Lonely and afraid, Adam knew something needed to change. Adam grew up in a small Indiana town, active in his church and youth group as well as the Boy Scouts and other clubs. It was a good place to be a kid. At the same time, his father was not present and his mother worked full-time leaving Adam with a lot of freedom to come and go, making his own friends and his own choices.
As a young teenager, Adam and his friends started to experiment with alcohol and marijuana. It started out as fun – it felt good. What he did not understand was that he was just taking the first steps of many that would lead him to the Muncie Mission.
Throughout the next 16 years (including 4 years in the Army) alcohol and marijuana would lead to Vicodin, morphine and finally heroin. Not all at once and not all at the same time. There were several times when Adam was able to stay clean, sometimes for as long as 8 months. Externally Adam appeared to have it all together. Internally, however, his anxieties and fears always brought him back to the things that made him feel better – drugs. Eventually they would cost him his job, his fiancée and his home.
The day finally came when Adam knew he would have to make a decision. With several options available to him and God’s leading, he decided to come to the Mission.
In Adam’s own words: “I found something at the Muncie Mission as I was walking down 12th Street that night not so long ago. I looked over and saw the cross with the lights on it and I knew that cross was for me. It was calling to me to come and leave all my sins, failures and addiction the foot of the cross so that I could be free.”
He was lonely and afraid but he knew he needed to change. The road to recovery was not easy. After several tries and even a significant relapse Adam finally made it through the entire recovery program. He credits his success to the working of the Holy Spirit through the program counselors and their daily encouragement and interactions.
Today Adam has hope for the future – steady employment and restored relationships. He is more confident now that with the support of his church and small town community he can make the decisions that will let him live a truly good life, one at peace with God, himself and others.