Community. Recovery. Spirituality.
re•treat (re⁃'trēt) noun: a short trip away to a quiet place to relax, reflect, and clear one's mind; a place of privacy or safety; a refuge.
Winter Awakening is a yearly weekend retreat for the queer recovery community--a serene space, surrounded by nature, where we gather each year to reflect on our recovery, explore our spirituality, and connect more deeply with one another.
In the company of others who share our experiences and know our struggles, the retreat is a true safe space where we're accepted and celebrated just as we are. As we allow ourselves to be seen, and learn to accept the love of the fellowship, new friendships are made, and old ones are renewed and deepened. In our addictions, we were often deeply isolated; at Winter Awakening, we come to know we're not alone.
Community
"I feel the most safe, seen, and authentically myself that I have ever felt in my life in the special space. Each year I've come alone, and yet the people at Winter Awakening make me feel the most welcome, safe and loved."
- Lisa M., Nova Scotia, Canada
"Life will take on new meaning. To watch people recover, to see them help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow up about you, to have host of friends--this is an experience you must not miss."
Alcoholics Anonymous "Big Book"
Recovery
Winter Awakening is a weekend of learning and growth, through honest conversations, inspiring speaker shares, and a variety of insightful workshops and activities based on various aspects of 12-Step recovery. Whether you're new to recovery, coming back, or you've "been around a few twenty-four hours," the weekend is an opportunity to gain fresh insights and discover new tools for building a meaningful and lasting recovery.
"I arrived to the retreat at a particularly vulnerable point in my recovery--I'd recently relapsed and was just beginning to find my footing again. What I found that weekend was exactly what I needed...the weekend was a powerful reminder that recovery was still possible for me."
- John B., Charlotte, NC
To learn more about the kinds of workshops and activities offered at Winter Awakening, CLICK HERE to view the event schedule from our last retreat in January 2026.
"Yesterday we were paralyzed--today we're changing moment by moment.
Yesterday we hated ourselves--today we like who we're becoming.
Yesterday we were isolated--today we treasure connections old and new.
Yesterday we said no to everything--today we say yes.
Yesterday we shut out the world--today we dance to the rhythm of the universe.
Yesterday we were trapped--today we are free."
Twelve Steps for Crystal Meth Addicts
"Yesterday we were paralyzed--
today we're changing moment by moment.
Yesterday we hated ourselves--
today we like who we're becoming.
Yesterday we were isolated--
today we treasure connections old and new.
Yesterday we said no to everything--
today we say yes.
Yesterday we shut out the world--
today we dance to the rhythm of the universe.
Yesterday we were trapped--
today we are free."
Spirituality
Spirituality means different things to different people, and most--if not all--of us in the queer recovery community have had our challenges with the idea of a higher power. Step Eleven suggests prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with a God of our understanding, and a weekend at Winter Awakening gives us a safe space for exploring new perspectives on spiritutality--without anyone telling us what to believe--while letting go of old ideas that don't serve us. In the serenity of nature and the company of our LGBTQIA+ fellows, the retreat is an opportunity to look inward and ask ourselves what it means to put our trust in the love and care of a power greater than ourselves.
"Life, life, and more life; that is God's will for me. I live with a grateful heart for Winter Awakening, taking time to appreciate all I have been given by the experience."
- Jeffrey S., Alpharetta, GA
"Our understanding of a Higher Power is up to us. No one is going to decide for us. We can call it the group, the program, or we can call it God. The only suggested guidelines are that this Power be loving, caring and greater than ourselves."
"To us, the realm of the spirit is broad, roomy, all-inclusive; never exclusive or forbidding to those who earnestly seek. It is open, we believe, to all..."
Narcotics Anonymous Basic Text
Alcoholics Anonymous "Big Book"
Our Weekend Home
in the Mountains
RAMAH DAROM RETREAT CENTER
Clayton, Georgia
We've been fortunate to call Ramah Darom our retreat home for the past several years. Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountatins, Ramah offers natural beauty, modern-yet-cozy amenities, and generous hospitality. Most importantly, the folks at Ramah make us feel truly welcome, offering us a safe, comfortable space where we can be our most authentic selves.
To learn more about lodging options during the weekend at Ramah Darom, click here.
Drive Times: 2 hrs from Atlanta, GA |
3.5 hrs from Charlotte, NC |
3 hrs from Chatanooga, TN
Gary B., Charlotte, NC
"The first time I went to Winter Awakening, just three months sober, was my first spiritual experience. By Saturday I truly felt a part of, surrounded by people who were just like me, who welcomed and loved me just as I was. I then knew I was on the right path and it supercharged my sobriety and my program. Each year when I return I am still surrounded by love and it gives me a space to work on myself and help others. I have come back year after year ever since."
Join us for our 20th Anniversary retreat, A Tapestry of Truth: 20 Years of Conscious Contact, and allow your authentic self to be a vital thread in the rich, diverse tapestry of recovery and spiritual growth at Winter Awakening.
Registration for Winter Awakening 2027 is now open, and scholarships are gladly offered to those in need of financial assistance. Scholarship applications are available for submission now through November 20th (first come, first served).
Winter Awakening 2027
