I was a shell of a human being. By the time I was 20 years old, my drinking progressed to the point where I was emotionally and spiritually isolated from everyone around me. I abandoned my childhood faith and thought if God was real, He wouldn’t want anything to do with a person like me.
But I was given a beautiful solution to my addiction when I joined a 12-step fellowship and was able to reconnect with God. Recovery has allowed me to regain my family’s trust, maintain genuine friendships, graduate from college, have a healthy relationship with my boyfriend, keep a job, and feel a sense of purpose through helping sick and suffering alcoholics and addicts. Recovery has transformed my idea of God and the personal relationship I have with him today.
The most transformative, faith-renewing part of this journey has been talking about God with other alcoholics and addicts. No matter what kind of struggles you have overcome, your story can help others. I used to feel so much shame over the things I did, but I know God is using my past to help others in the same situation. The only reason why I’m able to do this is because someone else showed me the way by sharing their experience. I’m so thankful to now be that person for others.
My walk with God hasn’t been perfect. There have been times where I questioned him, even in sobriety, but I find He always brings me back to the truth. God never turned His back on me when I was stuck in addiction; I turned my back on God. He’s always been there and will continue to be there. Not just for me, but for anyone who reaches out to seek His love.
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