My son’s addiction began when he was in high school, right around the time his Dad and I divorced. He has been active off and on in his drug addiction for the past ten or eleven years. For so long, I questioned if part of it was my fault, if we wouldn’t have divorced would his addiction have gotten as bad as it did, but I learned many years later that it wasn’t anything I did or didn’t do.
He went to many different rehabs and even jail on multiple occasions. He became a thief and a liar and each time he would relapse, the addiction would hit ten times harder. I slowly learned that there wasn’t anything I could do to fix him. It got to the point I feared for his life every single day.
The hardest thing I have ever had to do was learn to detach with love. This was a huge struggle for me, but I knew my enabling habits were not doing him any good, only making things worse. I knew I had to truly turn him over to God. I finally told him he could no longer stay at my house and I couldn’t allow him around if he wasn’t willing to get help.
The last time he was arrested, in November 2019, he made the decision to go to Hope is Alive. Since being in Weatherford he has been baptized, is an active member in his church, and became house manager for Hope is Alive. The growth and change in him is tremendous!
Not only has he had to recover, but so have I. I know I have always been a good parent, but no one is ever prepared for the disease of addiction. It creeps into our life, affects your entire family, and leaves you with so much pain and loss.
Since I found Finding Hope, I have learned so much on this journey and I hope to encourage and help others see that there is HOPE! At Finding Hope you will meet others who have been through the same things and see that you are not alone. Each and every person deserves HOPE and a chance at recovery!
