01
Change comes from within
Real, sustainable change must begin in the heart. When a person feels internal motivation and commitment, recovery becomes more than a program—it becomes a path.
White Bison Wellbriety Movement
What is Wellbriety?
Wellbriety goes beyond achieving sobriety by committing to healing and holistic wellness. This approach focuses not only on recovery but also on overall physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. It addresses the root causes of substance use, depression, self-harm, co-dependency, and other destructive behaviors, including personal, historical, and intergenerational trauma. Wellbriety is also distinctive in that it views recovery as a community project, not an individual one.
The curriculum emphasizes reconnection with cultural teachings, ceremonies, and community. While it is largely based on Indigenous cultural teachings, Elders from various cultural backgrounds were consulted in its creation. People of all backgrounds are welcome and encouraged to join.
Holistic WellnessCultural HealingCommunity Recovery
Healing Happens in Community.
You are welcome here.
Find your circle
Wellbriety & Community Healing
Wellbriety brings together the strengths of recovery, culture, community, and tradition. Our circles create spaces where individuals, families, youth, and Elders can gather, support one another, strengthen cultural connections, and continue their healing journeys together.
Whether you are seeking recovery support, community, or simply a place to connect, you are welcome here.
Western Colorado
A place to gather, listen, and keep walking.
Grand Valley
2 circlesGrand Junction
For more information, contact Becca at 970-773-4765 or the WSNARC office at 970-200-9159.
Select a gathering to learn more.
Four Corners
3 circlesCortez / Towaoc
For more information, contact Frankie at 970-307-1728.
Towaoc, Colorado
Select a gathering to learn more.
A gentle path forward
Path to the Circle
There is no perfect way to begin. Start where you are and take the next step when you are ready.
Showing up is enough. You don't need the right words or a plan—just bring yourself, take a seat, and see what feels comfortable. It is natural to feel unsure about walking into something new.
- 01
Come As You Are
You don't have to know what to say or do, or have everything figured out before you walk through the door.
- 02
Sit With Community
Listen, share, or simply be present in a circle of support. There is room for you here.
- 03
Listen & Share
Move at your own pace. There is room for your story and your silence. What's shared in the circle is treated with respect.
- 04
Reconnect
Make space for culture, relationship, belonging, and a renewed sense of purpose. You will be met without judgment.
- 05
Keep Walking
Healing continues through connection, accountability, and community.
There is room for you here. You do not have to walk the healing path alone.
Find Your CircleYou belong here
Is Wellbriety for me?
You don't have to identify as being “in recovery” to come. Open a question below to see how a circle might meet you where you are.
I'm struggling with alcohol or substances.
You can come as you are. A circle offers a welcoming place to listen, share, and connect with recovery support at your own pace.
Someone I love is struggling.
You are welcome to bring your questions and find community alongside the person you care about. You do not have to carry the concern alone.
I'm looking for cultural connection.
Wellbriety makes room for reconnection with cultural teachings, ceremony, community, and a deeper sense of belonging.
I'm already in recovery and want community.
Circles are a place to keep walking with others, strengthen accountability, and continue growing in relationship with community.
I'm not sure where I belong.
That's okay. Come sit with us. You do not need to have an answer before you walk through the door.
That's okay. Come sit with us.
There is room for you in the circle.
Why it matters
Why Wellbriety Matters in Addiction Recovery
Healing the Whole Person — Mind, Body, Spirit, and Community
Healing in relation
Recovery extends beyond sobriety into renewal, balance, and hope.
Explore the four ways Wellbriety creates a fuller path to healing.
Many Indigenous and marginalized communities carry historic and generational trauma that contributes to addictive behavior. Wellbriety provides culturally sensitive pathways to address these deep wounds.
The Wellbriety approach reminds us that true recovery extends far beyond sobriety — it’s about restoring harmony within ourselves and with the world around us. By embracing culture, spirituality, and community, individuals find a deeper sense of belonging and purpose that supports lifelong healing. Wellbriety matters because it transforms recovery into a sacred journey of renewal, balance, and hope.
Get Support NowA framework for healing
The Four Laws of Change in Wellbriety
Wellbriety is guided by four foundational principles (laws of change) that help structure personal and collective healing:
02
Vision precedes growth
Healing begins when we imagine a better future. Vision gives direction for change, inspiring one to move beyond current pain and toward a renewed life.
03
Great learning is essential
Healing is not solitary—it requires education, reflection, accountability, and openness to being taught. As individuals heal, they model new ways for community.
