iTHIRST Initiative

Recovery, Spirituality, 12 steps

Recommended Reading

We have a Solution

Substance abuse claims more than 175,000 lives every year in the United States, making it the third leading cause of death in this country. During the COVID-19 pandemic and since, the crisis has accelerated dramatically.

Addiction isn’t just a physical and psychological illness; It’s a spiritual disease that requires a spiritual remedy. The Road to Hope addresses the deep need in our Church to respond to the addiction crisis. Author Keaton Douglas draws on her years of ministry in this field to educate and equip the body of Christ — clergy and laity alike — to understand and minister to our suffering brothers and sisters.

Those struggling with addiction, or their loved ones, should be able to visit any Catholic parish and find someone to accompany them, through spiritual consolation and recovery resources. This book provides a comprehensive pastoral approach, demonstrating that we as a Church can’t ignore the crisis of addiction — in fact, we have a solution for it.   Download the Facilitator’s Guide here.

Keaton Douglas

Keaton Douglas, the Executive Director of the iTHIRST Initiative, a Mission of the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity, is a consultant, educator, counselor and frequent guest speaker in the field of addiction and recovery, particularly as it pertains to the interface of Catholic spirituality and recovery. She is the creator of the iTHIRST Initiative – (The Healing Initiative – Recovery, Spirituality, Twelve step), a comprehensive program which focuses on spirituality in the prevention, treatment and aftercare of those suffering from substance use disorders and their families.  

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Father Ed is the first biography of Father Edward Dowling, SJ, whose guidance transformed Alcoholics Anonymous founder Bill Wilson’s life and deepened the spirituality of the twelve-step movement.

Alcoholics Anonymous co-founder Bill Wilson has one of the greatest legacies of any person of modern times. Time magazine placed him at No. 20 on its list of the most important people of the 20th century. But whenever Wilson himself had the opportunity to name the greatest human being he had ever met, he had but one answer: Father Edward Dowling, SJ

Jesuit Father Ed Dowling (1898-1960) rescued Alcoholics Anonymous co-founder Bill Wilson from debilitating depression and gave him the spiritual guidance he needed to bring AA to international prominence. Although not an alcoholic himself, he came to devote his ministry to helping people in recovery―not only alcoholics but also people in troubled marriages (as a co-founder of the Cana Conference) and those suffering from nervous disorders (as an early champion of Recovery, Inc., now known as Recovery International). But he was also a champion of civil rights and social justice, and his interests presaged Society’s post-Vatican II priorities.

About the author

Dawn Eden Goldstein, SThD, is the award-winning author of several books, most recently The Sacred Heart: A Love for All Times and the Christopher Award-winning biography Father Ed: The Story of Bill W.’s Spiritual Sponsor. She began her working life as a rock-and-roll historian and went on to editorial positions at the New York Post and the Daily News before publishing her first book in 2006 under the pen name Dawn Eden. In 2016, she became the first woman to earn a doctorate in sacred theology from the University of St. Mary of the Lake, and she went on to earn a licentiate in canon law from the Catholic University of America. She lives in Connecticut and has taught at universities and seminaries in the United States, England, and India.

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