Alten
Graduated
I’m 60 years old and a classic alcoholic who has come to the end of his road. If not for this place, my next move would have been my last: death from bad choices in addiction. I grew up in Connecticut in an upper middle class household with five brothers and sisters. My father, a brilliant man and alcoholic, moved us to Indiana when I was 17. I got a degree at Indiana University and moved to California, where he died at age 53 from acute alcoholism. From there I started a successful 35-year executive career in media with major companies like CNN and NBC Universal. I raised two beautiful children with my then wife, but my growing addiction destroyed all of that. I moved from having a functional life up until my 50s, to eventually having a life of complete despair and hopelessness from these choices. I was stuck and out of control, economically and spiritually bankrupt. By the time I was 58, I was weeks away from homelessness with no clear way out of the situation I had put myself in. My vicious addiction to alcohol and false identity based on material attachments had literally torn my life apart. My anger, fear, and resentments had put me in a Godless life that was dissolving right in front of me. I ended up in a rescue mission in another state. It was there I discovered the Personality Integration Rehabilitation Program for Teens, Young Adults, & Adults (PIRP). They graciously accepted me. I thank God for His mercy, compassion, and divine intervention, leading me to this place and program. The PIRP healing ministries saved my life because they literally healed my mind, body, and spirit (soul). I am a hopeless alcoholic when left to myself, in a state of mind of false attachments, addiction, and despair. The PIRP program solved these issues and taught me new ways of thinking that focused on spiritual trust and faith of God our Father. I now have hope and am learning how to ‘Walk in Faith’ with Him. I learn new things every day here. I am more actualized and prospering in new spiritual ways, focusing on serving others — an orientation of service rather than self-assertion; doing what God wants, not what I want. The PIRP ministry has provided me a home with a family of great people who truly care about my wellbeing! The two programs work side by side, supporting all areas in which I need to grow and heal. For me, addiction and homelessness started with wrong thinking and a bad attitude and choices that created a distorted state of mind. The leadership here clearly knows that and have the experience with God to truly heal. I am safe and trust them, getting better each day. I now walk in faith, never to return to the choices I made in the past. I am free, sober, productive, and with a home. With family. I am grateful, to me this place is a miracle. The high road is hard to find, but you will find it here.