The Road to Hope: Responding to the Crisis of Addiction

In The Road to Hope, Maria V. Gallagher finds a pathway to triumph over adversity.

In the tangle of my own family tree, a branch bearing the mark of addiction can be found. I have no memory of the loved one who suffered from it—he died when I was still a baby. And yet, the troubles in his life cast a shadow which envelops me to this day. 

I used to think that my family had been spared from this illness but, the older I get, the more I recognize that alcoholism is a family disease which can affect generations long removed from the initial sufferer. And I believe that is why I was drawn out of curiosity to the new book The Road to Hope: Responding to the Crisis of Addiction. 

Recovery advocate Keaton Douglas, with her co-author, writer Lindsay Schlegel, should be commended for shining a bright light on a disease that is so often misunderstood. In this critical work, Douglas and Schlegel show how all of us as members of the Body of Christ are affected by addiction and how we all need to reach out with compassion to those who find themselves addicted.  

This book is incredibly timely, given the opioid crisis that has rocked our country. The authors make a strong and cogent case that the Church is called to respond to this crisis with love and mercy. 

That means we each must imitate the Good Samaritan of Scripture, bringing hope and healing to those carrying the cross of addiction. If we feel inadequate for the task, we must recognize the fact that we are all, in a sense, wounded healers, dependent on God’s grace to minister to others. 

While recognizing the physical nature of chemical dependency, the authors rightly point out the tremendous role spirituality can play in recovery. They put forward a holistic approach in which faith plays a key factor. 

Over the course of this book, you will learn how addiction is a disease of mind, body, and spirit. And wherever you are in your life and on your journey with the Lord, this book will equip, empower, and encourage you to start making real change in your community. Because I can guarantee you there’s someone—more than someone, but many someones—who needs it.    

For those who believe they may lack the training and skill to provide any assistance whatsoever to those suffering addiction, the authors offer this consolation: 

People need to be seen; they need to be loved. This doesn’t take some advanced training or certification. It only means recognizing that human beings are mind, body, and soul and that each of those has inherent dignity, no matter what decisions have been made. We need to see this reality and accept it, to feel it deeply enough within ourselves to start taking action, for the good of their souls and our own. 

Ultimately, The Road to Hope creates a pathway which all of us can follow—one that can lead to both individual and communal triumph over adversity. As a Church, we owe a debt of gratitude to the authors for showing us the route to both wholeness and holiness. 

Copyright 2023 Maria V. Gallagher
Images: Canva