04
Create a Healing Forest
A Healing Forest represents a supportive environment—spiritual, relational, cultural—that sustains sobriety. It’s a place (physical or relational) where transformation is nurtured and nurturers grow.
Treatment options
How a Wellbriety-Centered Program Works
Wellbriety uses the medicine wheel to understand healing as a connected path. Scroll through the cards to explore how the journey can be supported from beginning to beyond the first steps.
Scroll to explore
Culturally imbued intake & assessment
Understanding one’s cultural background, trauma history, spiritual needs, and wellness goals.
Blended therapeutic modalities
Integration of Indigenous practices with modern therapies (trauma-focused therapy, cognitive therapy, group work, etc.).
Ceremony, ritual, and cultural engagement
Regular access to sweat lodges, pipe ceremonies, elders’ teachings, talking circles, etc.
Healing skills development
Emotional regulation, boundaries, grief processing, self-awareness, relapse prevention.
Ongoing aftercare and cultural reintegration
Support networks, community engagement, continual cultural practice, mentoring.
Peer and community support
Circles, accountability, sharing, generative service to others.
Identity, purpose, and belonging
Recovery can revitalize identity, purpose, and community relationships.
Carry healing forward
Walking in relation with community, elders, and cultural teachings keeps the healing journey connected.
Scroll horizontally to continue through the cards.
Rooted here
Community is where healing grows
From Grand Junction to Towaoc, WSNARC brings people together through gatherings, cultural connection, and support that keeps relationships at the center.
Program
12 Steps and the Medicine Wheel
The 12 Steps and the Medicine Wheel is a curriculum that reimagines the traditional 12 Steps of AA/NA/XA through the lens of the medicine wheel. This approach allows the steps to be seen as an ongoing process to maintain one's center, rather than a linear series of tasks to be completed. It also assigns a value to each step, reflecting the work being done.
While spirituality is a significant aspect of the program, it serves as a basis for recognizing the interconnected nature of all things rather than promoting specific religious beliefs. People of all religious backgrounds, including non-religious individuals, are welcome and encouraged to explore their own vision of spirituality.
Designed for both adults (21+) and youth (13–21).
1Honesty
2Hope
3Faith
4Courage
5Integrity
6Willingness
7Humility
8Forgiveness
9Justice
10Perseverance
11Spiritual Awakening
12Service
Program
Mending Broken Hearts
Mending Broken Hearts is a program focused on culturally based healing from grief, loss, and intergenerational trauma. While there is a particular focus on the lasting effects of colonization and the Indian boarding schools, we recognize that many who engage in destructive behaviors do so because of being caught in a cycle of unresolved grief.
This unresolved grief has created a shame-based culture which has resulted in the passing down of shame, anger, guilt, and fear from generation to generation. The key to breaking this cycle is forgiveness. Through forgiveness we can begin a new cycle of intergenerational healing on behalf of the seven generations past and future.
Designed for both adults (18+) and youth (12–18).
The Path to Healing
1
Recognize the cycle of unresolved grief and intergenerational trauma
2
Embrace forgiveness as the key to breaking the cycle
3
Begin a new cycle of intergenerational healing for seven generations
Program
Warrior Down
Warrior Down focuses on creating a peer-based support system for Native Americans in recovery and/or re-entry. This recovery or re-entry can be from substance misuse, incarceration, extended mental health treatment, or any other circumstance that resulted in disconnection from the community.
Warrior Down recognizes the need for support to maintain Wellbriety and facilitate re-entry into the community. It also acknowledges the importance of lived experience in guiding this process.
Peer SupportCommunity-Based
Program
Youth Curriculum
The Wellbriety Movement recognizes the importance of promoting holistic wellness and recovery amongst youth and has created an array of programs aimed at addressing their needs. These programs include youth-focused versions of 12 Steps and the Medicine Wheel and Mending Broken Hearts, as well as:
Sons/Daughters of Tradition
Prevention-based programs for children and teens aimed at helping them develop into healthy adults. These programs focus on instilling a sense of self-worth and reconnecting youth with cultural teachings and ceremonies. They encourage youth to consider the questions: "Who am I? Why am I? Where am I going?"
Understanding the Purpose of Life
This program imparts the teachings of Elders to youth, aiding in the development of cultural consciousness, healthy decision-making, and recognizing their gifts and purpose. It addresses goal setting, problem-solving, building self-esteem, and reconnecting with culture.
Get in Touch
For more information about our Wellbriety programs, reach out to WSNARC.
Western Slope Native American Resource Center
341 South 1st Street, Grand Junction, CO 81501