Answers to Common Questions
Curious about the Starting Over curriculum? Whether you’re exploring it for your facility or just want to understand how it works, these frequently asked questions break down its structure, goals, and how it supports lasting transformation.
Many recovery programs focus on what's been lost, using guilt, control, or willpower to try to "fix" us. Starting Over takes a different approach. As described in the curriculum, we don't look backward to recover what was lost. Instead, we look forward. We're not just recovering from something—we're recovering to something. We're reclaiming a future that once felt out of reach and discovering a life worth living.
Each chapter or “key” requires questions, exercises and extensive journaling which must be completed before the next session. The homework is designed to contain elements of self- discovery and reflection as it keeps each student engaged between the sessions.
Starting Over is a spiritual curriculum similar to that of AA and in no way promotes any religion or group. Its goals are inclusive and speak to all spiritual persuasions.
The term “addict” within Starting Over is used with deliberate vagueness to include not only those mind-altering substances not prescribed by a doctor but also compulsive or habitual behaviors and ways of thinking and doing that are self-destructive.
No. The course is offered free of charge. A donation of $45 per student is encouraged to help cover workbook costs. In correctional settings, participants commit to completing the course or returning the workbook. Donations can be made at https://startoverpath.org/donate/.
Each student becomes the author of their own recovery within the workbook. Using the workbook as a primer, each student is encouraged to develop ownership by authoring their unique recovery program within its pages.
While the workbook can be read and worked through individually, Starting Over is designed to be experienced in a group setting with a facilitator. Each student is also expected to facilitate at least two sessions as part of the graduation process.
Facilitators guide participants through each session. Each participant is also expected to facilitate at least two classes to graduate, helping prepare them to carry the curriculum into new settings.
In-person Starting Over sessions are held every Monday from 6:00–7:30 PM at the Hope Recovery Center, located at 293 Wilson Street, Manchester, NH 03103.
The curriculum is also offered in select correctional, residential, and transitional settings.
If you're nearby and interested in attending, or if you’d like to bring Starting Over to your facility or community, drop in or contact us for details.
Starting Over began as a recovery meeting called “Hunger 4 Healing” a 12-step recovery meeting which ran from 1998 to 2013 in a storefront church in downtown Manchester NH called Main Street Mission. Read more on the About page.
You can download the Starting Over brochure and a program agenda on our Downloads page for a helpful snapshot of what the curriculum covers and how it's organized.
For more information, contact us at:
📍 Hope Academy, Publisher
100 Hackett Hill Rd.
Hooksett, NH 03106
📞 (603) 210-2286
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Ready to Bring Starting Over to Your Program?
Starting Over has helped participants in correctional and recovery settings reclaim hope, identity, and purpose. Whether you’re looking to support long-term sobriety or enrich your program’s spiritual offerings, this curriculum is designed to integrate with your community and scale through peer support.