STACEY CARMANY, TUSCO TV