Christ-Centered Recovery Success Stories

Before I came to Freedom House I was living in a world of despair. I began experimenting with drugs and alcohol when I was 13. When I was 25 I discovered Oxycontin, a highly addictive, powerful opiate. I fell in love with this medication that provided a means of escape. My tolerance level soon escalated and I switched my addiction to heroin. Heroin took over my life and owned my soul. I was a slave to it and it was the only thing I cared about. Chasing that high eventually took everything from me. I lost my children, my home, my family, my car, and all respect for myself. I was completely hopeless and then ended up in jail. When the numbness went away and I had no choice but to take a look at myself and the mess I created, I hated myself and wanted to die! I had hit rock bottom. Not knowing what else to do I finally began to pray. After one year in jail God answered my prayers and with the help of my mother I came to Freedom House. Freedom House has literally saved my life. Not only am I physically healthy and sober but without Freedom House I would never have found God. I have been recently saved and baptized and Freedom House is teaching me what it means to walk with the Lord. For the first time in my life my children and I are happy and have hope for a future. Freedom House has rejoined me with my children, and they have started their own personal relationship with Jesus Christ. My mother and stepfather recognize the positive changes in me also and are supportive and willing to be a part of my recovery. My new life is a miracle and Freedom House has helped produce these miracles in me. The Freedom House staff understands there is more to recovery than abstaining from alcohol and drugs and they are providing me with the tools I need to fully heal. The three things that are different about Freedom House are that it incorporates God, your children and the opportunity to remain a part of the Freedom House community for as long as you want after graduation. That is what separates Freedom House from any other recovery center in the world.

I had an abusive father and medical issues as a child that caused me to have no self-esteem. I grew up in church and thought I knew the Lord but really all I knew was religion, which was a bunch of rules and no real relationship with the Lord. When I was 17, I met a man that was 20 years older than me and got caught up in an abusive relationship with him and he got me hooked on drugs. I realized I needed help and tried to get away and get treatment. I tried several short term programs but always relapsed and fell back into that sick relationship in order to get drugs. Eventually I ended up pregnant with my daughter. I knew I needed to change so I did everything I could to change on my own. Changing on my own began to feel impossible and I realized when I became pregnant with my son that I would have to try treatment again. The great love I found at Freedom House, the incredible structure and treatment, and the opportunity to build a real relationship with the Lord changed my life forever. I started to become the godly woman and mother I’ve always dreamed of being but didn’t know how to be. I’ve gained stability, learned how to be a single mom, work and take care of myself and my kids. I’ve truly experienced physical, mental, and emotional healing, and so have my kids. Now we love being with each other and I cherish my time with them. Sometimes it is hard for me to believe how much the Lord has blessed me and my kids and changed our lives through Freedom House. I think the greatest gift God has given me since being at Freedom House is that, just as it says in Isaiah 61, I have finally been able to exchange my ashes for beauty. Today I have a real relationship with the Lord and can see myself as He sees me.

Before coming to Freedom House I dreaded seeing the sun stream through my bedroom window. Hopelessness was literally choking the life out of me daily. My addiction to prescription pills had become such a beast that I found functioning without medication impossible. Consequently, maintaining a job, household, and motherhood quickly became unmanageable. I had become mentally, physically, and spiritually bankrupt. My family found Freedom House on the internet and urged me to fill out the application. After my admission to Freedom House, my outlook on life became extremely different. I am able to welcome the morning and thank God for another day to live in sobriety and freedom. My daughter and I have developed our relationship with Christ as well as with each other. I learned so much through the curriculum that helped to repair and prepare me for a Christ-centered life. I am happy to say that because of the staff, volunteers, sponsors, and donors of Freedom House, I have hopes and dreams for my future and my daughter’s future.

I grew up with a lot of chaotic behavior in my family. Even at a very young age, I recognized that there were a lot of problems in my family. My mother and father suffered with many addictions and mental illnesses, so my grandparents had to play a big part in raising me. I found love, acceptance, and security in them, though the chaos was always there. I adored my grandfather; he was my father figure. I was 19 years old when he died. When I lost him, my world came crashing down and created in me a completely broken heart. I had experimented with a variety of drugs by this time in my life, and it was at this point I began to abuse them. I had no idea where this path would take me. I didn’t think that far ahead. I just needed not to feel anything, and the drugs helped for awhile. Eventually, instead of making the pain better, the drugs created more pain and more problems. For 12 years, I rode the crazy train of addiction. Finally, I reached my bottom when I ended up in jail. There I realized how lost I was, without anyone or anything to help me. I cried out to God from the depths of my despair and He delivered me and led me to Freedom House. The day I walked into the door of Freedom House, I knew it was going to make a difference in my life. But Freedom House has done more than make a difference; they’ve helped create a miracle. God has restored the desolate places in my life through the love and support of the people involved. I have never known love like I’ve experienced here. My future looks bright and exciting to me as I continue my walk in recovery, one day at a time. With the help of God and all the staff and volunteers of Freedom House, I have achieved more goals in my life than I ever imagined possible. They have been the vehicle God used to bring me to deliverance, restoration and healing beyond my wildest dreams! Because of Freedom House, the life I lived until now is not the reality my children will know, and I will always be so very grateful. Freedom House has not just changed my life; they have given me a new one.

If you’re looking for help, I promise you this place is the best by far. I miss it to this day and now I’m 4 years sober. The friends I made, the things I learned, it was all worth it! They will help you and THEN some! Huge shoutout to freedom house for all they did for me and my little girl, Alice. Oh did I mention I had her WHILE I WAS STAYING HERE?? They went above and beyond for me and I will forever be appreciative and thankful! so thankful to Freedom House for helping me get sober and to be a better mother to my babies!!

Thank you for being there for my daughter. I am beyond proud of her for choosing to come there and for her working so hard to make a change. I am proud of her working so hard for sweet girl Ava. What a blessing it is. She has the good life back. I love you Courtney and I love Ava beyond words.

Hebrews 11:1 states that "faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” This verse sums up my experience at Freedom House. You taught me what faith is (the foundation) a solid foundation, of what I hope for even in the things that I cannot see. I am now a Certified Nursing Assistant pursuing my LPN nursing degree. This would not have been possible without Freedom House. I hope someone trying to recover from addiction that needs help sees this. You can become beauty from ashes with Freedom House. Have faith and hope. Even when we cant see it, God is working. Love you all.

Before arriving at Freedom House, I was completely broken. I came from a dark place, surrounded by shattered relationships and the pain of choices that had left my family without hope. I had tried to fix things on my own, but nothing truly changed—until I surrendered. At Freedom House, I gave my heart to Jesus and allowed Him to begin the work within me. This Christ-centered program became a turning point in my life. Through powerful Bible studies, structured and spirit-led program materials, and the faithful guidance of people who truly act as vessels of the Lord, I found healing and hope. Freedom House didn’t just help me recover—it helped me become whole. God truly gave me “beauty for ashes” (Isaiah 61:3). Today, I’m thriving. I’ve been restored to my beautiful family, and I walk in a newfound freedom that only Jesus can give. My life is no longer defined by my past, but by the grace and love of Christ that carries me forward every day. If you are in a place of darkness, please know that God can turn ashes into beauty. Freedom House is a place where that transformation begins.