DAPHNE, Ala.—The Shoulder will host its annual “Freedom Luncheon” at 12 p.m. Friday at the Renaissance Riverview Plaza Hotel in Mobile; guest speakers are businessman Joe Bullard and his wife, Foncie.

The theme for the fundraiser is “Our Journey Through Recovery”; tickets cost $37 per person and $350 for tables of 10.

The luncheon will include a silent auction and a “split the pot” with $5-ticket donations; the minimum win is $250.

The Shoulder—a Christian-based substance-abuse treatment center—incorporates the Bible’s teachings into its program of recovery from drugs and alcohol.

Its four-month in-patient program is followed by a year of aftercare, which includes follow-up group therapy sessions and regular attendance at 12-step meetings.

“In the 12 steps,” director Phillip Drane said, “we identify ‘the God of our understanding’ as Jesus Christ.”

However, clients participating in The Shoulder’s care are free to follow their own religion.

Jewish, Buddhist and Muslim clients have recently completed the program, assistant director Debbie Hanson said.

With limited capacity—the facility, a United Way agency, has some 60 beds but daily serves about 37 residents, staffers have said—some addicts must wait for treatment. In fact, they said, 40 people who currently seek treatment are on a waiting list due to staffing limitations that could be helped by financial contributions.

Addiction

Addiction is a chronic, progressive and sometimes fatal disease with no known cure; the only known, proven way to stop from using is through abstinence and by relying on a support network.

If addicts ‘get tired of being tired,’ they will find their way into a treatment center or a 12-step meeting, and the healing process can begin.

The Shoulder, for Baldwin County residents, is a critical component in that recovery, Bullard believes.

“Most families in our country have been either directly or indirectly affected by the perils of addiction,” Bullard—president of the Bullard Automotive Group, which includes Mobile-based auto dealerships—said in a statement. “Treatment programs like The Shoulder are so important for getting people help who really don’t know where to turn.

“People are taught ways and given tools to fight addiction but, more importantly, The Shoulder teaches how to live a healthy life with God in the center of that life.”

Michael Hall, another scheduled speaker at Friday’s luncheon and a recent graduate of The Shoulder’s program, received the help he needed at the Daphne-based center.

Hall began drinking and getting high around age 13. His using progressed and, over the years, Hall found himself in trouble with the law.

He sought help for his addiction and found his way to The Shoulder in the summer of 2007.

After six months of in-patient therapy and nightly attendance at support groups, Hall completed the program in January.

“I went through some hard times when I left the program, but I stayed with it,” Hall said.

The Shoulder hired Hall in October as a program assistant; he works the graveyard shift when he prepares sandwiches for clients to eat at work the next day. Patients of The Shoulder reside at the center, where they participate in meetings at night; during the day, clients must work and stay employed while completing the program.

The long hours at night offer Hall a chance to mentor some of the younger residents.

“I have lots of opportunities to talk with clients,” Hall said. “I have guys who need to stay up and talk. Guys know I’ve been there and they just want some answers and advice.”

Hall also performs regular night-time security detail, which involves surveying the grounds for clients possibly roaming after hours.

“Fortunately, I haven’t found anyone outside yet,” he said.

The Shoulder—located on Roper Lane near the Lake Forest subdivision—plans to move operations to a location across the street. Rent at its current site costs roughly $8,500 a month and its lease is set to expire. Staffers hope fundraising efforts and donations can offset the costs of constructing a $2 million building that would be situated just six acres adjacent to the current headquarters.

For more information on the Freedom Luncheon or The Shoulder, or to make a donation, call 626-2199 or see www.theshoulder.org.