CORE Recovery, short for Communities of Recovery Experience, is a faith-based nonprofit recovery program for adults with alcohol and drug addiction in Branson, Missouri. It pairs long-term housing with 12-step instruction, life skills classes, and required employment, asking members to commit to a full year. CORE operates as a Christian ministry and states plainly that it is not a provider of medication-assisted treatment.
A One-Year Commitment Built on the Twelve Steps
The heart of the program is a curriculum CORE calls 4D Recovery, which walks members through the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous as laid out in the Big Book. It runs as a series of five seminars led by graduates of CORE’s own one-year program, combining step work with spiritual instruction and practical life skills training. Members take part in daily classes, meetings, and weekly church services, and the organization describes the experience as fully immersive rather than a schedule of periodic appointments. Abstinence is absolute throughout: random drug and alcohol testing is required, anyone found using is expelled, and a minimum of 30 days must pass before that person can reapply, with readmission left to management’s discretion.
Housing, Employment, and Life Instruction
Members live in single-family houses that CORE owns and maintains, with men and women housed separately and a house manager assigned to oversee each residence. Residents share responsibility for the daily running of the household, and members of the opposite sex are not permitted on the premises. Holding a job or actively looking for one is a condition of staying in the program, and CORE offers help with interviewing and finding work in the local economy, along with transportation to jobs, classes, and medical appointments. Anyone without a high school diploma is required to attend GED classes. Life skills sessions cover job skills, healthy lifestyle choices, personal finance, parenting, and presentations from local law enforcement. The program serves roughly 250 people, and operating costs are covered in part by a weekly program fee.
Continued Involvement After Graduation
Members who finish the year and complete the twelve steps can apply to The 2nd Mile, a follow-on program open to graduates still living in CORE housing, with applications accepted at graduation or within the 30 days before it. Participants pledge 100 volunteer hours over the course of a year and attend monthly leadership and spirituality sessions featuring outside speakers, while continuing in 4D Recovery and the ministry’s church. The track emphasizes making amends, financial responsibility, and mentoring newer members, and those who complete it are eligible for a matched savings program.
