For years, Brian thought the only way he would overcome his addiction was if he died.
“I thought that if I had killed myself that I’d go to hell. So I never actually contemplated suicide. I was actually wanting God to kill me instead of myself,” he says.
He came close to killing himself many times.
“I had a lot of bad overdoses.” Twice he ended up in the hospital on dialysis because his kidneys were failing. But God wasn’t going to let darkness win. God was determined to bring Brian into the light. He used loving friends like you to do it.
An Unexpected Message
Brian rarely used Facebook, but for some reason, when he saw a message from one of his dad’s former roommates, he decided to read it and reply. “For the first time I was actually honest and transparent, and I told him that I was all messed up and I was slamming heroin and that I just wanted to die.” That friend encouraged him to go to a program and get help.
Brian had thought about going to rehab before, but he knew he couldn’t afford it. And being homeless and struggling to keep a job, he didn’t have insurance.
“To my knowledge, there was no such thing as free rehabs,” he remembers.
But one of the ways you help us love our neighbors is by giving generously so we don’t charge people for recovery services. Because of you, someone like Brian doesn’t have to have great health insurance to get help.
You Saved Brian’s Life
Brian remembers how it felt to feel loved when he came to the Mission. He remembers how good that first meal he had here was – it was chili – and how nice it was to have somewhere safe to sleep. But the thing that really impacted him were the chapel services.
“I remember sitting in chapel and I felt the weight of all the wrong I’ve done. . . But God showed me that He loved me and that He had always loved me, and all that weight, it just swooped right off me. . . I just knew at that moment that my life was just never going to be the same.”
It hasn’t.
Healing That Lasts
Brian has been sober since January of 2018. After graduating from the men’s Transformations program and he went through our Ministry Training program. He’s now on staff here at the Mission, overseeing multiple Street Outreach areas.
But that’s not all. Brian was also awarded a full scholarship to Grand Canyon University. He’ll be graduating with a degree in theology with a minor in addiction counseling in April. His family relationships are restored, and he’s been happily married for five years.
He’s not sure what the future will bring, but he’s determined to continue helping other people get the help that saved his life and gave him a reason to live again.
