MY STORY

My name is Glen and I?m a alcoholic and Jesus CHRIST is
my higher power.I was born in Lima Ohio and lived in a small town Delphos,
13 miles west of Lima, most of my life. I was raised up
Catholic and my family was middle to low income, we had
what we needed. I remember growing up always feeling
different. When I was 8 years old I had a serious bicycle
accident. A car hit me doing 65 mile per hour, I flew 120
feet landing on my head. I had a serious skull fracture and
broken bones. I recovered over time but had to wear a
football helmet for 4 years to protect my head. In 1978 the
helmet wasnt like we have today, it was bulky and stood out.
I was riddiculed and made fun of alot. My self esteem was
real low. I started to build a protective wall around me, brick
by brick. During this time I always felt a connection with the
nuns, priest,and spiritual people. I never understood why. I
had very few friends, but family life was good.As I continued to grow up I kept building up my walls. By
my 6th grade I pretty much isolated myself. My brick wall
was solid and thick.No one could get in and hurt me. I
remember searching alot for God because I was lonely. I
believe he called for me, I had a desire that came from my
heart that I believe I was to serve God, but around this time
is when I started drinking and experimenting with drugs. I
found a new way of life or least I thought. What I found was
an altered Glen. I started out hanging out with people and
making freinds who liked to drink and do drugs. At 16 I got
my first girlfriend and was drinking, smoking pot pretty
regular on a weekend basis. I received my 1st D.U.I.. My
school life stayed the same but I was getting into trouble a
lot more, my grades declined, and I started to get
suspended.In my senior year I remember getting called a drunk or an
alcholic. I really didnt care cause I still had that brick wall I
built around myself and I still used it . In my teen years my
family life was also getting worse. I argued more with my
parents, me and my dad never got along. My life didnt seem
to be going too good. Right around graduation time I met
another girlfreind. We both liked to drink and we started a
relationship. I graduated and the situation with my dad got
worse. That summer I received my 2nd D.U.I. I crashed and
totaled my car by running into a ditch doing 90mph. I
suffered a concussion. In the fall, me and my girlfriend
moved in together. We got married. I finally thought life was
getting better. A year later we had a son together. I was
finally happy or least I thought, but the drinking and
partying kept progressing. I received my 3rd D.U.I. in that
time. A year after our son was born my wife told me she
didnt love me anymore and that really leveled me.I entered my first treatment center as an attempt to get my
wife back, which didn't work. My faith in God got less and
less. My drinking and drug use progressed even more.My
trouble with law enforcement increased. My drinking started
to cost me jobs, my mental state started to deteriorate, I
started to get depressed. I started to isolate and go on
drinking binges for days or until I ran out of money. I would
end up in the hospital. I got diagnosed as having severe
depression and began taking anti-depressants. They didnt
seem to work but I was still drinking on top of them. I
started to play around with the mental health professionals
and soon found pills that calmed me down like alcohol,
(xanax,volume,adivan). I soon found mixing the pills with
alcohol really gave me the effect I liked.I started to blackout. The drinking progressed even more, I
ended up in treatment center after treatment center. My only
contact with God was" get me out of this one and I'll
change". When I would get out of treatment centers I could
only stay clean for awhile then I would be on that
rollercoaster again. Things in my life were getting worse. my
drinking , my isolating, and my son moved out to his moms.
I started to loose things: my job,my house, my vehicle, my
possesions. I was burning every bridge that I had, even the
support of my family.Things never got better, just worse. I would drink till I had
no more money. Then I would end up in the treatment
center. In my alcocholic life I?ve been in 19 treatment
centers. Ive had seven D.U.I.,s ,and have been in several car
crashes. On my last drunk all my ties with anyone were
broke including my family. I had no where to go so I took the
money I had from my last job, called a taxi and went to Lima
and rented a hotel room. I commenced to try to drink myself
to death. Drank for 2 solid days in the hotel room by myself.
I didnt know if I was coming or going and the last day I felt
the most loneliest feeling I've ever felt. I felt completely and
utterly alone, apart from the world and God. I was in hell. I
was scared and didnt know what to do. So I called my mom,
shes always been my angel always looking out for me.She
convinced me to call an ambulance, so I did. In November 2004, as I was going into the treatment
center, I began to cry. I didnt want to be there again. I
wanted to die, but the nurses reasured me that I was in the
right place .I was broken. I n my room that night I prayed to
God and surrendered my life to him and asked for help. He
did and it was clear. I was reminded of the serenity house in
Sidney ohio.The next day I talked to guy named Rick at
Serenity House. I was still detoxing and I dont remember
much. After 3 days of detox I went to the Serenity house
unsure of anything, but I knew I didnt want to drink. Rick
welcomed me with compassion and care. He became my 1st
best freind in sobriety along with the house directors Larry
Grieshop and pastor Ben Hunt. They were the only friends I
had in sobriety. I didnt know anyone else in Sidney. This
time I followed the rules in Serenity House, began hitting
meetings twice a day, got a sponsor right away,and I started
to get honest about myself. I got to know the people in the
recovery meetings and started to attend a catholic church to
reconnect with God, because I new I needed him in my life. I
attended regularly.and began praying on a daily basis as
suggested by my sponsor. About 2 or 3 months into my
sobriety I met Scotty in the rooms and we started to hang
out together, going to a lot of meetings, and became like
brothers in recovery. We worked recovery together,
eventually we moved in together. I was always trying to get
Scotty to go to church, he wasnt really willing to go but I
persisted. By a series of situations we BOTH ended up going
here to Ginghamsburg church. We had heard Bill Wise talk
about it in the rooms, we had gone to Tom Barnes funeral,
he was Scottys old sponsor and we found out he had been
involved with Ginghamsburg also. A friend gave Scotty a
copy of Mike Sandalins book and we saw how HE was
involved with Ginghamsburg. Something was drawing me to
Ginghamsburg, the holy spirit. Ive been here almost a year
and since my first visit my heart has been on fire. I've never
wanted to get to know Jesus better in my whole life as I do
today. I started to serve on the Next Step and felt so fufilled with
God. I wanted to be more involved with church so I attended
the Followers Life course to become a member of this loving
family. I was baptized last Sunday. It feels so good to belong
today.Today I continue to work the steps with my sponsor. I've
worked through the all the steps, right now I'm working on
step 3. I go to 4 to 5 meetings a week, attend this service
weekly, use the daily transformational Journal. Iget up an
hour before I go anywhere and spend it with God praying
first then I do meditation. At night I read and pray and thank
God for my day, review my day. I went on the Emmaus walk
this year and I'm reading The Purpose Driven Life. I have
been sober 24 months.My best friend Tommy and Rick from serenity house who I
was really close to, died. Addictions took there lives all in
my first year in recovery, strong reminders to me this
disease is no joke,its not something to play around with.I keep in contact with my son, I think he's proud of me.
Our relationship isn't as close as I would like. As for my
family its good. They're grateful they have a sober happy
son.God put me on a wonderous journey, something I thought
impossible at one time.