Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
I grew up in a religious household with a good environment free from any direct contact with addiction. As I got older and into my college years, drinking became a regular part of my life, but I was always able to control it. I eventually got married and was able to stay completely sober during the eight years we were together. It wasn’t until the divorce that I dove
headfirst into drinking. Drinking helped me deal with my failed marriage.
In the beginning, my drinking was just a weekend thing, then eventually progressed to weeknights after work. I continued to drink this way through the beginning of my second and current marriage. Masking the pain of my failed marriage with alcohol worked until my father passed away. At this point, my alcohol consumption increased to an unmanageable level.
I tried to stop drinking on my own and even succeeded for about a year and a half, but every day I didn’t drink was a battle. Before my father passed, my wife noticed my drinking was increasing. She warned me that she could see the signs of alcoholism creeping in. She was able to notice the downward spiral so quickly because she had seen similar behaviors in her own family’s history of alcohol abuse. She could see that I was using alcohol to mask the pain I felt from my past. My father’s passing caused more pain than I could bear. From that point, until coming to the Rescue Mission, I fought to get my alcoholism under control. During this time, I realized I needed help and couldn’t do it alone.
For the sake of my marriage, my health, and my well-being, I decided to seek recovery. This decision brought me to the Rescue Mission of Middle Georgia, where God allowed me the chance to heal physically and spiritually. He has used this time to begin the restoration process needed in my marriage. While I’m not 100% healed or recovered, I can say for sure that compared to day one at the Mission, I have more focus, I feel better, and I have a much better relationship with my wife. God is still working on me, but the progress I see so far gives me the confidence to continue allowing Him to work. I realize that I still have a long road ahead, but with His guidance, I know I can maintain my sobriety. I am genuinely thankful to my wife for standing by my side during this journey. I could not have made it this far without her love and support.
When I graduate, my plans are to move away from the high-stress, high-pressure corporate world I’ve been immersed in for the past 20 years and pursue something in which God’s hand is working. Until God opens the right door, I will be getting back to work on my house and property, praying for clarity and wisdom for my next steps. I will stay connected with the Mission; the place God used to change my life. I desire to stay connected to this fantastic community of people who not only know where I’ve been and what I’ve gone through but also the leadership to bring about true-life change through Jesus Christ.
Thank you to the Rescue Mission for accepting me into their program. God is working through the staff here to reach broken men and women battling addiction, just like me.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
This is my favorite verse; it summarizes what we could be, what we should be, and what we should aspire to be.
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