After 36 years of serving alcoholic women and their loved ones, The Magdalen House has announced the introduction of a new initiative to serve alcoholic men. The nonprofit organization will launch a Men’s Community Program for alcoholic men – offering the same quality of services through 12 Step recovery meetings and workshops, Family Support Group, volunteer opportunities, Men’s Community Group, and fellowship events at no cost.
One in 11 women suffer from alcohol use disorder, but so do one in seven men. To put that into perspective, based on the 2021 population of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, there are an estimated 400,000 men struggling with alcohol in D/FW.
“Due to the tremendous need in our community and many requests from those who have experienced life-saving services through our current services for women, it was apparent that we needed to expand our services to also include men,” says Lisa Kroencke, CEO of The Magdalen House. “Men suffering from alcoholism deserve access to free, comprehensive services and a continuum of care. Taking a holistic approach to family, our mission is to provide those who suffer from alcoholism with the solution to lifelong recovery and restore families within our communities. The inclusion of both men and women allows for a 100% increase in the individuals served while only increasing operational costs by an estimated 30 percent.”
Beginning this July, the Community program will be offered to men. Men’s meetings and workshops, fellowship events and more will be held at Grace United Methodist Church located on 4105 Junius Street in Dallas. The 1,700 square foot campus will be outfitted with multiple offices and meeting spaces to serve men in recovery. The Magdalen House plans to launch its Next Step program for men at the church early 2024.
The Magdalen House is committed to help individuals achieve long-term, sustainable recovery through the following spiritually based, comprehensive programs.
- For Women:
- First Step Program: A two-week, residential program for an alcoholic woman who wants to stop drinking but cannot. The house can accommodate up to 20 women with rolling admissions.
- Next Step Program: A three-phase, non-residential program that provides support and structure for an alcoholic woman at any stage of recovery.
- For Women & Men:
- Community: Solution-focused meetings and workshops open to all alcoholic women and men at every stage of recovery. Services are currently offered for women 365 days a year and the men’s schedule is available online here. Additionally, Family Support meetings are available to the families and loved ones of alcoholics and addicts.
- Resources and Education: Education about the disease of alcoholism and community partnerships that help connect alcoholic women, men, and their families to resources such as sober living, women’s and men’s health, and counseling.
Austin Shook will serve as Director of Men’s Programming at The Magdalen House. He has been active in the 12-Step community and has sponsored new men in his personal time since 2017. In this role, he will lead the charge to establish and grow the men’s programming initiative for The Magdalen House. The goal is to offer the same programming that already exists for women in recovery at The Magdalen House but for men. Shook will ensure that The Magdalen House offers men’s community programming such as meetings, a community group, events, and family support. He will lead the Men’s Charter Group, which is an internal group consisting of 20 men that have been selected to help establish the men’s programming initiative. Members of this group are responsible for chairing and creating meetings, volunteering, establishing committees and much more.
