Uncategorized

I am 40 years old, and I am alive. A year and a half ago, my life was in a very deplorable state. I am not looking for someone to blame, I am not complaining about my upbringing, environment, or circumstances. My absolute love of alcohol caused me to hit rock bottom.

In 17 years (before I came to rehab), I remember only six days when I didn’t drink. Alcoholism has led me to live in the Kyiv woods in a hut. I have a young son, but he doesn’t know me. My wife wants nothing to do with me. I had my own firm, a good profession, and a great job. Analyzing my life, I see that I always had opportunities to live normally! But I drank it all away. Friends, loved ones, family. I just couldn’t stop. But how innocuous it all started

when I was young; I liked hanging out with people older than me. I wasn’t interested in my peers. I was into music, and from 16, I started hanging out in these “creative circles. “We got together virtually every night, relaxed socializing, drinking, light drugs, interesting people… I quickly “grew accustomed” to this party. Now I understand that it was a gathering of alcoholics and drug addicts who loved to speculate on higher matters (in fairness, it is noteworthy that some of them still became good musicians, but this is the exception). At that point in my life, I felt significant, intelligent, and mature in that community. The only thing I learned there was that being tipsy was the norm of life. Drugs frightened me, and I saw and understood the consequences of using them. Everyday light alcohol seemed like a harmless prank compared to narcotics. How deluded I had been!

I was growing up. I got a well-paid job. I got a girlfriend. Then my boys and I opened our own firm. All this time, I continued to drink—little by little, but practically every day. Of course, it couldn’t go on like this all the time. Eventually, I started getting drunk. At some point, I stopped controlling the process. They asked me to leave the firm; I was setting a bad example. I broke up with my girlfriend. My pride was hurt that a specialist like me was out of work. At the time, I did not want to think that there was an objective reason for these consequences! It was easier to blame everyone and everything than to be honest and admit to myself that I should stop drinking. I had to stop drinking. Completely. But I wasn’t ready for that sacrifice.

As a result of all the turmoil, I lived for three years as if in a fog. My bruised ego, sense of worthlessness, and incredible arrogance threw me into a stupor. I reacted very painfully to reality. The only way I could cope with it was to get stupidly drunk. Sometimes binge drinking alternated with attempts to pull myself together. During such periods of enlightenment, I tried to work but did not stay anywhere for long; I snapped. Hard times, dark times.

Then I met the future mother of my child, Julia. I was offered an excellent job, and some money came in. I had a feeling of permissiveness, impunity, and complete control. Life was getting better! The only thing that didn’t change was my ritualistic liter of beer a day. Several years passed like that. Three painful years were wiped out of my memory without a trace, and I allowed myself to relax. The binge drinking started again. I lost my job.

There was a severe misunderstanding with my family. They began to tell me about my drinking problem openly, but I did not hear them. The birth of a child did not stop me either. At one point, Julia said it would be better if the child didn’t know his father at all! She didn’t want to see me again.

What happened next was terrible. I ended up in Kyiv, in a wooded area. My companion in misfortune (a local bum) and I built ourselves a tent there, draped an old mattress and a couple of rugs inside, and covered the outside with plastic sheeting: collected waste paper, PET, and metal. Furthermore, we climbed trash cans, which always had something to eat. We drank everything we could get away with. It was cold in the hut in the winter, so I often went to the church on Geroev Dnieper to get warm. I was never bothered there, it was warm, and they fed me. I liked it there. I do not remember exactly where from, but I heard there were rehabilitation centers somewhere. I didn’t understand what it was and asked the church to find out if such a center existed. They agreed to help me.

They found a free rehabilitation center for me in Makarov. They helped me get a chest X-ray and put me on a bus. I was driving along thinking – what kind of rehabilitation was waiting for me there?

At the center, I was met by a big man in boots and an overcoat. What do they feed them here? Then it turned out that it was the attendant of the center, and I was sinking. They were building something in the house. “That’s it,” the thought flashed through my mind, “I’m in the construction site of the century!” Just try not to get beaten up because I’ll unlikely escape. Of course, Misha (the rehabilitation leader) and I later laughed together about my first impressions, but I had no time for laughter at the time. The only thing that comforted me was that it was warm; most likely, they would feed me.

But then, things were not as I had imagined. I saw a completely different life. I saw respect, support, and genuine help. Many guys who had lived for years in a strong friendship with drugs and alcohol were learning to cope with their addictions together. They were just like me.

For the first time in years, I felt comfortable and at peace. I didn’t even realize the exact moment it happened. The resentment toward the world was gone. It was only now that I was beginning to admit that I was solely responsible for all the troubles in my life. I didn’t previously appreciate anything except alcohol. I began to think about the fact that there were so many others just like me and each of them needed help as well. I asked to stay at the center to help others, and they left me alone.

Now I dedicate every day of my life to the people who come to rehab. Ready to be a support to those who now still exist in their closed and selfish world, where addiction stupefies and puts themselves first. As I analyze my past life, I clearly understand that I could never have dreamt of living the way I do now. I am genuinely grateful to God and all those who helped me through rehab for what I have now – my sober state. I am learning to live again and enjoying the fact that I enjoy being sober!

