Brunswick Christian Recovery Center Changes Lives
Brunswick Christian Recovery Center in Ash helps men on the path to healing from addiction.
At 22 years old, Joshua Torbich was broken, terribly addicted to alcohol and heroin. After trying other detox programs, his third attempt at getting sober lead him to Brunswick Christian Recovery Center.
“My parents were fed up with me. It reached a point where they weren’t willing to bail me out.”
Convinced that anything was better than what he was doing, he set aside his pride and sense of entitlement and allowed God to intervene in his life. He phoned Harbor Detox in Wilmington and through a mutual friend was introduced to Pastor Larry Shreve, founder of Brunswick Christian Recovery Center (BCRC). The recovery program changed his life.
Exactly one year after Torbich completed the 12-step program, Shreve asked him to manage BCRC and handed him the keys to the building.
As director, Torbich has many responsibilities — communicating with other organizations, updating policies and procedures, dealing with vehicle issues, daily facility operations, handling the budget, finances and scheduling. Then there are campus meetings, church services and the residents’ daily agendas.
“I’ve been with BCRC for four years now,” Torbich says. “It’s truly a joy to be a part of such a wonderful ministry.”
Inspired by Pastor Larry Shreve’s Open Door Baptist Church Celebrate Recovery Program and three sons struggling with addiction, BCRC reaches out to men with a multitude of chemical dependencies. Opening its doors in 2011 with two residents, the facility began as a free-of-charge 12-week recovery program.
Torbich notes that according to the opioid taskforce, one out of every 10 individuals struggles with chemical dependency, with Brunswick and New Hanover counties in the nation’s top 10 for drug-related overdoses. “When these people are ready for help, left with no other resources, they call us. BCRC is useful to the residents, their families and the community, serving as a beacon of hope and encouragement to everyone who sees us.”
Most male clients living with addiction are referred through hospital detox programs, word of mouth, churches, social workers and event fundraisers where the BCRC residents volunteer. The majority of them are North Carolinians, with a small percentage of South Carolinians. Even one young man from Alaska graduated from the program. If residents wish to recover outside their own community, BCRC staff assists with referrals and partners with local businesses for employment after treatment. As the men near completion, Torbich schedules day labor for the last month, enabling men to build personal funds.
A testament to the program is Ridge Bell, BCRC’s admission coordinator. Bell, 25, who says he used to feel uncomfortable in his old skin, thought mind-altering substances were the answer to all his problems. Sadly, his father, also an addict, took his own life. After a long detox journey and living at a halfway house, Bell relapsed and ended up in jail. He reached out to Torbich, who agreed to pick him up from J. Rueben Long Detention Center. Arriving at BCRC, Bell was ready for a fresh start.
“Brunswick Christian Recovery Center taught me a new way to live and help other people and kept me clean in the process,” Bell says. “I have many stories of how God has blessed me. Each day I feel grateful I’ve been given a second chance at life. My relationship with my family has also been restored.”
BCRC operates on donations from individuals, businesses and churches, with about 50 percent of their donations originating from 11 annual fundraising trips. BCRC residents participate in events such as the PGA, NASCAR and state fairs. In turn, those organizations make a donation back to the center.
The center’s reputation for its volunteering efforts has gained credibility over the years. In November and December organizations contact BCRC to ask for their participation in the upcoming year’s events. On a recent trip to Orlando for the PGA, 15 residents, three staff members and one volunteer participated to ensure the course was kept spotless.
Torbich finds the spiritual side of recovery invaluable as well as life-changing, as evidenced in John 4:13-14: “Jesus answered, everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
As Torbich reflects on the events of the day at the PGA event, you can hear the pride in his voice when speaking about the men. He recalls a group of residents gathered around a picnic table laughing and joking. Others tossed a football in the field near their hotel. They all enjoyed precious downtime after volunteering at a fundraiser.
“When I turn these guys loose, they feel cautiously hopeful. It’s always going to be a continued effort for them,” he says. “At least they know they’ve found something sustainable.”
Want to help someone’s recovery?
Brunswick Christian Recovery Center is in the process of purchasing land for a new facility that will double the size of the men’s program and transition the current campus into a women’s residential recovery center.
Volunteers and financial support are always appreciated.
Brunswick Christian Recovery Center
1994 Ash Little River Road NW
Ash, NC
(910) 287-4357
You must be logged in to post a comment.