--- title: Finding Your People- Recovery Through Faith, Friendship and a Fresh Start description: Experience faith-based recovery for women in Colorado—where community, identity and emotional wellbeing meet for authentic healing and lasting support author: Dr Marina Nani (Editor-in-Chief) date: 2025-07-07T14:41:27.000Z updated: 2026-02-26T22:05:06.989Z canonical: https://richwoman.co/article/finding-your-people-recovery-through-faith-friendship-and-a-fresh-start image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/nhu0nur7920.jpg categories: Wellbeing content_type: Feature region: Denver publication: Rich Woman Magazine --- The fluorescent lights cast their familiar glow across the meeting room at New Life Recovery Center on Lincoln Avenue. It’s Friday evening at 6.30pm, and women are filing in for something that looks like traditional recovery but feels entirely different. They settle into chairs arranged in a circle, clutching coffee cups and carrying burdens they’re ready to share. What they won’t do tonight – or any Friday night here – is introduce themselves with the words ‘I’m an addict’ or ‘I’m an alcoholic’. This is 12 Steps with a TWIST, and for many women who’ve felt out of place in traditional recovery groups, it’s becoming a lifeline wrapped in fellowship and [faith](https://richwoman.co/article/sisters-on-the-vineyard-the-power-of-honest-conversation). ## A Different Kind of Recovery The TWIST programme at [New Life Recovery Center](https://cacloveland.com/recovery) takes a different approach to conventional addiction support groups. Here, participants don’t identify as addicts but as something Victor Stewart, the centre’s founder, describes with conviction. ‘The “TWIST” is that we do not announce ourselves as drug addicts or alcoholics because the Bible says we are a “New Creation in Christ Jesus”, and our “Higher Power” is unapologetically Jesus Christ. PERIOD,’ Stewart explains. ‘We are training soldiers for war. Our past lifestyles get us into places where most Christians never dare to tread, and we are called to reach the hurting, addicted people in those places.’ Research from the [National Center for Biotechnology Information](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6759672/) shows that approximately 73% of substance abuse treatment programmes in the United States now include spiritual or faith-based components, with these programmes particularly effective at creating the sense of community and belonging that helps long-term sobriety. ## Why Women Come – and Stay The Friday evening gatherings draw women from across northern Colorado, many seeking something they haven’t found elsewhere. The appeal isn’t just theological – it’s deeply practical. [When addiction recovery feels clinical or impersonal](https://richwoman.co/article/12-dimensions-not-12-steps-rethinking-recovery-support-at-red-door-life), these meetings offer something warmer: genuine community among women who understand struggle without requiring them to wear it as their primary identity. The faith-based element provides what researchers call ‘wraparound care’ – addressing not just the behaviour but the emotional and spiritual aspects of recovery. For women who’ve felt judged or uncomfortable in traditional settings, the emphasis on redemption rather than perpetual identification with addiction offers a different path forward. There’s no cost to attend, no insurance requirements, no complicated intake processes. Women simply show up, and they’re welcomed. ## Beyond the Labels The decision to reject traditional addiction labels isn’t just semantic – it reflects a growing conversation within recovery communities about identity and healing. [Alternative recovery programmes](https://alcohol.org/alcoholics-anonymous/alternatives-to-the-aa-approach/) like Women for Sobriety and SMART Recovery have gained traction because they offer different approaches to how people in recovery should see themselves. For some women, particularly those with deep faith backgrounds, the language of ‘new creation’ resonates more powerfully than perpetual identification with their lowest moments. It’s about moving from a story of permanent brokenness to one of purpose and healing. [Finding ways to help others](https://richwoman.co/article/stacey-ellis-homeless-and-addicted-to-helping-others) becomes part of the recovery process itself. This approach aligns with [research from SAMHSA](https://www.samhsa.gov/faith-based-community-engagement) showing that faith-based recovery programmes are particularly effective at providing culturally sensitive support that builds resilience through shared beliefs and community connection. ## Friday Night Fellowship A typical Friday evening at New Life follows the familiar rhythm of 12-step meetings but with distinct differences. The traditional steps are there – acknowledging powerlessness, the decision to turn one’s life over to a higher power, the moral inventory – but they’re framed through explicitly Christian principles. Women share their struggles and victories, but they do so as people moving towards healing rather than as people defined by their past. The discussion weaves together practical recovery strategies with Bible study and prayer. It’s part support group, part Bible study, part friendship circle. The atmosphere is less formal than what you might find at [clinical treatment centres](https://richwoman.co/article/court-mandated-rehab-what-happens-when-recovery-isn-t-private), more intimate than a traditional church service. It’s a space designed for women who want both the proven structure of 12-step recovery and the comfort of faith-based community. ## Looking Forward New Life Recovery Center has ambitious plans that speak to the need they’re addressing. In 2025, they plan to open faith-based, long-term treatment programmes for both men and women, along with sober living homes for aftercare – all at no cost to participants. The no-cost model addresses a crucial barrier in addiction recovery. [Economic research](https://religiousfreedomandbusiness.org/value-of-faith-based-recovery-support-316-billion) shows that faith-based substance abuse programmes save an estimated $316 billion annually in healthcare and social costs, showing both their effectiveness and their value to communities. For the women who gather each Friday evening in Loveland, these future programmes represent hope for others who are still searching for their place in recovery. They’ve found something that works – [a community that sees them not as broken people managing a disease](https://richwoman.co/article/integrated-wellness-facilities-herald-new-era-in-mental-health-treatment), but as whole people reclaiming their lives. ## Finding Your People Recovery, at its heart, is about finding your people – those who understand your struggle and believe in your capacity for change. For some women, that happens in traditional 12-step meetings. For others, it happens in secular alternatives focused on cognitive behavioural strategies. For the women who gather at New Life Recovery Center each Friday evening, it happens in a circle of chairs where faith meets fellowship and new creation meets practical support. [Creating authentic healing communities](https://richwoman.co/article/virtual-healing-communities-create-new-pathways-for-trauma-recovery) takes different forms for different people. The [12 Steps with a TWIST meetings](https://cacloveland.com/recovery) continue every Friday at 6.30pm at 201 South Lincoln Avenue in Loveland. No appointment necessary, no prerequisites required – just women supporting women in a space where belonging comes first, and labels come last.