A recent analysis by an independent contractor gave Field of Hope a 95.7% success rate for clients struggling with alcohol and other drug addiction.  The sampling was made from 256 clients we’ve helped since 2017.  How does that kind of unprecedented success happen?  It is no accident.  A famous and true quote in the Recovery community is that “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.”  That quote has been attributed to many people, including Albert Einstein.  So if we want a different result, let’s do rehabilitation differently.  

Substance Abuse Crisis in Ohio

The Ohio Department of Health released a preliminary data summary from 2021 that shows the highest unintentional drug overdose death rates were in Scioto County, Montgomery County, and Gallia County. The CDC National Center for Health Statistics shows the Drug Overdose Mortality Rate for our tri-state areas in 2020 as shown in the table below.

State	Death Rate	Number of Deaths
Ohio	47.2	5,204
West Virginia	81.4	1,330
Kentucky	49.2	2,083

Data tells a tale about the outcome of changes being made. In June 2022, Harm Reduction Ohio published data on the death rates for all 88 Ohio counties from 2017 through 2021. This data was gathered from the preliminary overdose death data found in the Ohio Department of Health mortality database. You can see in the chart below that Southeastern Ohio is still struggling with growing ranks for the number of overdose deaths but Gallia County has seen a change over the years. Gallia county is now the lowest it has been in 5 years! That is something worth saying thanks to God for! These numbers reflect our community and the healing that is taking place in our area and within our walls here at Field of Hope.

County	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Gallia	10	4	2	2	15
Jackson	45	17	45	24	6
Vinton	73	38	67	4	2
Meigs	66	2	19	3	4

Gallia County is now the lowest it has been in 5 years! That is something worth saying thanks to God for!

There’s no doubt that there is a need to find what works and stop the cycle of insanity of doing what does not work. Focusing on faith-based methods has proven to be effective for long-term sobriety and helps our clients stay in recovery. Our goal is to get the number of drug overdose deaths to zero – to completely eliminate what is killing so many loved ones in our community.

What Faith Can Do

Our success rate is largely due to our faith-based approach to recovery. In 2019, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) published a report titled Belief, Behavior, and Belonging: How Faith is Indispensable in Preventing and Recovering from Substance Abuse. This study focused on the evidence of faith’s contribution to preventing people from relapsing.

The NLM reports that research shows a person’s effective use of the spiritual resources from their faith contributes to better substance abuse recovery outcomes. Positive religious coping (PRC) may range from prayer to convictions of religious faith and belief itself.

When you step on the FOH campus grounds, you sense that something different and amazing is happening.  The main building renovation is transforming a property left for ruin and decay into a beautiful place where new life is found – just like the transformation of clients who walk through the doors.  Hard work, creative genius, and prayer have shaped the renovation – just like it shapes the lives of clients.  When a number of our 25 full-time staff, supported by additional contracted part-time staff, meet for prayer in the mornings, we invoke the Architect of the building and lives to intercede.  He always does that in a way none of us expect.  He loves to do things differently.  

In the NIL study General and Religious Coping Predict Drinking Outcomes for Alcohol Dependent Adults in Treatment, it showed increased spirituality during treatment, and those who stayed abstinent but those who relapsed showed a decreased spirituality during follow-up. The study also shows that increases in spirituality and faith are associated with the increased likelihood of no heavy drinking six months after treatment

Life is Precious

Life is precious, and our Creator loves each of us.  As a team, we work hard at giving each client the opportunity for life change through various counseling efforts, group activities, job training, and sponsorships.  Certified and trained clinicians specializing in Alcohol and Other Drug use (AOD), Mental Health, and Trauma counseling ensure the proper boundaries and necessary components are in place for a successful client recovery and a new life. 

If you or a loved one would like to experience a new and different life, give us a call at 740-245-3051.  It starts there with a friendly voice on the other side who will do everything possible to help. 

And come join us on February 11, 2023 as we reach around the world with a Hunger Challenge event to feed 128,000 people who are in desperate need.  Life is precious.  We celebrate life.  Come celebrate with us!

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