Sharpsburg-based Addiction Recovery Ministry offers full winter schedule for people in need

St. Juan Diego Parish in Sharpsburg has released a full slate of winter programs for people fighting addiction.

The Rev. Michael Decewicz, founder of the Addiction Recovery Ministry (ARM), said it’s important to keep a steady stream of services during the holidays, when people might find their challenges particularly hard.

“For those who are afflicted by addiction and struggling with recovery, it can be very difficult, if not impossible, to see their own beauty,” Decewicz said.

Decewicz is the former pastor of Saint Juan Diego Parish and current Parochial Vicar of the Lower Allegheny Valley grouping.

He founded ARM in 2019 to have a local effort in fighting a nationwide epidemic, Decewicz said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Pennsylvania was among the top four states with the highest rates of death in 2018 due to drug overdose, with 36.1 per 100,000 people. Others at the top of the list were West Virginia, Delaware and Maryland.

Through ARM, there are weekly meetings, spiritual enrichment and special events, many of which are paid with money from “The Church Alive Campaign” through the Diocese of Pittsburgh.

The ministry also includes regular AA, NA, ALANON and NARANON meetings, along with education and one-on-one ministry.

“One of the gifts of sobriety is that you get to know yourself and feel comfortable,” Decewicz said.

“You begin to value connections to others, instead of hiding away.”

The programs are also open to family members and friends of people battling addiction. Currently underway is a session called “Six Steps to Sanity,” offered for families/friends from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Jan. 5 at St. Irenaeus Church in Oakmont.

The regular schedule for upcoming months includes:

• Holy Hour, 7 p.m. the second Tuesday of the month at Madonna of Jerusalem Church, 201 Ninth St. There is time for quiet reflection and also scripture reading.

• Enrichment, 7 p.m. the third Tuesday of the month at Madonna of Jerusalem. It will also be live streamed on the ministry’s Facebook page at facebook.com/Addiction-Recovery-Ministry-Pittsburgh. On Nov. 17, Decewicz will gear the talk toward gratitude and on Dec. 15, the message will focus on intimacy.

• Monthly meeting, 7 p.m. the fourth Tuesday of the month at the John Paul I Center, also along Ninth Street.

Multiple ALANON, NARANON and AA meetings are also hosted in Sharpsburg. For a complete list, visit the website at addictionrecoveryministrypittsburgh.org.

There also will be grief support meetings beginning Dec. 2. Details will be released soon.

Decewicz encouraged people to give the program a try, if they need it. He said meetings are judgment-free and offered in a friendly setting.

“Recovery is a risk,” he said. “You are vulnerable. The elements of life can stunt your growth and impede your blossoming. The journey to recovery is difficult and ongoing, but it is also the promise to be happy, joyous and free.”