When our nightmare with our son began we were scared, devastated, mortified, embarrassed and at a loss on what we needed to do.
JEFF & LYNDA
When our nightmare with our son began we were scared, devastated, mortified, embarrassed and at a loss on what we needed to do. Our son was always happy with personality plus, very athletic, and a standout in high school and his beginning years at college. Going through something of this nature was never on our radar.
Of course, in the beginning, our son was not a willing participant in any program. He fought with us every step of the way until we got “tough” and let him know that he was going to get help or no longer have a home with us. Our immediate families were brought into our world and promised to support us in all of our decisions. He stayed on the streets for a few days then decided to enter treatment in order for him to have a life with his very young daughter.
We came to St. Christopher’s by way of referral from another outpatient program that did not work for our son and family. Our family embraced the treatment plan laid out, and we slowly began to include our immediate family with positive results. Our son came around a little and began to take the program seriously. I won’t say that going through every step of the program was easy because it wasn’t. In fact, it was anything but easy. There were curves and bumps along the way, but with the continued support of the counselors and family sessions, we were able to hang in there. Most importantly, our son was hanging in there. Our whole family has learned greatly about this debilitating disease that affects so many people all over the world. The education that St. Christopher’s provided was enlightening and informative – we truly have a new perspective on drug and alcohol addiction and have learned that it doesn’t discriminate. These addictions touch people who are down and out, successful, poor, middle class and privileged alike.
We are very humbled and happy to say that our son graduated St. Christopher’s program recently and agreed to stay on with St. Christopher’s Sober Living program. His commencement ceremony was a celebration for everyone in our family – I believe we set a record with having around 40 family members and friends attend this joyous occasion. I do feel that family and friends make a huge difference going through this program; it’s not only helpful for them but integral for the addict to see that he has that support behind him. Our son has learned to live independently, be accountable for his actions, hold his brotherhood accountable for their actions in a positive way, hold down a full time job, and keep up his commitments to the program by attending AA meetings and group sessions. He still has a long way to go, and we pray for him daily that he continues his path with St. Christopher’s, receiving the support that has gotten him this far.