What people are saying ...


“Each week, Celebrate Recovery inspires and uplifts me through worship and personal testimonies. It’s what inspired me to share my own story, and I’m grateful for the community, healing and inspiration I’ve found in Celebrate Recovery.”


Sheryl


“Grief is paralyzing….The place I found the most comfort was in church on Sunday mornings and at Celebrate Recovery on Wednesday nights. Worshipping, singing praise, and being with people who want and need God’s guidance is what gives me hope for today and tomorrow.”


Jan


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“In these difficult times, strangers can become family and share their love and compassion. This is exactly what happens every Wednesday night where the Celebrate Recovery Family welcomes all.”


Larry

A mother's story

I think that, like most parents, we expect our kids to experiment. It is a part of growing up, right? Morgan has always been my risk taker that would deny things until she was blue in the face and in the end, just look at me and say, “Well, you already know the truth.” What I couldn’t figure out on my own, was always easily solved by our many friends in the school system or her concerned friends. Like I say, teenage rebellion was something that I expected, it was her actions as an adult (26) that caught me off guard.


At first, it was very easy to make excuses for her actions. She and her boyfriend of over 5 years had just broken up, she was down over that. She didn’t get off until 10 pm, everyone is out at the bars at that time. She bought a house that was stressful...... I could go on. I won’t go into all of the details that lead to the realization that she had a drinking problem. I will leave that for her. I will say, however, that I really thought that I was going to either lose her or watch her lose everything. That was something that I literally could not do.


I think that it was mid-July when I told her that I couldn’t get any more phone calls or hear any more stories about her drinking. That was a road that I could not walk down with her. She agreed, told me she would do better and she did.....for a few weeks. On August 8th, I received a call at 3 am. Of course, I got out of bed and went to get her. The next day I told her not to contact me again until she scheduled help. It was heartbreaking, but I meant it.

Morgan scheduled her 1st counseling appointment the very next day. I know that many people fight this fight for a very long time. Thankfully, Morgan was ready for help and fully admitted that she needed it. At her 1st appointment a part of her homework was to attend 2 Celebrate Recovery meetings.

So the journey begins. Of course, I went, with absolutely no expectations of being changed in the least because I have no issues. LOL! I was there to support my child. Morgan did her 2 mandatory meetings and hasn’t missed a Wednesday night since. My mom (and this is a shock) is with us most Wednesdays. I couldn’t tell you which of us has gotten more out of CR. The love, support and community......we have all learned so much. Addiction is not a stranger to us, but we really didn’t know him, kind of like a neighbor that stays inside all of the time, he is there, you know his name, but not his favorite color. We have started to understand. Wednesdays have become our favorite day of the week.


Morgan has been sober for over 5 months now! I have never been prouder of her. I know that it isn’t easy, but it is beyond wonderful to have my girl back. Celebrate Recovery (sigh) you will always have my gratitude.


Kristie


A daughter's story

Recently I asked my mom, “Which of the three of us children were the worst to handle through the years?” Quickly she responded, “You were”. Honestly I knew her response before I ever asked, it wasn’t a question of favorites, it was a question of who put her through the rings of fire, tested her the most, who pushed her to her limit and made her want to scream. The obvious answer was me. My brother never acted out, he always told on himself before he could get into trouble, the youngest of us still has some years to push her buttons, but I highly doubt he’ll beat his sister’s record. 


Before graduating I started to mature and grow, knowing I made poor decisions and realizing I wanted to do better, I guess you could say that was my first attempt at sobriety. I learned of my real dad’s addiction problems and continued to tell myself that I didn’t want to be like him when I grew up, not knowing it was genetic. Thinking I could get away with drinking and not getting addicted, because his problem was pills I didn’t consider alcohol to be a problem. Skipping to age 19, here I met a boy, not just any boy, but you know the one you think is going to be the one. We had mutual friends that enjoyed throwing parties, so even though we worked together, most of the times that we hung out was at a party or clubbing, basically anywhere that alcohol was going to be, so were we. I drank a lot. Even when I was just with my friends and not him, there was alcohol involved, still I didn’t see a problem. Through my 20s I continued down this slope, the boy and I continued to date, eventually moving in together when I was 22. We became unhealthy sloths. For a couple who used to hit the gym and stay in shape, only to drink later that night. We gained weight, stayed home on our days off just drinking, we grew away from our friends and family because unless it involved alcohol, we weren’t doing it. It was unhealthy and devastating. We argued constantly which would cause us to drink more, there wasn’t a happy medium. If he had to work and I was off, he’d come home to me wasted, or vice versa. This continued for a couple years.
Right before I turned 25, I moved out and into my own place. Thinking that was one of the best decisions I could have made, I didn’t know what was to come. 25 was tough for me, I was hurt, broken, and an even bigger drunk then before. To hide my pain, I would go out and drink basically every night. There was never just one drink and I was done, I wanted to feel numb. That year I came to thanksgiving hungover, didn’t show up to family events because I was more than likely drinking. My closest friends started questioning my every move, they couldn’t even trust me. My mom and stepdad got several phone calls a month telling them to come and get me off a bar stool. 

Still, I didn’t see the problem.
26, bought my own house, got a promotion, had amazing friends, my mom and stepdad were closer with me then they had been, I had my life together, right? Wrong. I was still drinking every night, being a closet alcohol, working by day, partying by night. Skipping on bills just so I could get some beer. Forget just having a single glass of wine. 


Not knowing what i was going to find or how this was going to help me, I went.

 
Being there was amazing, it was welcoming and inspiring. I felt like that was where I was meant to be. My mom has gone with me since day one. And my nana now joins too. The hardest thing to do sober was telling my nana that I had a problem. Knowing that she is there for me and continues to join me in my journey alongside my mom, literally excites me. The past five months have honestly been the best five of my life. I’ve burnt the bad bridges and built new with my friends and family, I’ve cut out the bad in my life, found Christ, I now know what I want and can think more clearly with decisions and this is only the beginning. Knowing I have this amazing support system that continues to grow, will continue to help me grow. Who knew a good blow to the face could literally knock some sense into you. All of this couldn’t have been done without Celebrate Recovery, it has changed my life. 

Morgan