Women For Sobriety
Women for Sobriety (WFS) is a self-help recovery program for women with alcohol/drug addictions that has been meeting for the past 11 years at Good Shepherd United Methodist Church, 1418 Old Railroad Bed Road in Madison, AL, every 2nd and 4th Monday at 6:00 pm in room 124.
WFS was founded in 1975 by Dr. Jean Kirkpatrick who recognized the special needs of women in recovery. Based upon a 13 Statement “New Life” Program that encourages emotional and spiritual growth, WFS has been extremely effective for over 40 years in helping women to overcome their addictions by learning new coping skills, self-esteem building and accepting responsibility for their actions. WFS is an abstinence based program and meetings are strictly confidential and anonymous.
Dee Waddington is the Certified Moderator for the group and used the WFS program in her own recovery. In all, she has been moderating for 29 years including 18 years at the local YWCA in NJ where she was the Director of the Women’s Center Department. She also led a group at the NJ Bergen County Jail, Women’s Section. A majority of those women disclosed their history of sexual assault and abuse which often led to their alcohol/drug abuse. As supervisor of the Rape Crisis Center within her department, she was able to provide the women with both educational information and much needed emotional support, something the women had not pursued in the past. Upon their release, these women were encouraged to seek additional support through the Rape Crisis counseling programs.
WFS is a non-profit organization with groups nationwide as well as an online forum available 24/7 for those who do not have a meeting in their area. WFS is open to any woman who has a desire to obtain and maintain a sober life. Over the years, counselors started referring women to the group as they began to see the positive impact the group experience had on their clients. I hope that you will consider sharing this information with women in need of an encouraging and supportive environment as they begin, or continue on, their recovery journey.
Please feel free to contact Dee Waddington at waddingtond@bellsouth.net or 256-864-3706 with any questions you may have.
For additional information, please go to www.womenforsobriety.org