Matt
So I’m sitting here inside the men’s house as I’m writing this short testimony about how 24/7 has helped me and helped me in my recovery. I’m no different than every other recovering addict in the fact that my story needs more than 2 pages, but to keep it simple I’ll focus on one word…. HOPE. I didn’t fall in a lifestyle of addiction because life was good. I experienced failure & loss and simply was not prepared to handle it. My addiction was or is a symptom of a deeper rooted issue. Depression is real and if you have never truly experienced real depression it is hard to relate but to best describe how I felt and lived for almost 7 years, I would say I had no hope. I was riddled with anxiety, fear and full of resentments, anger and pain. I found out that drugs and alcohol gave me relief. I could disconnect from the reality of all my memories and loss. I hope to be put in a position to share my testimony while here at 24/7 because for the last 7 years I have been unable to live life sober and now, not only am I doing that, I’m excelling at the job 24/7 got me, being a leader in the men’s house and developing what I hope are lifelong relationships. Did you read that? “I hope”. I have hope where for the longest time I had none. If I sat here and told you that life is perfect, I’d be lying. This program and its structure is tough, but isn’t life? 24/7 has provided an environment where I can work on myself, work on my relationship with God and figure out where to go from here. Almost 9 months ago I committed to 90 days. Being here on my own free will has been tough but 24/7 as a program, staff and the brothers doing this with me, has made it doable. Where it was a 90 day commitment I strongly feel God has me here for more than just a brief season. I plan on staying here and being an active member of this recovery community. So I’ll wrap this up by saying 24/7 has helped me have hope again. Jeremiah 29:11 says “I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Plans to give you HOPE and a future.” Thank you 24/7 and Staff for being the willing vessels that y’all have been.
Josh
Recovery is bio-psycho-social wellness or the improving of. So recovery is getting healthy in your body. Your brain is healing from the damaged endured from consistent drug use. From being fed constant negativity and stress. The effects of living in survival or fight or flight mode caused severe damage and left me in need of deep healing. This in turn affected my social life and the way I interact with people. The way I view the world, if I could ever see past myself in my addiction. My perspective was severely warped and twisted and self-centered. I was a slave to a master that was killing my mind, body and soul. I lost my ability to think straight. I lost my ability to truly love another human. I lost my conscious contact with God. I lost my family, my friends, my way. I lost my identity. My spirit was so completely broken I could be led by anything or anyone. I lost my mind and my sense of reality. I lost the light that shines in me. I was without hope and with no will to live. So recovery to me is the journey, the battle, the mission to recover all that was lost. It is the process of starting with acknowledgement of the situation the problem and all that it caused. It’s finding and taking steps to gain back the ground lost. It’s a mental battle to choose positivity and love in all situations. After understanding what love is. Recovery is finding solutions to problems and overcoming challenges, or even seeking them to grow and sharpen yourself. Recovery is breaking down the walls that stop you from connecting with healthy people and fruitful relationships and building them back up around your peace and relationship with God. Recovery is coping with feelings and working through stress without overreacting. Knowing that a man is only as big as the smallest thing that can provoke him. Recovery is forward progress. Constant learning and finding new understanding. But the word “recover” means to get something back that was lost. So for me, to say I’m going to live in recovery for the rest of my life implies that I’ll never get it back. I want that to be a phase. I want what was lost and then to be in new life. After I’ve recovered what I lost I want new and more. In spirit, mind, body, soul, life and social. I want Recovery plus.
Randy
My name is Randy. I was born and raised in a small farming village in upstate New York called Lowville. What family I had there has passed away besides my grandmother and three younger sisters. I thought I’d lost them , too, though, because of who I became in my addiction. When I came to 24/7 House, I was the epitome of a broken man. My heart didn’t exist; my mind was so shattered I was basically insane. I had no relationship with God whatsoever, let alone with myself and other people. I was alone. But God decided that it’s time for me to stop wandering in the darkness. That it’s time for me to become a beacon of light for the hopeless. Starting with myself and with the help of the staff here and each individual living with me, I’ve found not only who I am again, but what I am. I am: a valuable member of society, a grandson, a brother, a friend, a good listener, a patient man, a godly man. I am somebody who cares deeply about the welfare and well-being of others. I am a man of integrity and I can say that with sincerity for the first time in my entire life. None of these things could have happened without me making It to 24/7 House or without them giving me a courtesy bed here. 24/7 has saved my life and my future. They are truly blessed by God Himself. God is good all the time.
