I was in and out of addiction for 17 years of my life. My specific route started with pain medication due to neck injury and very quickly progressed from there. Within no time I was a full blown alcoholic and drug user. Using drugs to stay awake and using drugs to fall asleep. I frequented short-term treatment centres yearly to no avail. I would sober up and be stable for roughly 6 months and then start the procedure all over again.

 

In 2017 I had lost every single thing I held dear due to an unwillingness to change and after the 3rd night on the street in a cold July I begged and pleaded for help. I took the last couple of cents I had available and booked myself into long term treatment.

 

My dad (bless his heart), covered my stay there for a year and I was able to sort my life out and my mom supported me emotionally when the time was right and a lot of hurt was caused by me in that department.

 

My stay at Zebulon was the best thing I had ever decided to complete and I learnt so much during my stay. The work put in there made me understand myself and more so my actions and the consequences thereof in a way that was somehow never clear to me before.

 

Lizette and I had to almost start from scratch after 10 years of marriage. She had dealt with my addiction for way too long and we were close to being some of the bad statistics regarding marriages. The trust broken within our marriage was so severe it took a long time to rebuild, but it did. Not because of what I said, but proving myself over and over again through my actions.

 

The Lord blessed me with a wife that always saw who I could be and I am extremely thankful for her perseverance and endurance concerning me. The Bible is right in Proverbs 18:22 “The man who finds a wife finds a treasure, and he receives favor from the LORD.”

 

I slowly started building up other broken relationships by taking responsibility and making amends with those I had wronged. Zebulon sent a man of God and of purpose back into society and I have never looked back.

 

My wife and I had a daughter after 13 years of marriage and we have never been stronger as a unit. In 2020 we bought a plot in Walkers Fruit Farms and we decided to start a sober community to give people a stepping stone between treatment and society. We firmly believe there is a need for this type of setup in our area and we intend to fill it.

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