VOL 42, ISSUE 3. December, 2019
Hello, my name is Allison. I’m 30 yrs old and I’ve been using
marijuana, cocaine and alcohol since the age of 18. I grew up in a
small town and came from a loving Christian family. I was raised in
church, but I was also your typical fence riding teenager… partied
on Saturday and worshipped on Sunday. My interim Pastor did not
like how I chose to live my life as a teen. I was a bit offended when
he began to push for my removal from leadership. It cut me deep
and I chose to numb the pain with drugs and alcohol. I wanted
nothing to do with God, church nor any Christians. I ran hard and
fast from God. For the next several years I was very promiscuous.
At the age of 21, I married a man I barely knew. Three years into
the marriage, it was filled with physical and verbal abuse, control
and lots of anger. When I was 24 yrs old I chose to leave my
husband and go back to the partying scene. Getting high and drunk
seemed to dull the daily pain and mental torment I suffered.
In 2015, at the age of 25, God blessed me with a life-changing,
handsome little boy. I chose to eliminate the cocaine and alcohol
from my daily dosage during my pregnancy but, I couldn’t
surrender the marijuana. I considered myself “sober” until my son
was 9 months old, because my mindset was that as long as I
eliminated the cocaine and alcohol usage I could continue smoking
marijuana. Well, then postpartum depression set in and got the best
of me so I picked up the cocaine and alcohol again. Got myself into
another tumultuous relationship with a married man, who had no
intention of choosing me and my son. When this relationship ended
nearly two years later, I was more broken than I care to admit. I
could not function sober. I delved deeper and deeper into my
depression, isolation and addiction. My heart and soul ached for
love, joy and peace again. I cried out one night in my bed, “Lord,
help me. I cannot do this any longer.” Around midnight the next
evening, God divinely intervened. I came across a bag of meth,
something I had never tried but was assured it would be better than
cocaine. However God said “NO!” And I was pulled over, searched
and arrested. A peer counselor came to see me offering help in a
rehab facility with a real chance at healing and sobriety. I was so
tired of hurting that my heart said yes before my mind could
register the offer. Nearly nine months into this program I have an
intimate relationship with the Right Man, who has the perfect plan
and purpose for my life. Jesus is healing many deep wounds,
restored my identity in Him and restored my familial relationships
and giving me a new found love for each of them. He has given me
self-worth and shows me I mean more than any drug can give me! I
am so grateful for the Lord’s unfailing love, never ending grace and
plentiful mercy!