“If I hadn’t come here, I would likely be sitting in jail,” Brandon said. “I lost my truck. I lost my girlfriend. Then, I lost my job and my apartment. It just spiraled down.” Finally, when he received three DUIs in one year, he decided to clean himself up.

“I always believed in God. I sang in the church choir until I was 12 or 13.” Although Brandon drifted from his church roots, he held on to his faith. “I didn’t want to come to Healing House at first,” he recalls. “But I prayed about it and here I am.”

Brandon considered his experiences the worst life could bring and that no one cared. But as he listened to Ms. Bobbie Jo’s and others’ stories, he thought, “Well, mine isn’t that bad. It made me feel at home, more comfortable.” Although he planned to stay for 30 days, he decided to “stick around” when he saw so many people bravely facing their challenges. “It was all new to me,” he says. “But I was willing to give it a try.”

Brandon understands that he has a lot of work ahead of him. But he is learning to take life one day at a time and with the support of his sponsor and others at Healing House, he is learning to be more open. “In the past, I’d grab a bottle if I was having a bad day,” Brandon notes. “Now I make it through difficult situations without using. Now I’m clear-headed!”

“The blessings continue to pour in as I strive to do the right thing every day. Thank you, God. And thank you, Healing House!”