Dee’s Story: Two Years Later
November 2022.
That’s when we shared the powerful story of our team rescuing Dee from a dark, dangerous drug house, trapped in heavy drug use and a toxic dating relationship. She was in a life-threatening situation, with no end in sight.
Heartbreaking, right?
Thankfully, we had a strong network of addiction recovery partnerships including a safe place designed for women. Dee was not only rescued, but welcomed into a Christ-centered recovery community with love.
But what happened next?
The lure of the familiar, unhealthy lifestyle hit hard. Several months after featuring her story in our year-end Give to Grow campaign, Dee left the women’s recovery house to return to the same toxic relationship as before. Then, returned to drug use.
With substance abuse, it’s never just the alcohol or drug cycles that grip people but also the lifestyle. It’s very hard for addicts to break out of the patterns and relationships (even if abusive) that have become so familiar, and in a sense, safe.
Dee found herself in a situation worse than before.
October 2023.
Rock bottom. Dee decided she could not live that way any longer. After completing a treatment program, she landed back at the women’s recovery house with a commitment to a complete change.
Major victories for Dee since then:
She committed to the hard work of healing with sobriety, putting God first and obstaining from dating in order to learn about herself.
She bonded with a recovery sponsor who connected her to Alpha groups, women’s bible study, and local churches like ccdelco.
Celebrating 1+ yrs sober, she’s now enjoying a life centered on Jesus and accountability with true peace and calm, free from paranoia, for the first time.
The victories over life-dominating addition felt by neighbors like Dee do not happen without the hand of God, steady support of sponsors and mentors, connections with a range of Christ-centered recovery resources, and the prayers and financial support from people like you who raise a hand to stand in the gap for former addicts.
Thank you for making space for impact stories for neighbors like Dee.
If you’ve made it this far, we’re prayerfully gearing up for another Give to Grow campaign and look forward to saving more lives like Dee’s together…especially the most vulnerable in Chester.
Every life is meant to flourish in Chester, only possible with hope and freedom in Christ!