LDS (Mormon) Addiction Recovery Program
The LDS (Mormon) Addiction Recovery Program is a free, Christ-centered 12-step program open to anyone, addressing many addictions in person and online, best used alongside medical care.
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What Is the LDS (Mormon) Addiction Recovery Program?
The LDS Addiction Recovery Program, or ARP, is a free, Christ-centered, 12-step program open to anyone, members and non-members alike. It’s sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the church often called Mormon. The familiar 12 steps are adapted around gospel principles, with the Atonement of Jesus Christ at the center and the “higher power” understood as God and His Son, Jesus Christ.
Meetings run worldwide, in person and online, and address a wide range of addictions: alcohol, drugs, pornography, gambling, and more.
Meetings are usually facilitated by missionaries, often senior service missionaries, alongside people who are themselves living in recovery. There are also separate support meetings for the spouses, family, and friends of someone who is struggling.
The ARP pairs naturally with medical care; it doesn’t replace it. If stopping a substance could be dangerous, the safe first move is a supervised detox, and then the spiritual work continues right alongside treatment.
In danger right now, or not safe to stop on your own? Get medically safe first, then the program and community carry the long road.
- Don’t quit cold turkey alone. If you drink heavily every day or use opioids or benzodiazepines, withdrawal can be dangerous. Get into a supervised detox: it’s the safe way to start, and medication makes withdrawal far easier than the misery you may be picturing.
- Having thoughts of suicide or self-harm? Call or text 988 now.
- For free, confidential help finding treatment any time, call SAMHSA at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). The line is open 24/7.
- Free and Christ-centered — sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon).
- Open to everyone — members and non-members; addresses alcohol, drugs, pornography, gambling, and other addictions.
- A 12-step program that frames each step around a gospel principle, with the Atonement of Jesus Christ at its heart.
- Works best alongside medical care — not instead of detox or medication when those are needed.
How the Program Works
The ARP follows the same 12-step path that began with Alcoholics Anonymous, then reframes it through Latter-day Saint belief. Where AA invites “a higher power as you understand it,” the ARP names that power as God and Jesus Christ, and treats the Savior’s Atonement as the source of the change a person is reaching for.
The official manual — Addiction Recovery Program: A Guide to Addiction Recovery and Healing — walks through each step with scripture, reflection, and writing prompts.
Meetings are small, confidential, and built around reading and discussing the steps together. A person works the steps at their own pace, supported by the group and, for members, by their own church leaders. You don’t pay anything, and you don’t have to perform a perfect faith to take part.
The 12 Steps and Their Key Principles
What sets the ARP apart from a standard 12-step meeting is that each step is anchored to a single gospel principle. The manual organizes the whole journey around these twelve words, beginning with honesty and ending in service.
| Step | Key principle |
|---|---|
| 1 | Honesty |
| 2 | Hope |
| 3 | Trust in God |
| 4 | Truth |
| 5 | Confession |
| 6 | Change of heart |
| 7 | Humility |
| 8 | Seeking forgiveness |
| 9 | Restitution and reconciliation |
| 10 | Daily accountability |
| 11 | Personal revelation |
| 12 | Service |
Step 1 sets the tone with honesty: admitting plainly that you can’t overcome the addiction by willpower alone and that life has become unmanageable. From there the steps move through hope, turning your life over to God, an honest moral inventory, confession, and the long work of restitution, before closing in service to others walking the same road.
Two Kinds of Meetings: One for Recovery, One for Families
Addiction never hurts only the person using, so the program runs two distinct kinds of meetings. The distinction matters when you’re deciding which door to walk through.
- Personal recovery meetings are for the person working to overcome an addiction. These follow the 12 steps directly.
- Spouse and family support meetings are for the husband, wife, parent, or friend living alongside someone’s addiction. They use a separate guide and focus on the supporter’s own healing, boundaries, and peace.
Both are free, both are confidential, and both are led by service missionaries together with people who have walked it themselves.
The 12-step approach the ARP is built on is one of the best-supported routes in addiction recovery. A large Cochrane review found that getting people meaningfully engaged in 12-step programs is as effective as, and often better than, established therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy for staying abstinent[1]. The ARP’s faith framing and the clinical evidence point the same direction.
Why a Faith-Based Program Helps So Many People
The ARP works the way most recovery communities work: by rebuilding a person’s social world. When researchers measured how recovery actually takes hold, the strongest driver wasn’t willpower or even the specific program — it was trading an isolating, using-centered life for a sober, supportive network and the growing confidence to stay well[2].
