Robert arrived at Adult & Teen Challenge Ohio Valley in March and will graduate in five months. “I was basically drinking a lot, drinking in excess,” he said. “My health was deteriorating and my lifestyle was deteriorating.” The excessive drinking continued for about five years and then Robert, 39, started experiencing seizures and problems with his pancreas. And he stopped going to work.
“I thought I was doing fine, believe it or not, but I had a praying family who kept close ties on me and decided that enough was enough,” he said. “They intervened, brought me back to New Castle and I almost immediately came straight here.” Robert had been living in South Carolina for 15 years, working in the electric industry. “I knew I needed help,” he said. “I was a little reluctant at first, but I knew the whole time that I needed treatment.”
Robert spent about a week detoxing at his mother’s house and then went to see a doctor who recommended he get treatment, advising him his life was at risk without it. “My health has improved 100%,” he said. He’s exercising, eating better and he’s clear minded and focused on his spiritual life.
“I always knew about God,” Robert explained. “My father was a preacher and I grew up in the church, but I didn’t apply it to in my daily life until I was clear-minded after I stopped drinking.” Now he walks in constant recognition of Christ, “studying the Bible and books, reading scriptures and meditation.”
After he graduates, he’d like to get back to working in electricity but says he’s keeping his mind open to wherever the spirit leads. Robert’s progress at ATCOV allowed a huge weight to be lifted from his parents’ shoulders, knowing that he’s healthy and in a safe place. “They’re people of faith so they knew that if I just took the right steps that I could be healthy again,” he said. “But their overall outlook on it is just that it’s a miracle.”
Robert believes ATCOV works because of its two-pronged approach. “I feel like the process of getting sober is all about the transformation of the mind — spiritual and clinical,” he said.
