New report reveals Scottish churches and Christian groups helped over 2,000 individuals recover from drug addiction
Today, the Evangelical Alliance and Serve Scotland present their new report Stories of Hope addiction recovery at the Scottish Parliament to highlight the magnitude of activity by Christians and churches to tackle addiction across Scotland.
The research highlights the extraordinary efforts that have been made by Christians in Scotland to assist and care for those in addiction, bringing to light the scope of Christian services across Scotland. The Evangelical Alliance and Serve Scotland noted the high percentage of residential beds for addiction patients offered by Christian groups, 121 out of 418 (Scottish Govt, February 2021). Within the past decade, over 2,300 individuals have been directly treated and successfully recovered from their addition through services offered by Christian groups and churches across Scotland.
Fred Drummond, director of the Evangelical Alliance Scotland, says: “This report shows that Christians, fuelled by the love of God, are engaging with people going through the darkest of times and walking with them into a place of hope.”
Liam, one of the individuals quoted in the report, said, “My whole life I struggled with fear and anxiety as a result of traumatic experiences from my childhood. After 20 years of using drugs and alcohol to ease the pain, I was reduced to a level of brokenness I never quite thought possible… If it were not for the Haven [one of the Christian groups in the report], I would probably be dead, and my family devastated. I can never repay the staff for the impact they’ve had on me, and my family’s lives. Jesus still saves people, he still heals people, and he still changes people’s lives. I am living proof of it.”
With the Scottish Government introducing new policy and funding initiatives to tackle the addiction crisis, the Evangelical Alliance seeks to promote Christians as an integral force in directing government policy through addiction response services. The report details the policies, budgets and programmes offered by Christian communities and includes personal testimonies of men and women who overcame various addictions through Christ's comfort and presence in their lives.
Invited guests from the Scottish Government and local MSPs will be invited to hear and meet partner organisations from the report, who will be presenting their own work at different stalls.
Find out more and download the report, which is freely available here: Stories of Hope addiction recovery
Notes to editors
Fred Drummond is available for interview upon request. For more information, interview or image requests please contact Helen Locke (h.locke@eauk.org, 07920117595).
About the research
The research consulted members of the Evangelical Alliance to gather information that provided an overarching picture of drug addiction response within Scotland. Statistical data was collated from partners alongside an online survey sent to stakeholders identified as having key information correlated to the research.
About the Evangelical Alliance
We are the Evangelical Alliance. We join together hundreds of organisations, thousands of churches and tens of thousands of individuals for the sake of the gospel. Representing our members since 1846, the Evangelical Alliance is the oldest and largest evangelical unity movement in the UK.
We love Jesus and we want everyone in the UK to be given an opportunity to know Him.
We love His church, and we will do all we can to unite evangelicals, building confidence in the gospel and speaking as a trusted voice into society to see it changed for Him.
Working across the UK, with offices in London, Cardiff, Glasgow and Belfast, our members come together from across denominations, locations, age groups and ethnicities, all sharing a passion to know Jesus and make Him known.
