Good, Better, Best of the Addiction Recovery Program | An Interview with Brad Barber

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“It is not enough that something is good. Other choices are better, and still others are best.”
—Dallin H. Oaks

Brad Barber co-hosts The Next Step Podcast, which is based around the Church’s Addiction Recovery Program and addiction in general. He grew up in the Church in southern California, served a mission, and attended Brigham Young University. Brad has seen many friends caught in addiction and became involved with ARP after hearing podcast co-host Jay’s testimony of the program and wondering why there weren’t ARP addiction meetings in his area.

Highlights

6:45 How Brad got involved with ARP and started The Next Step Podcast
12:00 Setting up the ARP program is supposed to start with the stake
12:20 A facilitator who is an addict in recovery should be leading the meetings
12:50 Leaders who have not been through the process do not know what addicts have gone through and addicts can tell
13:30 A sponsor is a person who is in sobriety from addiction
14:55 At first, addicts categorize themselves against each other until they realize everyone’s struggles are the same, but anyone who has experienced addiction can facilitate for others experiencing different types of addiction
15:45 Quote from the intro of the ARP manual (in LDS Tools) about what addiction is
17:00 Some statistics about addictions that go beyond alcohol, drugs, and pornography
18:10 “Atonement Realization Program” because the 12 Steps walk you through the Atonement to improve yourself
18:40 Elder Oaks’ talk, “Good, Better, Best”: Have people been lifted, encouraged, and changed?
20:15 A 12-Step meeting is different than counseling, but ARP is organized under LDS Family Services
20:35 Meetings usually start from the bottom up, where a family member starts a group after discovering the program exists
21:05 The 12 Steps were invented by the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous in the 1930’s
21:40 Good: There are ARP meetings in the stake, and ward leaders are aware of them
22:15 Group leaders are generally not addicts in recovery, and need to be a person who has no judgment toward others
23:50 Brad’s advice to group leaders: Don’t show up dressed like a missionary or pretend to be something you are not
24:45 Better: Passionate group leaders who coordinate with other group leaders
25:25 Invite leaders to go to a meeting and challenge them to not be afraid of what other people might think
27:00 Some do’s and don’ts about attending a meeting:

Introduce yourself by first name only
Resist the urge to share your testimony

29:50 Better: Have meetings with a varying mix of people at stages of sobriety to help support the participants
30:25 It’s the responsibility of group leaders to find those addicts in recovery and get them to come
30:55 Bishops have a responsibility to help identify those people and connect them to ARP
32:35 It’s the purpose of sponsors to follow-up and that’s how to maintain sobriety
33:30 Spouses also need to understand that sobriety isn’t the end
34:20 Better: Have your bishops attend ARP meetings
35:25 Treat the ARP meetings the same as self-reliance meetings and attend a full 12-week course to really understand the power of these steps
36:30 In ARP, everyone shares their experience instead of listening to an “expert”
37:00 Story: everyone can benefit from learning the 12 Steps
37:50 Better: Persons who have done the 12 Steps are now supporting others
38:05 “What gets you sober won’t keep you sober”
39:50 Best: You have facilitators who have broken anonymity
41:20 Leaders should talk to addicts in recovery and find those who are willing to break anonymity and share
42:00 Fear of breaking anonymity: what happens is the opposite of the fears of judgment
42:40 Best: Have group leaders who share and encourage others to attend
44:30 Best: Spouses and others attending the general ARP meetings
44:45 If you can only have one meeting, have a general ARP meeting
46:00 Spouses attending the meetings is powerful
46:50 12 Step support groups should not be another Sunday School lesson
47:30 Spouses and family members find hope and healing by doing the 12 Steps themselves
49:45 What can we do for youth?

50:00 Mature youth (age 16 and older) can go to a meeting with an adult
51:30 Bishops can go through the 12 Steps with the youth

53:15 The more we learn about what addiction is, the more we can do to help
54:00 There is a spouse/family support guide available online
54:25 What is the right time to send a member to ARP? When they can be honest, feel they are out of control on some level, and are willing to go
56:05 If the ARP meeting turns out to be a lesson instead of a 12 Step meeting, find a different meeting somewhere else
56:55 Step back and encourage them to go even if they can’t admit they’re an addict
57:00 Addicts have usually been lying for a long time
57:30 It’s an issue everywhere and if you can’t see it, you need to look more closely
58:50 If there’s no ARP in your area, go to an AA meeting or something else similar instead, and grow into ARP long-term
59:40 Encourage women to go, even if it’s a mixed-gender meeting: It’s not just a “dude problem”
1:00:45 A lot of people leave the Church because they think they messed up and there’s no way back
1:01:20 Approach it as using God’s owner’s manual for life
1:03:00 There’s a way back
1:03:45 Where to start: Talk about it
1:04:30 Reach out to the nearest facilitator, take action yourself
1:04:50 This is for every type of addiction
1:05:40 Missionaries who understand this before their missions can help even more people