A couple of years ago, we formalized a program that has been around since the day we opened our doors, and we started calling it the Peer Recovery Program. Today, we call it our Community Program. This program is the heart and soul of our organization and without it, The Magdalen House wouldn’t exist.
Our Community Program is based on one simple philosophy: when one woman helps another, they help themselves in the process. And studies show that helping others has been proven effective for both alcoholics and non-alcoholics alike. It’s a design for living that really works and it saves lives, including my own.
What our Community Program Looks Like
When I first left a 30-day rehab program, I had NO idea what to do next. When my sponsor suggested I visit The Magdalen House, I followed her direction. When I walked through the doors the very first time in July of 2007, I was scared, nervous and full of shame. But what I found here was a very unique community of women, one that welcomed me with open arms. In that moment, I found my home; what I was so desperately seeking. And in time, Maggie’s has given me the opportunity to help other women find what was so freely given to me. There came a day when I was driving away from Maggie’s, radio blaring, windows rolled down and feeling more free than I have ever felt in my life; I was in tears with gratitude not just because of the community I had found, but because it gave me access to other women who were also desperate for a change. I found a purpose in my recovery, helping the next alcoholic woman.
“There came a day when I was driving away from Maggie’s, radio blaring, windows rolled down and feeling more free than I have ever felt in my life; I was in tears with gratitude not just because of the community I had found, but because it gave me access to other women who were also desperate for a change.”
Like our First Step Program, the Community Program is completely free. Not only that, but it’s also open to all alcoholic women in recovery – not just women who have completed our 14-day, in-house First Step Program.
Working one-on-one with the women that I’ve met through Maggie’s is, to this day, the best part of my recovery. It’s the very reason why I say that my alcoholism is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. And it’s the reason why I introduce myself as a grateful recovered alcoholic. The Community Program literally saved my life and has given my life purpose.
“The Community Program literally saved my life and has given my life purpose.”
Our Community Program exemplifies the power that a community of women has to not only help other women strive for and maintain sobriety but more importantly to build a foundation of quality recovery for the rest of their lives. First Step Alumna, Next Step Alumna, and women in the recovery community are encouraged to participate in our Community Program through volunteer opportunities, attending meetings, and fellowship events held at the house (all meetings are open to women), finding new women in the house to work with, and joining Maggie’s Women’s Group.
“Our Community Program exemplifies the power that a community of women has to not only help other women strive for and maintain sobriety but more importantly to build a foundation of quality recovery for the rest of their lives.”
With an estimated 281,965* alcohol-dependent women in DFW alone, we want as many women as possible to utilize our free programming. Whether you’re looking for alcohol treatment through our free First Step Program, looking for structure and education through our free Next Step Program, or seeking an improved quality of recovery which offers opportunities to intensively work with others, 12-Step spiritual meetings and workshops, and fellowship with women in recovery through our free Community Program, come join us. Like that day 11 years ago when I first walked through the door, YOU are also welcome here.
*Based on statistics from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health by SAMHSA
Community Program in 2022
- 11,600+ visits to our 1,200+ classes, meetings, and workshops
- 24,600+ hours were donated by 500+ Community Volunteers
- 11,091 hours were donated by women staying overnight in the First Step office with our clients
- 1,259 hours were donated by women chairing meetings on 12-Step spiritual principles
- 648 hours were dedicated to women in the recovery community sponsoring women in our First Step Program
How You Can Participate in our Community Program
If you are an alcoholic woman in recovery in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, we’d love for you to get involved. Feel free to email us at info@magdalenhouse.org for more information.
