“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge or him everywhere.” 2 Cor. 2:14

This is a verse that I just love, because it reminds us of what God promises to do in our life and why He promises to do it. First, He always leads us to Victory! Second, He gives us victory so that we can spread the news about Him everywhere.
At Keswick, we are about to embark on a new adventure. Our goal is to open a women’s addiction recovery house this fall so that women can find victory and then go out and give testimony through their life to the power of Christ.

This is not an easy task; although we have been doing addiction recovery for 117 years it will look different because men and women do addiction differently. Women get addicted for different reasons, they progress faster in their addiction, they recover differently and they return to their addiction for different reasons. We need to recognize that 70% of the women in addiction are victims of abuse compared to only 12% of the men. The rate of PTSD is 2-3 times higher in women than men in recovery. Rape and domestic violence due to alcohol abuse by the perpetrators is over 70% and the victims are more likely to turn to drugs and alcohol to cope. Because of those statistics, women in addiction share a lack of healthy relationships and the experience of trauma.

Women are also dealing with body image concerns, boredom, identity issues, belonging needs, acceptance and intimacy desires and needs, as well as suffering from more mental health problems than men. Many women also began using due to issues with motherhood, from stress and anxiety in raising a family to the pressures of single parenting.

The need is great. Over 2,000 women a day begin using drugs for the wrong reasons. 30% of addiction treatment admissions in NJ are women and that number is growing. At Keswick, we are ready to meet this need and to help reach out and support women on their road to recovery and, most of all, to offer women a Christian resource for healing and recovery.

Please begin to pray for us and ask God how you can partner with us on this new journey. There will be follow-up Victory Calls to continue this topic and explain our program and how it is being designed to truly meet the needs of women on the road to Victory.

Lynne Jahns
Barbara’s Place Program Director

If you or someone you know has interest in applying, please know we are still in the preparation and planning stages of Barbara’s Place, and until we have an opening date set we will not be taking applications. Since we have such a limited number of beds (8), admission to the program will be based on successful completion of a multi-step application process rather than on a first-come, first-served basis. Please watch our website for the application and information as it unfolds in the fall.