He Was Drinking Himself to Death and Hiding Behind a Store-Bought Smile. Then Kevin Found Peace.
Kevin is a graduate of the Rise Discipleship men's home. He describes the life he came from in one word: chaos, driven by his addiction and, more than anything, by his own way of thinking.
"I thought I had it all figured out. And I didn't have anything figured out."
It was job after job after job, career plans that never panned out the way he pictured them, because his drinking, his drug use, and his selfishness always got in the way. For a long time, he lied to himself about the drinking and minimized everything it cost him.
"The jobs, the trips to jail, the legal problems, the financial problems, I minimized all of it, until I could no longer deny that my life was totally out of control."
The Look on His Mom's Face
The image that stays with Kevin is his mother's face the last time she had to drive him to the hospital. He was in alcohol withdrawal. He was, in his own words, drinking himself to death, and he knew where it was headed.
He had tried everything. Every secular rehab, every NA and AA program.
"They were all band-aids. I was just sick and tired of being sick and tired."
No More Store-Bought Smile
At Rise, Kevin knew he was finally in a safe place, surrounded by men fighting the same demons that had plagued him for years. And there, for the first time, he could stop performing.
"I was able to find who I really am in God's eyes. I didn't have to walk around with a store-bought smile. It was the real deal. Just peace. Simple peace."
Filled with the Word every day, Kevin says he never would have finished the program without God. The enemy had him beaten down, but God kept showing him that the beaten-down man was not who he really was. And one truth broke through everything.
"He's not mad at me. He's just been waiting on me."
Fear Traded for Hope
For most of his life, Kevin was running on fear, afraid everywhere he went, always trying to be someone he wasn't. That's gone now.
"I have hope. I have peace. No more fear. Today I can be myself and be comfortable in my own skin."
He can hold his head high, proud of finishing, and go back to his family a completely different man than the one they dropped off.
If This Is You
Kevin tried every band-aid there was before he found something real. If you're that tired of being tired, or if you're the mom driving someone you love to the hospital again, don't wait. It's free, a real person answers day or night, and it starts with one call.
Ready to reach out? Get help now. Freedom really is just one phone call away. (325) 232-5449.
And it's all free because of people like you. As Kevin says, your donations are doing amazing things behind the scenes, more than you would ever know.
If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction or thoughts of suicide, you are not alone and help is available. Rise Discipleship's 24/7 helpline is (325) 232-5449.
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