b'Freedom from All Bondageby Ryan DuerkUnifying our voice to provide an alternative positionPhoto provided by Wheeler MissionHarm reduction, by definition, might be philosophicallywith the lifesaving benefits of medications, while and theologically in opposition to the mission, vision,working towards a directed, stepdown protocol for the and scope of services of many rescue mission ministries.medications. Anecdotally, I rarely have seen MAT that Most of us believe in abstinence because we believemoves someone from continued chemical bondage to that God believes in abstinence. The God we areabstinence. The majority of what I have seen is MAT introducing our guests to wants all of us to find identityused outside of a recovery framework with people outside of the sins that so easily beset us. We believeremaining on those substances for months and years, the Lord wants a pursuit of holiness rather than abefore ultimately returning to their drug of choice. regular visit to a pharmacist. We see the people who enter our doors in addiction as being made in the image of God, having within them great value, beauty, and purpose, who happen to be under the control of a lifedominating issue. We know that Gods power is made perfect in our weakness. Many people continue to struggle with addiction or, sadly, lose their lives to it, but we are blessed to also see that many find permanent freedom through the restorative power provided only by the Holy Spirit. We know they are worthy of so much more, and it grieves us to push them towards what can be a different type of bondage.Part of the solution to this apparent dichotomy is for Our greatest hope is to see them free from bondage,those of us in rescue mission ministries to offer our voice all bondage, and for many of us, Medically Assistedto the conversation. We need to unify our data while Treatment (MAT) appears as statelegalized addiction.exhibiting curiosity towards what other models exist in It is fair to point to the fact that addiction can beour universe. The voices promoting the philosophies of separated into two primary components: addictionhousing first and harm reduction are clearly the loudest (spiritual, mental, emotional, traumafocused, relational),voices, and the loudest voices get the momentum. and dependence (physical). Harm reduction is primarilyRescue missions must, we must, work together to concerned with the latter and, ultimately, survival fromoffer an alternative way of looking at the world that dependence. Clearly, the effects of suboxone and otherexemplifies the beauty and restoration that we see each related medical treatments greatly improve theday, to combat or improve the models that are being survivability of opioid dependency, but our guestsdeveloped across the United States. We are the largest shouldnt be simplified to a singular chemical equation.elephant in the room, but we are mostly invisible. If The argument for MAT, touting its wonderful outcomes,we unite and offer our own voice, with a datadriven falls apart when you realize that most of those outcomesapproach, we can influence and improve what others are dont consider the tens of thousands of individuals whooffering instead of living on the defensive. How amazing show up each day at rescue missions, dependent uponand evangelical would it be to show the world what God illegal, prescribed, or synthetic opioids. I would be veryis up to in rescue missions each day. interested to see models of MAT that clearly integrate Ryan is the President/CEO of Miracle Hill Ministries the healing philosophies of a healthy recovery model(Greenville, South Carolina).30 WWW.CITYGATENETWORK.ORG JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024'