As we look back on all God accomplished through our ministry in 2022, we are humbled to be His vessels of hope and healing for those who desperately want a second chance at life. The Lord is at work in our recovery community!
Just this year, we have:
- Graduated 35 Women
- Graduated 20 Men
- Served 120+ Hot Meals
Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we are leading more and more people to freedom from addiction through the power of Christ. We hope you enjoy the following story of a life transformed by our Christ-centered ministry!
Please prayerfully consider giving a special year-end gift to make more stories like this one a reality. Your gift will give men and women access to Christ-centered recovery solutions, life-skills training, counseling, job readiness training and other services to help them achieve their God-given purpose.
A Life Transformed: Finding a New Way to be Human
Addiction is never planned or expected. In my case, I was completely caught off guard by how far addiction led me down the rabbit hole. I began experimenting with drugs and alcohol when I was in high school. It made socializing easier, events more exciting and boring days a little more entertaining. What I didn’t realize was that I was slowly creating a pattern that would follow me for the next 15+ years. It was a path where nothing in life would ever be good enough unless some sort of mind-altering substance was involved.
During college, I started incorporating prescription drugs into my daily routine. After a year of trying to balance work, college classes and hunting down the meds I preferred, I realized this approach to life was not sustainable. I had to find another way to get where I wanted to be. At the time, it was a lot easier to blame my job and the six hours of classes every day than it was to recognize the negative effects drugs were having on my life. I actually believed they were benefiting me.
At 20 years old, I gave up on college and joined the military. Even when I was deployed, I continued to dabble with whatever substances were available—a little alcohol from care packages or whatever medication was given to us there. When I was stateside, I spent every weekend I could at the bars and clubs. Toward the end of my service, I would party with hard drugs on Fridays, knowing it would be out of my system by Monday, in case of a drug test.
The real trouble began when I got out of the military. Now I had a monthly check from the government, a good job where I was related to the boss and could get away with anything, and my own place where I could use drugs freely. I spent the next six or seven years in full-blown addiction. It got to the point where I wouldn’t go anywhere—especially work or family events—until I had gotten my hands on some meds.
Eventually, I quit trying to hold down a job and just sold drugs myself or served as a driver for my own dealers. This pushed my addiction to the next level, where the only thing that mattered was preventing withdrawals.
The drugs no longer added to my life—they were my life. Without them, I could not function. I was in a vicious cycle of getting high so I could go out and hustle, rob, steal, beg or do whatever was necessary to get more drugs before the high wore off.
Two years ago I decided I had enough. I was going to make a change. I made several failed attempts with treatment facilities in my home state. They were all just too close to my home, or the programs were too short for any real change to take place. Then I found 7 Springs, which was in another state, hours away from my home, family and anyone I knew. It was a year-long program that allowed me to work, save some money, work on myself and connect to a higher power.
I spent most of my early time in the program reading and educating myself on the world and how it works. I read the Bible to gain a better understanding of the lessons inside.
As my time at 7 Springs came to an end, I found myself with money in the bank, feeling better and stronger than I had felt in years, my family proud of me, and a completely brand new understanding of life and how to live it.
I have a new appreciation for going out and having fun without drugs or alcohol. No longer do I feel like I need something “more” to enjoy life.
– Anonymous (A Life Transformed)
