My personal experience with alcohol abuse goes way back: I grew up in an alcoholic family. My alcoholic father was very abusive to my siblings and to my mother, who also was an alcoholic. By the age of 14, I, too, had fallen into the trap of this dreadful sickness. After struggling through high school, surviving several run-ins with the law and serving in the U.S. Army, I decided for the sake of my young family to try something different. With three small children to care for, I realized it was time to get sober.

For a young soldier trying to get his life on track, the Army was not a supportive environment. Drinking and drugs were a routine part of life, the fastest and easiest way to deal with the day-to-day combination of stress and boredom. So, at the age of 25, after eight years of building my Army career, I decided to move on.

When I was 22, I had joined an organization called Alcoholics Anonymous. I was drinking very heavily and using drugs at a fast pace. Maybe I was one of the fortunate ones, because after attending 90 meetings in 90 days and following the principles and 12 steps of AA, I had seemingly conquered my addiction to alcohol. But as we know, it is not just a matter of stopping drinking or drugging. It is a matter of making the right choices in order to stay clean and sober.

Many of the people who attend AA meetings today are fooled into thinking that just because they don’t drink they are OK, even though they are still smoking pot or doing other drugs. They must understand that the “clean” part of the program is as important as the “sober” part!

Anyway, about seven years after I started going to AA, I decided to take my sobriety a step further. Although I had been sober for several years, I felt there was still something more that I needed to do. So after some research, I gave my life and care over to my “Higher Power,” Jesus Christ. Which leads me to the point of sharing this small bit of my testimony with you.

I have been involved with the 12th step of AA for some years now – the one that instructs us to carry the message of sobriety and spiritual living to other alcoholics. During the more than 20 years of my ministry, I have brought this message to street corners, prisons and shelters for the homeless. The ability to draw on my own family background and my own journey to sobriety has helped me minister to people whose lives have been hijacked by chemical dependency and its many complications.

This past May, I was given a wonderful opportunity to establish a new program here in Houlton. Celebrate Recovery is based on the original 12 steps, and with the permission of AA has added the Beatitudes from the Book of Matthew in the New Testament. The result is a powerful program that helps people make the link between the self, the world and personal spirituality.

Celebrate Recovery was founded over 15 years ago at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., pastored by the Rev. Rick Warren, author of “The Purpose Driven Life.” With the help of Pastor John Baker, Warren decided to institute a program that would support Christians affected by real-life problems such as alcoholism, drug addiction, codependency, sexual abuse, sexual addiction, eating disorders and other life-controlling disorders. Today, Celebrate Recovery is a worldwide organization, delivered through local ministries, with a profound impact on many people’s lives.

Since May 2006, more than 200 people have come through our program here in Houlton. Some stay, and others move on. But there is no doubt that this program works.

Our “big meeting” starts at 7 p.m. every Tuesday at the Houlton United Methodist Church at 20 Military St. Refreshments and fellowship start at 6:30 p.m. We open each meeting with prayer and celebration. The main meeting is followed by small group discussions from 8 to 9 p.m.

There are other teaching groups on different days of the week. We also have an outreach ministry to help other churches and community groups begin their own programs.

Remember, help is only a phone call away. For information, please call me at (207) 540-7238 or (207) 694-1163. Or write me in care of the Houlton United Methodist Church, 20 Military St., Houlton 04730. You may also e-mail me at maumac42@yahoo.com.

The Rev. Richard McLaughlin is an ordained minister of the Pentecostal Church. With the support of the Sanctuary of Hope Ministries, based in Kansas City, Kan., he hopes to open a 50-bed center in southern Aroostook County for long-term recovery from alcohol and drug abuse. For information, visit www.sanctuaryofhope.org and www.celebraterecovery.com.

Please join our weekly conversation about Maine’s substance abuse problem. We welcome stories, comments or questions from all perspectives. Letters may be mailed to Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04401. Send e-mail contributions to findingafix@bangordailynews.net. Column editor Meg Haskell may be reached at (207) 990-8291 or mhaskell@bangordailynews.net.