RN0441
100% better than I was but not at 100% yet
My son has been sober for 8 months - that in itself is a big accomplishment! He has been in his long term faith based program since October 10th and was sober one month prior to that.
We had sent him to sober living in Florida in March of 2016 after struggling for many years and not being able to stay sober on his own. We had "had it" and knew being with us wasn't working.
We have seen huge changes in him since he has been at in his current program. We are able to visit once per month and talk to him only TEN MINUTES per week. They are teaching him to be accountable and be independent. That is just the tip of the iceberg of what he has learned since he has been there. He has shown a lot of appreciation to us for all that we have done for him and sticking by him and not giving up.
He is going on a missionary trip in June to an Indian reservation in Montana with a few other "brothers". He is nervous about this because it is outside of his comfort zone and he has to tell his "story" to a lot of people. They are now practicing for a program they will be putting on for the guys there. He said he is hard for him (he has social anxiety) but he is making himself do this. We are happy because we feel this will be an enriching experience for him.
Last month on our visit we told him about our move to another state this summer due to my job transfer. We are leaving our older boys in Chicago as they are pretty settled. We did not have to make this move but my husband has been wanting to move to a warmer climate for several years so this is a good opportunity for us. I really like my job and am paid well and treated well. Our son will be joining us when he graduates in November. He was very upset at first when we told him about the relocation, concerned about his older brothers. Had thought of "home" so many times since he's been gone. After it sunk in he did feel happy that we are giving him another chance.
He works so hard to follow the rules there and always be on time. They are very strict. For example, a candy wrapper in your pants that are thrown into the laundry is one week on discipline and no call home. A lot of people cannot make it. He will go to the Hope House in July where they are independent and work full time. He will receive a check when he graduates which he will use for a car.
It amazes me that this program works so well since many of these men have been doing drugs for decades and to be able to turn their lives around is just amazing. We see graduations when we visit once per month and the stories are heartbreaking but amazing also. You cannot leave there without being deeply touched by the stories of these men. We know because we have lived it too.
We feel this will be a fresh start for our son and we really want to give him that opportunity as long as he is moving in a positive direction with his life and continues to do so. He has expressed that he wants to do a job helping people and is interested in public service. Possibly law enforcement or something along those lines. This means so much to me as he used to hate police officers during his drug days. Most do when they are breaking the law!
We will take it all one day at a time and see how things go. He knows this is a trial basis only. He is going to use this time as a springboard to do positive things with his life and be the son that he should have been and the man that God intends him to be (his words, not mine). I really feel this move and the timing is a divine intervention. There are many reasons that I feel this way and my son feels this way also. Also as a plus my brother will be living an hour from me as they are retiring there. We have never lived that close to one another so I am very excited to have some family close by.
If everything works out and my son is able to reach his goals I will still not feel that all this pain and suffering was worth it but at least it will not have been in vain.
We had sent him to sober living in Florida in March of 2016 after struggling for many years and not being able to stay sober on his own. We had "had it" and knew being with us wasn't working.
We have seen huge changes in him since he has been at in his current program. We are able to visit once per month and talk to him only TEN MINUTES per week. They are teaching him to be accountable and be independent. That is just the tip of the iceberg of what he has learned since he has been there. He has shown a lot of appreciation to us for all that we have done for him and sticking by him and not giving up.
He is going on a missionary trip in June to an Indian reservation in Montana with a few other "brothers". He is nervous about this because it is outside of his comfort zone and he has to tell his "story" to a lot of people. They are now practicing for a program they will be putting on for the guys there. He said he is hard for him (he has social anxiety) but he is making himself do this. We are happy because we feel this will be an enriching experience for him.
Last month on our visit we told him about our move to another state this summer due to my job transfer. We are leaving our older boys in Chicago as they are pretty settled. We did not have to make this move but my husband has been wanting to move to a warmer climate for several years so this is a good opportunity for us. I really like my job and am paid well and treated well. Our son will be joining us when he graduates in November. He was very upset at first when we told him about the relocation, concerned about his older brothers. Had thought of "home" so many times since he's been gone. After it sunk in he did feel happy that we are giving him another chance.
He works so hard to follow the rules there and always be on time. They are very strict. For example, a candy wrapper in your pants that are thrown into the laundry is one week on discipline and no call home. A lot of people cannot make it. He will go to the Hope House in July where they are independent and work full time. He will receive a check when he graduates which he will use for a car.
It amazes me that this program works so well since many of these men have been doing drugs for decades and to be able to turn their lives around is just amazing. We see graduations when we visit once per month and the stories are heartbreaking but amazing also. You cannot leave there without being deeply touched by the stories of these men. We know because we have lived it too.
We feel this will be a fresh start for our son and we really want to give him that opportunity as long as he is moving in a positive direction with his life and continues to do so. He has expressed that he wants to do a job helping people and is interested in public service. Possibly law enforcement or something along those lines. This means so much to me as he used to hate police officers during his drug days. Most do when they are breaking the law!
We will take it all one day at a time and see how things go. He knows this is a trial basis only. He is going to use this time as a springboard to do positive things with his life and be the son that he should have been and the man that God intends him to be (his words, not mine). I really feel this move and the timing is a divine intervention. There are many reasons that I feel this way and my son feels this way also. Also as a plus my brother will be living an hour from me as they are retiring there. We have never lived that close to one another so I am very excited to have some family close by.
If everything works out and my son is able to reach his goals I will still not feel that all this pain and suffering was worth it but at least it will not have been in vain.
