A Study on the Introduction of Reformers Unanimous(RU) Addiction Recovery Program

Drug use and drug addiction are rapidly rising as a serious social problem in Korea. Recently, Korean government declared 'War on Drugs', which implies the government should develop policies which aggressively intervene for not only blocking drug supply but also developing treatment and rehabilitation programs for the addict. It is also necessary for us to do evaluative studies on the treatment programs. Especially, studies on the faith-based recovery models are urgently needed as it has been known that faith and spirituality are important factors in recovery. Also, treatment programs should be community-centered to maximize the access by the addicts. This study intended to introduce Reformers Unanimous(RU) program which has been implemented last 25 years in USA and more than 30 foreign countries. This study discussed followings. First, the philosophy of faith-based, community- centered RU was discussed. Second, the curriculum and the format of weekly RU meeting were explained in detail. Third, it discussed the customized programs which intended to meet the needs of special clientele groups. Fourth, characteristics of RU and its implications for Korea were discussed. Fifth, strategies to adopt RU into Korea were suggested. Finally, it discussed the challenges in RU adoption and suggestions for them, ending the paper with conclusion.