Tanya
I am 30 years old. I have 4 beautiful children from 2 unfortunately failed marriages. I like to believe due to growing up with an absent father resulted in a severe co-dependency problem with men. From my inability to cope with life on life’s terms at the age of 22 I began reaching for a pill bottle. Very quickly my fix turned into abuse then to dependency. I wanted many times to quit and to get better for my kids and my family but I failed. Because my addiction was now my number one priority, I eventually lost my children, my career, my home, my family and everything that held any value near to my heart. This pain should have driven me to stop, instead my disease got even worse and I started using meth and heroin by the age of 27. I got arrested but somehow got out and went right back to the same behaviors. Eventually I got to a point where there was no joy, peace, contentment or laughter anywhere in my being- yet I still continued to allow drugs to control me. I was a slave mentally and physically to the chemical. But the drugs took absolutely everything from me and all desire to live and hope for life was gone. My life was so dark, absolutely nothing but pain, sorrow and isolation. I had so many thoughts of death because my life was no longer worth living thankfully there were only thoughts and I was too coward to act on them. I was hopeless, homeless, lost, broken, and spiritually bankrupt with no desire to live. God reached down and pulled me out of the hell I was living and I ended up in jail. At first I was happy to be in jail because I was safe, I had a bed to sleep in, my meals were provided, but the best part was I was no longer a slave to my addiction. I expected and even began mentally preparing myself for prison to be my next destination, and I was offered 2 years to serve in prison but something told me that day not to sign the waiver. Well that someone was God because He had a much better plan for my next destination. After 7 long months I was given the opportunity by the courts to go to rehab – one last chance! After a 5 hour ride in shackles, I showed up at 24/7 House with nothing but the clothes on my back and a desire for something different. When I got to 24/7 House I had no idea what I had gotten myself into. There were so many rules and recovery work to do, my disease tried telling me to leave but I couldn’t do it. With the love and support provided here and God’s guidance I began doing exactly what was expected of me, one day at a time. In classes I started learning about the disease of addiction and what it does to our brains. Then I was taught and shown tools to help me deal and cope with life. I now have a job at a coffee shop that I love. (I’m dependable and very good, I might add.) I have a very strong and personal relationship with God. I rededicated my life and have been baptized. I am working my program, doing steps in detail, working on my character defects and utilizing my tools and I can be happy with the person looking back at me in the mirror. I have hope today for my life and my future. I’m slowly healing from the pain and trauma I have been through. I live with a group of women who love and uplift each other through our journey of recovery. The staff members here at 24/7 each go above and beyond to ensure we each are content as well as progressing in our recovery. I have now been able to mend and restore relationships with my family who can see the change in me today. With the help and support from my family and staff, I am fighting to be back in my kid’s lives. My God, He can move any mountain. Today I get to live a productive, meaningful life, sober. Be joyous, happy and free! I have only been here 6 short months, excited to see the blessings God will bring in the next half of my stay here at 24/7.
Brandy
Prior to my arrival at the 24/7 House, I had completely lost my desire to live from day to day. I had walked away from my relationship with God and stopped seeking His will for my life entirely. My drug use was out of control and I had developed a shoplifting habit to go along with my drug use. My family distanced themselves from me. It left me feeling even more depressed and isolated. I did not recognize the person I saw when I looked in a mirror. While being at the 24/7 House, I have awoken the person God intended me to be… I have found my ability to smile, laugh and love again. My relationship with God is stronger than ever before! I have hope for a better tomorrow knowing God’s Will is what I am to seek daily and by doing so, He will not let me fall!
Seth
My name is Seth and I am a grateful believer in Jesus Christ. But that’s not all. Over the course of my 28 years on this earth I have been a lot of other things, as well. I have been a hopeless alcoholic. I’ve been an adulterer. I’ve been an outlaw. I’ve been addicted to both marijuana and cocaine. I’ve been a hypocrite. I’ve been sexually abusive and verbally abusive to my own wife. I’ve been a man who has been blessed but found himself lost in trying to do everything his own way and in doing so failing simultaneously to prove in any way faithful over the blessings I’ve been given. But that’s not all either. I was arrested on my 5th DUI charge on July 4, 2022. I spent 2 months in jail at the Johnson County Sherriff’s Dept in Wrightsville, GA. I don’t remember what the date was but one night I broke down into tears. I asked God to change everything in me that had brought me to this point in my life. I said “I know it won’t be easy Lord, but if I’m going to ever become the man you need me to be then it is most definitely necessary.” I came to 24/7 on September 14, 2022. When that happened I started reading the book of Matthew Chapter 1:1. That was 5 months ago. Today I read the 22nd Chapter of Revelation. You may say “Well that’s the entire New Testament.” I know. But I have started living the truths that I already knew. I’ve started standing on the promises and building a house on a rock instead of sand. Since I’ve been here I have held strong to what may very well be the Scripture that changed my life forever. In Luke 18:27 NLT it says “Things that are impossible for people, are possible with God.” This verse helped me to realize that miracles aren’t just for other people. They can happen for me, too. Since I’ve been here my marriage has been restored. My wife is happier now than she was before we got married. There is nothing impossible for Him to do. So today when I stand before you I can honestly tell you I’ve been rescued. I’ve been redeemed. I’ve been humbled. I’ve been exalted. I’ve been chosen. I’ve been justified and saved by Grace through Faith. I’ve been bought with a price. A precious price. A price of the blood of an innocent and spotless Lamb of God without a single blemish. My name is Seth and I am a grateful, and now thanks to 24/7, a faithful believer in Jesus Christ! He has won! And THAT is all!
Chris
Since I have been at 24/7 I have learned several things. First is how to recognize denial as well as how to break through it. This is vital in keeping addictive ego driven thinking patterns in reality check. Second I’ve learned how to feel again and be okay with my emotions. Today I have the tools to have a choice in maintaining emotional sobriety. If I can’t maintain emotional sobriety, I can’t maintain physical sobriety from drugs and alcohol. In these two seemingly very simple things I’m able to walk in love, being loved as well as loving others. That helps me to understand who God is and how to have a surrendered life to His Will, seeking in that the life He has for me rather than seeking my own will and desires of the flesh to walk in the spirit of God that is love. No more fear of abandonment, rejection and unworthiness. No more anger, shame, guilt, resentment and blaming others. Today I have the power of choice that I use to not have. Today I no longer destroy those I love and that love me as I once did. I am accountable for my own behavior, thoughts, actions and choices. It’s all by the power of Jesus Christ working and willing in me for his purpose and good pleasure. As wonderful as that all is, the one thing I’m so grateful for is the opportunity that’s been given in it all that has allowed my children and their mothers to find healing and freedom to be restored to healthy, loving relationships through what God has done and continues to do in me. Freedom!! From the lies I believed to restoration to love that is the spirit of God. Amen. Thank you Jesus for it’s all possible by your work done on the Cross!!