Jeffery Meadows was born in Charleston, West Virginia, but his family moved to Houston when he was three. They lived in what Jeffery describes as an “aggressive neighborhood” where theft and violence was the norm. His mother, a hard-working single mom of three, was a nurse and worked tirelessly to provide the best life she […]
Category: Stories Of Addiction Recovery
From Abandonment and Shame to Hope and Acceptance
James Frazer struggled with feelings of abandonment, low self-esteem, and social rejection early in life. In his mind, everyone else had it better than he did, and his lot in life was just never going to be as good as everyone else’s. His parents divorced at a very young age and his mother sent him […]
Trusting a Higher Power
From the outside looking in, Kali Warnock’s life as a kid was picture-perfect. Her parents were both very involved in her life, she excelled at sports and loved playing them, and she was the ideal preacher’s kid at her church. But behind the facade, things were very different.
Becoming the Father He Was Meant to Be
From an outsider’s perspective, Shane Rollins was a great father, a seriously talented professional arm wrestler, and one of the toughest guys out there. But on the inside, his addiction was tearing him apart, his marriage was in shambles, and his tough outer appearance was just a cover for the broken man he had become.
Set Free from the Bondage of Addiction
Al Lesem’s upbringing in Houston, Texas was difficult. His mother passed away when he was just six years old and his father remarried several times after that. Although his father cared for him and had a great job as a psychiatrist, Al had no structure or guidance as a child. “My childhood was very stressful,” […]
Finding Purpose in Life
Megan Minasi grew up in Houston, Texas, in a broken home full of secrets and substance abuse. By the time she was four years old, her parents had already divorced. She saw her dad every other weekend as a child and her mother remarried when she was eight. Although Megan and her older brother were […]
Full Surrender
Adam Tucker’s story of addiction starts in the quiet lake community of Frederick, Maryland, just an hour west of Baltimore. Born in Washington D.C. to two loving parents, Adam describes his upbringing as relatively peaceful and enjoyable. “I never experienced any trauma; there was never any abuse,” he says. “I was a pretty privileged kid […]
Trapped in a Downward Spiral of Addiction
Parker Jarmon’s drug use started early. He was only 13 years old when he first started smoking marijuana. Before he smoked, he was a loner—a lost soul. But marijuana changed all that. He finally fit in. In tenth grade, Parker got an Adderall prescription, but after a year on that drug, he craved something more. […]
Reclaiming Life from Heroin and Alcohol Addiction
Amit grew up in a home with two loving and supportive parents, but the older he got, the more disengaged from society he became. Convinced that his youth was the time to have fun and take risks, Amit slowly began to stray from his homegrown values and started drinking and smoking weed. Eventually, that wasn’t […]