Scenes of a young woman passed out in the midst of empty pill containers, a pleading husband being pushed away by his stunned and heartbroken wife, and many other harrowing visuals recently appeared in a series of videos released by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints called “12 Steps to Change.”
The series highlights various addictions among real-life members and the steps that led to their recovery--steps with which some BYU–Hawaii students are very familiar. Beginning Sept. 1--which also marked the start of National Recovery month--a different video was emphasized every day for 12 days, outlining the steps that are the basis for the Addiction Recovery Program sponsored by LDS Family Services.
Ashlyn Egbert, a freshman from Utah majoring in biology, said, “I watched the very first video. It was incredible. Although it was hard to watch because of the topic it talks about, I felt the spirit really strongly. It showed that no matter how far you feel you have strayed you can always return. The videos help depict how powerful the Atonement of Jesus Christ is.”
“They’re pretty impactful,” said Jason Davey, a senior from California majoring in social work and co-director of BYUH’s addiction recovery program. “I think it does a good job of bringing to us the picture of what people struggling with addiction go through, because I think oftentimes in the Church it’s very hush hush, and people tend to think recovery is very secluded and one-on-one. ... The videos do a good job at putting things out there the way they really are.”
The videos feature 12 members who, through differing life circumstances and experiences, have grappled with addictions to things such as food, sex, drugs, alcohol, and pornography. Through the program’s steps, which were patterned after Alcoholics Anonymous, they have, as the title suggests, been able to change.
Davey has played a prominent role in the organization of the on-campus addiction recovery group. Davey, along with Paul Buckingham, the former director of Student Counseling Services, work together to host meetings every Tuesday night at 7 p.m. in the high council room of the stake center.
“It is a Church sponsored group to help with the recovery of any addiction by using the scriptures and principles of the atonement,” said Buckingham. “It was formed to be accessible to students specifically, but it’s meant for anyone. We don’t turn aside anyone.”
Each video showcases a different person. Each person has a different story. Each story is as real as the success stories that have happened here on campus. Buckingham and Davey have seen addicts turn their lives around within a couple of semesters through this 12-Step Program, and watched as some go on to serve missions, get married in the temple, and graduate.
“As members, we value appearance,” said Buckingham. “Addiction is an uncomfortable subject in the Church. Even if they appear to be well, so many members are closet addicts and what happens when you are a closet addict is the shame and guilt really accelerates you through deteriorating stages of addiction so that by the time you get caught you’re deep, deep in a cycle of addiction.”
Davey and Buckingham agreed that the Church released the videos during National Recovery month probably because more people need to know about addiction reality. “The Church has probably known about members struggling with addiction for a long time,” said Davey.
“It’s just as they’ve recognized the need that they’ve put the videos out there. And [the videos] just do a good job of showing real struggles that people go through and people get to see that other people have very similar struggles. That might’ve been the intention: so that people see they’re not alone so they see and feel a sense of hope.”
Buckingham said, “The Church is trying to give more exposure to this program. These groups are all over the islands, especially Oahu, and we want members to know this service is available.”
The on-campus service is available to all, and exists on firm grounds of confidentiality established by the group members themselves. “The group really emphasizes confidentiality at all levels. Although we operate under the stake president, we don’t report to him,” said Buckingham. “People come in, all at various levels. We grow in trust and we grow in friendship, and when we get to the end, we start all over again.”