Apr 1, 2013 By Kyle Edwards for The 5 min read

WAYNESBURG — Steps Inside — a nonprofit organization that aims to help 12-step recovery programs for a broad range of addictions, such as alcoholism, narcotics and gambling — offers a way out.

Created in 2003, the organization owns a house in Waynesburg, where its allows recovery groups to hold their weekly meetings. The house offers the groups a private, unobtrusive environment where group members from the Greene County area can feel comfortable, said Bob T., chairman of the Steps Inside Community Recovery Committee.

“What sometimes happens with 12-step meetings is that you’re trying to have one at a church and the church has other functions and you have to change the time or the church gets mad because the members left cigarette butts outside or something like that,” Bob said. “So the idea behind the house was that it would be a place that offers to have meetings and nothing but the meetings. The purpose of the place was recovery.”

The organization now hosts several groups on the property, he said.

“Currently we have eight weekly meetings here at the clubhouse — that’s what we call it — and we also hold a variety of special events, for holidays and such,” he said. “This past year, however, we’ve started to ask the question: ‘What else can we do?’ What my committee does is to continue to ask that question.”

The organization’s primary goal became to further recovery in the community, Bob said.

One of the ways it did that was to sit down with members of the clergy, medical professionals, law enforcement and other community leaders every four months.

“We talked about what we do with the 12-step programs, what we offer and how we could help to raise awareness of these programs in (Greene County). We were surprised by how little some of them knew about what we do and how concerned we were with working together,” Bob said. “The chief of police talked about how often he ran into situations where he didn’t know where to send them. He said, ‘Do I send them into rehab? Do I rush them into the court system? Is there someone in the community who can talk to them?’

“And that’s what the 12-step program is — your average neighborhood people,” he continued. “You can help yourself, you can get out of the hole by yourself and you don’t have to lose your job and that sort of thing in the process.”

Because of this, it’s very easy to start a 12-step recovery group, said Kris D., a member of the community recovery committee.

“We’re the help in the back yard. We’re the neighbor help. We’re the extension of the police and the rehab centers. When you’re done with all of that and your probation officer says to you, ‘OK, you’re on the street. What next?’ You should be in a 12-step recovery group because we actually help you to develop skills. And we’re just your neighbors,” Kris said.

“Anyone can start a 12-step group,” Kris added. “That’s the beauty of it: none of them are affiliated. If five people say: ‘We need to start meeting as a group,’ declare yourselves a group, come to us and start out for six months here and we help you to get some traction.”

And those groups are not just people who are struggling with substance abuse, Bob explained. Support groups are also available for family members of people who suffer from an addiction.

In addition to offering the groups a place to meet every week, Steps Inside also drops the rent — half of whatever collection the groups take in — for the first six months for new groups.

“That’s not to say that’s it’s really a ‘rent’ — at least not in the form that most people would think of it,” Kris said. “They could charge 50 cents per person and we’d take half of whatever they bring in. There’s no set amount.”

By doing this, the organization hopes to encourage more groups to use the clubhouse for their meetings.

“We have a lot of times open, aside from the eight meetings already scheduled,” Bob said. “They can call the Steps Inside number and we usually have someone here to answer it. If not, they can leave a message and we can get back to them.”

All are welcome at Steps Inside.

Brochures with information on the local support groups are available at various local businesses, Kris said. Steps Inside is located at 1790 Morris St.

For more information or to find a local group, call Steps Inside at 724-852-5395 or on the Greene County website, www.co.greene.pa.us.

The last names of Bob T. and Kris D. were withheld at their request.