- Alcohol
- Faith
On December 8th, 2010, I walked into treatment. I was broken and hopeless, and I wanted life to just be over. Being an alcohol-addicted Christian was a miserable way to live. I found an amazing program of discovery, but the journey of recovery really began when I left there and had to go back to the real world and live life on life’s terms. From there I completed over a year in another program and graduated. I moved into my own home for a little over a year and was chosen to come back and run the second program I attended. I have never been so blessed in my entire life, as I am doing exactly what God has called me to do.
I enjoy living, and I love having the incredible opportunity to share my journey with the guys in my ministry. I had to learn to listen to other people who were successful in recovery and to apply what they were teaching me. If they said don’t do this, I probably didn’t like what they were telling me, but I didn’t do it. If they said try this, I likely wanted to ignore their suggestion, but I tried it. When they told me my chances were slim to none if I didn’t complete all 12 steps of recovery, I wanted to do what most do. I wanted to stop at step three. How could I ever accept, much less share, my past? However, knowing that I didn’t have a clue how to do this otherwise, I did as they said.
I can honestly tell you that recovery is not easy. It is not for cowards. It is hard to embrace the unknown. It is hard to take a deep and meaningful look at yourself. The alcohol use was simply a symptom of the real problems. The byproduct of truly embracing the steps of recovery and pushing onward every day is the most incredible peace and joy I have ever known. I never imagined life could be so good. Life isn’t about trying to avoid the storms. It is about learning to dance in the rain. It’s about accepting that our lives involve hardship whether we are drunk and high or sober and clean. The choice is mine, and it IS a choice.
God has blessed my life in ways I never even imagined. He has put people in my journey of recovery who mean the world to me. He has given me a hopeful expectation of what life will bring and has provided peace even during the storms of life.
I always enjoy sharing God and recovery with others. My name and my life are an open book today, and I have no shame whatsoever in telling you who Jesus Christ is and what He has done in my life. God does not love one person more than another, and He will do for you all He has done for me. Each day I realize the best is yet to come. Now instead of wishing my life was over, I love life. I hope you find joy and peace, a relationship with God and fun in recovery. There is nothing behind you worth going back