If you don’t know HOW to beat addiction – call us!

073 073 22 24 (Telegram)

099 631 22 00 (Viber)

096 010 11 01

Not long ago, we were in your shoes. And now we are ready to help even you.

I grew up in a simple family in Kirovograd. My father is a miner, and my mother has been in sales all her life. For as long as I can remember, my father always drank vodka and “raised” me, my sister, and my mother.

Because of this, I grew up on the street, and the only thing my father demanded of me was always to tell the truth. Therefore, I was a virtual liar, making up all kinds of stories as I went along, and I was stubborn in my inventions-even when my father started beating me for lying, I still stood my ground.

I did not know what to do, so I decided to become physically strong. At 15, I began to train in boxing, and after six months, I never lost but won against everyone I faced.

The only thing my coach put into me is that everyone’s head is the same, no matter if there’s a mustache glued to it or how much body weight is under that head. That’s why I always hit clearly, right in the head. I liked hitting people so much that I deliberately, theatrically, dodged blows, giving my opponent the opportunity to wave his arms, showing what a loser he was.

I remember that my friends and peers counted their trips to the girls. I counted my fights. I had over 200 bloody bouts, sometimes with a broken nose.

After three years of this, when I started showing up at discos, cafes, and crowded places – everyone’s mood changed. I was once spotted by Kirovograd gangsters and started racketeering with them.

Therefore, it was no surprise to anyone when I ended up in jail. I was not the last person in the zone either, as I tried to stick to the correct “notions.”

But then something happened to me. After watching the movie “Les Miserables” in prison, all my pomposity went away, and I decided to go to a meeting of believers in the penal colony.

When I got there, I didn’t understand what I was doing here – an intelligent, proud man among the poor of the poor. Then I realized that that was when God showed me who my real brothers were, and not the brothers who were waiting for me in the barracks because I had food or drugs.

I started reading the Bible, even though I didn’t understand what was so special about it. The only principle in reading I had was to not smoke while reading it.

The first book I ever read was “Genghis Khan” by V. Yang. I was struck by how vividly and colorfully he described the fruits and sweets on the eastern tables, the motley tents, and the decorations of the warriors.

So when I read the Bible, I was really into the stories, like picturing Joseph when he was betrayed by his brothers in their colorful robes, etc.

When I found myself in a cell again (another conviction), I got to Isaiah 1:5 “Why should ye be stricken (beaten) any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.” I turned around and saw my bros – one had problems with his legs because of drugs, police officers beat another – I was the only healthy one. Suddenly I realized that I couldn’t wait – I had to repent; I realized the gravity of my crimes. I crawled with my head under a blanket and repented.

The next morning I decided to follow Christ. When I was born again, it’s hard to say because I still, after praying in repentance and making a decision for Christ, even after being baptized in prison, had sinned a lot, but I understood one thing clearly – I did not want to live the way I had lived before.

When I was released, I went to my hometown and the central church and asked the pastors for help. They offered me two options: either to Rivne, Oleg Beshta, or Makarov. I did not care, so they first called Makarov and told them I was coming to them asking for help. There they gave me the okay, and I came to rehab.

One day, in rehab, I realized I needed to give myself FULLY to Jesus, and I prayed this prayer: “Lord, my life is a blank slate. I put my signature on it, and You write Your plan. What you write, that’s what I’ll do; that’s how I’ll live.” After that decision, I suddenly realized that Jesus forgave me.

I went to rehab and got married. God sent me a wife who strengthens me immensely – she is a woman of great faith. I am slowly running my business.

I thank God for His patience and mercy toward me!

God has changed Sasha a lot – it’s rare to find such a kind and peaceful person as he is.

Every addict wants to get off drugs, but only a few do

My name is Ruslan, I am 35 years old, and I want to share with you how I was able to quit drugs permanently.

I was using drugs for a long time.

It all started like with most drug addicts. I grew up in a typical family and had a normal upbringing. But unfortunately, I, like many others, ended up with the wrong crowd. I got under the influence of a messed-up environment and began to use drugs.

Life, like all addicts, was downhill until I committed a crime, which landed me in jail.

A terrible thing happened to me in prison: I got sucked into a lathe in which I would have died if I hadn’t snagged the power wire with my foot, and thus the lathe stopped.

All the circumstances of my life were screaming at me: “stop before it’s too late!”

The problem is that you are perfectly aware of everything, all the perniciousness of what you are doing, all the grim and destructive consequences of your lousy evil habits.

But the paradox is that you love what kills you!

But there was nothing I could do about it – I couldn’t escape the drugs. They had power over me and subjugated all my thoughts, feelings, and desires.

I was systematically deceiving my family and friends, not just cheating but also stealing.

So little by little, I spiraled downhill until someone brought me to a rehabilitation center. I went through an entire course of rehabilitation and was given complete freedom from the power of drugs in my life.

It seemed like everything was lost, there was no way out, every day was filled with guilt, shame, and fear, and there was no way out of this swamp.

A huge thank you to the rehab center staff for helping me get off drugs and reintegrate into society!

If you want to quit drugs for good, call now:

073 073 22 24

096 010 11 01

099 631 22 00