A weekly meeting full of people who know your name and notice when you slip is exactly that kind of network.
For Latter-day Saints, the program also folds recovery into a faith and a community they already trust, which can make it far easier to keep showing up. The shame that often surrounds addiction gets met with a message of hope and the Atonement rather than judgment. Explore faith-based recovery →
You’re Welcome Here Even if You’re Not a Member
The ARP genuinely welcomes non-members. You won’t be pressured to join the Church, and many people attend simply because the meetings are free, local, and kind.
That said, the program is openly built on Latter-day Saint belief. If a Christ-centered, God-as-higher-power frame isn’t a fit for you, that’s worth knowing going in — and there are excellent alternatives.
Alcoholics Anonymous is the original 12-step program, and its “higher power as you understand it” language leaves far more room for different beliefs, or none. Secular, science-based options exist too. The point isn’t to find the single “best” program — it’s to find the community you’ll actually return to week after week. For the full landscape of routes, the recovery guide lays them all out.
When You Need Medical Care First
A recovery meeting can carry someone through cravings, shame, and the long work of rebuilding a life. It cannot make alcohol or opioid withdrawal safe to face alone, and it is not a substitute for medication that treats addiction.
If you drink heavily every day, or use opioids or benzodiazepines, stopping suddenly can be dangerous. The safe path out is a medically supervised detox, where medication makes withdrawal far gentler than the agony people fear — and the ARP fits right alongside it.
If anyone in a faith setting ever suggests that taking medication shows weak faith, that’s a misunderstanding worth gently setting aside. Get medically safe first; the spiritual work continues the whole way through.
Finding a Meeting
You don’t need a perfect faith or a tidy life to start — just one meeting. The Church lists every personal-recovery and family-support meeting, in person and online, on its official Addiction Recovery Program site, where you can filter by location, day, time, language, and meeting type.
If stopping a substance could be medically dangerous, talk to a doctor about a safe detox first. The spiritual work continues right alongside it, and the door to a meeting stays open the whole way through.
The next step doesn’t have to be a big one. Our treatment centers directory can point you to the right level of care. Reaching out today is a real step forward — and one you can make right now.
Frequently asked questions
What is the LDS Addiction Recovery Program?
It’s a free, Christ-centered, 12-step program sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the church often called Mormon. It adapts the 12 steps around gospel principles, with the Atonement of Jesus Christ at the center and God as the higher power. Meetings run worldwide, in person and online, and address alcohol, drugs, pornography, gambling, and other addictions.
Do you have to be a member of the Mormon church to attend?
No. The program is open to anyone, members and non-members alike, and you won’t be pressured to join the Church. Many people attend simply because the meetings are free, local, and welcoming. The program is openly built on Latter-day Saint belief, so if a Christ-centered frame isn’t a fit, Alcoholics Anonymous and secular options are worth considering instead.
How much does the program cost?
Nothing. The LDS Addiction Recovery Program is completely free, and so is its official manual. Meetings are confidential and run by missionaries, often senior service missionaries, alongside people who are themselves in recovery. There are no fees, no dues, and no requirement to be a member of the Church to take part.
What are the 12 steps and their key principles?
Each step pairs with a gospel principle: honesty, hope, trust in God, truth, confession, change of heart, humility, seeking forgiveness, restitution and reconciliation, daily accountability, personal revelation, and service. Step 1’s key principle is honesty: admitting you can’t overcome the addiction by willpower alone. The journey moves from that first honest admission toward serving others in recovery.
Is there support for family members?
Yes. The program runs separate spouse and family support meetings for the husband, wife, parent, or friend living alongside someone’s addiction. They use their own guide and focus on the supporter’s healing, boundaries, and peace, rather than on the steps of personal recovery. Like the recovery meetings, they’re free, confidential, and open to anyone.
Can the program replace medical treatment or detox?
No, and this is the part that protects people. A recovery meeting can carry someone through cravings, shame, and the long rebuild, but it doesn’t make alcohol or opioid withdrawal safe to face alone, and it doesn’t replace medication that treats addiction. If quitting could be dangerous, get a supervised detox first, where medication makes withdrawal far easier. The program fits right alongside that care.
Get Treatment Help
If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, getting help is just a phone call away, or consider trying therapy online with BetterHelp.
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