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North Little Rock church offers free addiction recovery services during holidays

One North Little Rock Church is offering free counseling and a safe place for the holidays for people struggling with addiction.

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) – One North Little Rock Church is offering free counseling and a safe place for the holidays for people struggling with addiction.

Celebrate Recovery First North Little Rock offers free services for people struggling with anything from alcoholism to depression. Every Tuesday at First Assembly in North Little Rock, hundreds gather to meet with people going through similar experiences.

"People are here for life issues. Anger, low self-esteem,” Recovery Pastor Layne Mason said.

And this Christmas, Layne Mason is making sure no one is alone.

"People need a place to go and sometimes after spending time with the family they especially need to go to a meeting,” he said.

Mason said the church will keep its doors open for six hours on Christmas and New Year’s Day.

"I know for myself when I used to go back home and spend time with my family it was very difficult because there were assumptions I was doing better than I ever was,” Mason said.

Mason struggled through his own addictions, and he said the holidays can trigger a lot of people.

"It was very difficult. Often times I would have my most difficult periods of acting out during that time,” he said.

Ministry leader Joshua Scott said keeping the doors open will help people escape unhealthy situations. Now almost six years sober, he said the holidays were some of his busiest times drinking alcohol.

"In many cases, my dad was one of my best drinking buddies and so what better place to meet my dad then at a holiday family gathering,” Scott said. "For a lot of people, family get togethers are one of their biggest triggers and so we offer a way to avoid that."

Scott said a meal will be provided for four dollars (or free if you cannot afford it), along with a recovery service and focus group discussions.

"We want to give them a safe alternative to celebrate the holidays and to ring in the new year,” Scott said.

Mason said doors will open around four on Christmas day. The service is free and anonymous for anyone who would like to attend.

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