Leah's Legacy

10/30/2025

12-Step Recovery Support Group Types 💜

Hi everyone! Last time we gave a brief overview on what 12-step meetings are and what they're all about. The meetings are about building positive social supports and community in recovery while continuously working to improve yourself and your life by working the 12 steps with a sponsor (someone who regularly attends the meeting, typically has at least a year or more in recovery, and is open and willing to guide you through working the steps.)

While each type of 12-step meeting follows the same or a similar formula, they differ slightly based on the substance or problematic behavior that is being addressed.

Types of 12-Step Meetings

For Individuals in Recovery👤:

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA): For individuals recovering from alcohol use disorder. (People who use other substances are permitted and encouraged to attend as well-it's just more focused on alcohol use.)

Narcotics Anonymous (NA): For people recovering from drug addiction of any kind (including alcohol).

Co***ne Anonymous (CA): For those seeking recovery from co***ne and other substance use.

Ma*****na Anonymous (MA): For people recovering from ma*****na dependence.

Crystal M**h Anonymous (CMA): For those recovering from methamphetamine use.

Gamblers Anonymous (GA): For individuals seeking recovery from problem gambling.

Overeaters Anonymous (OA): For those addressing compulsive eating behaviors.

For Families and Loved Ones👥:

Al-Anon Family Groups: For family members and friends of people with alcohol use disorder.

Nar-Anon Family Groups: For loved ones affected by someone’s drug addiction.

Alateen: A branch of Al-Anon for teenagers impacted by a family member’s addiction.

Co-Dependents Anonymous (CoDA): For individuals seeking to develop healthy relationships and boundaries, often affected by addiction or codependency (can be for individuals with SUD or their loved ones).

Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA): For adults who grew up in families where addiction, dysfunction, or trauma had lasting emotional effects.

All of these meetings may focus on slightly different issues, but the underlying problems (pain, disconnection and dysfunction) are the same and therefore the foundations are the same across these programs. They are all based upon the original 12-step program of Alcoholics Anonymous, with the steps adjusted slightly to fit the focus of each program/meeting.

Leah's Legacy provides individual and family recovery support services, totally free of charge to anyone who has been impacted by addiction. If you are interested in services or just short-term assistance, please feel free to give us a call or visit our website to learn more. Our recovery specialist is available to answer any questions you may have about recovery support meetings and can also point you in the right direction if you are looking for one to attend.
📞 (717) 494-2290 | 🌐 www.leahslegacy.net

Stay tuned if you'd like to learn about the other types of recovery support meetings available for individuals and families who either aren't interested in 12-step meetings or would just like to try something different!

10/27/2025

Our pumpkin carving event this past Sunday, Oct. 26th turned out to be a wonderful time filled with lots of laughter and connection (and good food of course!). 💜

We want to thank everyone who joined us on Sunday, including the ladies at Lasting Change . All of you who attended made this event a memorable and beautiful day of building community in recovery. There is nothing much better than that and we enjoyed spending time with each and every one of you!

Video courtesy of Brad Kipe, Videographer, www.bradkipe.com

10/27/2025

Our pumpkin carving event this past Sunday, Oct. 26th turned out to be a wonderful time filled with lots of laughter and connection (and good food of course!). 💜

We want to thank everyone who joined us on Sunday, including the ladies at Lasting Change . All of you who attended made this event a memorable and beautiful day of building community in recovery. There is nothing much better than that and we enjoyed spending time with each and every one of you!

10/21/2025

Michael Straley and Tesha Keefer spent Monday and Tuesday afternoon sharing with the eighth grade students at James Buchanan Middle School about Leah’s Legacy, the perils of substance use disorder, peer pressure and CHOICES MATTER.
Thanks to Superintendent Zachary Kump and Middle School Principal Thomas Bradley for hosting us.

10/20/2025

Hello everyone! As promised, we're going to get started on our discussion about the various types of recovery support meetings available for individuals and families who are seeking support in recovery from addiction.

12-Step Meetings

We'll start off with the most common and widely available type of meetings: 12-step meetings.

What Are 12-Step Meetings?

Twelve-step meetings are peer-led support groups that follow the 12-step model, first introduced by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). These meetings provide a safe space for individuals and families affected by addiction to share experiences, find encouragement and community, and work toward recovery together.

The 12 steps emphasize personal responsibility, spiritual growth (in whatever form that means to each individual), mutual support, and ongoing self-improvement. Meetings are confidential, free to attend, and open to anyone who wants to recover or support someone in recovery.

There are 12-step meetings specifically for people who are battling their own addictions as well as for individuals who have been impacted by the addiction of a loved one. Meetings for individuals with a substance use disorder can be either open (available to anyone who is interested in attending) or closed (only for individuals who have a substance use problem and who have the desire to stop their use.)

12-step meetings typically involve sponsorship. When someone is new to the program, they are encouraged to seek out a member of the group (typically with a year or more of recovery time) who is available and willing to guide them through working their 12 steps.

Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in 1935, and since then many programs have been developed in its image to meet the needs of a wider range of individuals and families seeking recovery.

Next we will talk about the various types of 12-step meetings. If you are interested in learning more about the 12-steps or if you need help finding a meeting in your area, please feel free to reach out!

Leah's Legacy provides individual and family recovery support services in Franklin and Fulton counties and surrounding areas. Services are always free of charge and based on your unique needs. Recovery support can be a very valuable tool for connecting to community resources such as recovery support meetings and building a solid foundation in recovery. If you are interested in services or short-term assistance please give us a call and feel free to visit our website to learn more.
📞 (717) 494-2290 | 🌐 www.leahslegacy.net

Providing safe support to individuals seeking recovery; offering compassionate care for families and individuals on their journey to wellness.

10/16/2025

Happy 4th birthday to sweet Eloise. Every year I have made her birthday cookies. This year's party theme is a tea party with florals in tea cups, spoons, balloons and, of course, #4. 🩷

10/16/2025

💜Mutual Support Meetings in Recovery💜

Finding a community of people who understand and unconditionally accept us is vital to lasting recovery from addiction and overall fulfillment in our lives. This goes for individuals with substance use disorder and their loved ones too.

There are many ways to build community in recovery, one of the most popular being mutual support meetings. These are meetings that are led and attended by peers who have experienced similar struggles such as their own addictions, coping with the addictions of loved ones, mental illness, etc. What you may not know, is that there are many different types of these groups, outside of the well-known 12-step groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. That being said, many of the other groups are not as readily available in person as they are online, though that could change! If any of these meeting types sound interesting to you, you could absolutely take the initiative to start a local chapter or even create a brand-new meeting!

Some other meeting types include SMART Recovery, Recovery Dharma, She Recovers and more. We will dive more into the various types of mutual support meetings very soon, but we do have something for you in the meantime.

In The Rooms is an online platform with lots of different mutual support meeting options. Though they are online, they are a great option for people with transportation concerns, people who are anxious about attending in-person meetings or people who just want to see what these different types of meetings are all about.

Please follow this link to see In The Rooms online meeting list and check out a new meeting if you'd like! In The Rooms is also available to download as a mobile application on the App Store and Play Store. https://www.intherooms.com/livemeetings/list

We offer individual and family recovery support services here at Leah's Legacy, completely free of charge. Our recovery specialist is available to help you connect to local recovery support meetings and can even accompany you if you're feeling nervous. If you are interested in our recovery support services, please give us a call or visit our website to learn more.
📞 (717) 494-2290 | 🌐 www.leahslegacy.net

Providing safe support to individuals seeking recovery; offering compassionate care for families and individuals on their journey to wellness.

10/13/2025

Yesterday's Cuddle Corner event was just as wonderful as we had imagined it! 🌞🌾🐐 Our long-time supporters and friends, April Rouzer and Thom Lambert, offered us the opportunity to provide an evening of family-friendly fun to individuals and families who have been impacted by addiction, at their beautiful property Little Hooves Homestead. 💜

Because of their kindness and generosity, people who may not have had the opportunity to have this experience in the past, got to spend quality time in a natural environment with the sweet and curious homestead animals; which included mini highland cows, mini donkeys and fainting goats!

This was a beautiful and healing experience for all of us. There is nothing quite like spending time outside with lovable animals and building community and family. Add in some delicious food and now you've got an unforgettable evening! Our thanks to April and Thom and all of the wonderful people who attended.

Having accessible events like these is vital for individuals and families who are seeking recovery from addiction. They provide opportunities for healing and perhaps most importantly, hope for a better life with the knowledge that there are a multitude of ways to experience happiness and excitement in our lives, when we are present and open to them!💜

10/11/2025

10/11/2025

After losing their daughter, Leah, to fentanyl poisoning in 2018, Mike and Robin Straley wanted to keep her memory alive while supporting others. The couple has served more than 1,100 individuals in need over the last 6 years through Leah's Legacy — an organization focused on supporting women who are in recovery from substance abuse.

Leah’s Legacy is the recent recipient of a WellSpan Summit Endowment grant, using the funds to expand their services to support more women at Leah’s Gathering Center, where individuals meet to receive recovery support.

“This program is about saving lives,” says Mike. “We couldn’t save our daughter’s life but we’re trying to now help save any many others as we can. We’re taking our pain and turning it into passion – turning misery into a mission. It’s a tribute to Leah. She’s no longer here physically but we know she’s still with us.”

More than $464,000 were awarded to 14 WellSpan Summit Endowment grants in June. Grants are awarded to community projects that advance our Community Health Improvement Plan.

“WellSpan has provided so much support to our organization over the last few years,” says Mike. “To see everything come together and grow has been phenomenal. It takes a village to do this work and help our community.”

Read more here: https://www.wellspan.org/articles/2025/09/inet-and-web-leahs-legacy-9-8

10/08/2025