Window Seat

Stuart Patterson – Faith, Recovery and Community

From heroin to hope – stories of grace, grit and a God who lifts

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Talking Points – What Churches Can Say About Recovery Policy

Drug and alcohol policy isn’t abstract. It lands in our streets, our families, our communities, and often our congregations. Churches don’t need to become policy specialists, but we do need a voice that is compassionate, informed, and grounded in real life.

These talking points offer a simple way for church leaders, teams, and volunteers to speak clearly into Scotland’s recovery landscape.

1. Recovery is relational before it is clinical

Treatment matters. But long-term change is anchored in belonging, trust, and supportive relationships.
Talking point: Recovery grows best in community — it’s not a bolt-on, it’s infrastructure.

2. Harm reduction and hope belong together

Saving life today doesn’t undermine transformation tomorrow. We support approaches that keep people alive long enough to find hope.
Talking point: We affirm compassionate, evidence-informed care and harm reduction held together with hope — not as an end in itself, but as a bridge towards long-term recovery.

3. Centre lived experience — including faith-based voices

Policy is strongest when shaped by people who have walked the road.
Talking point: Faith-shaped lived experience is a legitimate contribution to national recovery conversations.

4. People are more than their addiction

Churches can humanise where policy often technicises.
Talking point: Every person is a neighbour with value, not a statistic.

5. MAT is a tool, not the whole toolbox

Medication can stabilise, but on its own it cannot restore identity, agency, or connection.
Talking point: Recovery needs more than medication — it also needs holistic, relational support that helps people rebuild their lives, communities and purpose.

6. Prevention is communal

Young people need safe adults, meaningful opportunities, and supportive communities — the kinds of things churches are already positioned to provide.
Talking point: Prevention begins with trusted relationships and healthy spaces.

7. Local partnership matters

Churches aren’t solo operators. Recovery flourishes through collaboration.
Talking point: We work with ADPs, recovery communities, and third-sector partners wherever it serves people well.

8. In a noisy culture, speak with clarity and compassion

Churches no longer hold cultural dominance. That’s fine — but our voice must be calm, honest, and non-anxious.
Talking point: We aim for clarity without condemnation, and conviction without aggression.

9. Churches can model recovery culture

Not perfection — but safety, accountability, and grace.
Talking point: Our churches can be places where people stumble, learn, and stand again.

10. Faith-based recovery is a legitimate pathway

There are many recovery pathways, and faith plays a transformative role for countless people.
Talking point: Spiritual transformation is a recognised pathway, and faith-based recovery remains one of the strongest options for sustained change.

Closing Word

The church doesn’t need to dominate the conversation. It simply needs to bring its distinctive voice — shaped by compassion, lived experience, faith, and neighbour-love — into a national landscape that desperately needs all of the above.

Further Useful Resources

Recovery & Community Support

Public Health & Policy

Faith-Based & Public Theology

Research & Evidence

stupatterson
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