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Brianna Puts Her Family First, Leaves Addiction Behind
Brianna met her husband Justin at just 19. They started taking opiates recreationally, but it turned into a full-blown addiction. “I just had to have pills to even go to work,” she said. “I remember the first time not having them I called Justin and I was telling him, ‘I need something. I’m hurting so…
Kellen Feels ‘Closer To God Every Day’
Kellen always wanted to go to college at a big football school. He chose the University of Alabama, joined a fraternity, and started partying “way too much,” he said. “I wasn’t attending a lot of my classes, and I was doing a lot of drinking, coke—just kind of going crazy for a couple years.” Kellen…
Sean Trades in Prison Life for a Healthy Future
Sean, 34, has spent most of his adult life in prison. While he came from a good family in Santa Maria, Sean said he just gravitated toward a bad crowd in school. “I started using drugs and getting into trouble,” he said. “I was sent to a juvenile boys camp when I was 17, and…
Jasmin Looks For A Fresh Start At The Lighthouse
Jasmin grew up in the Oxnard neighborhood surrounding the Lighthouse. She started getting into some trouble at age 9, and after a traumatic childhood event, things got worse. “I was raped at 11, and after that happened, I just had this feeling that I wasn’t worth anything anymore. I turned to drugs and gangs. That’s…
Alcohol Costs Pastor His Wife And Church
Todd, a young, married pastor in a small town in Indiana, remembers the moment his drinking ruined his life. “It was Christmas 2002. I tried to get up and preach drunk. It was a fairly large church and I was publicly humiliated. Everything changed that night. I was fired the next day and I quickly…
Keyana Regains Custody Of Son, Starts New Life After Graduation
When Keyana gave birth to her son, he was taken from her immediately by Child Protective Services. She had been using drugs throughout her pregnancy and had been homeless for three years. Now, just over a year later, Keyana has received the keys to her new home, a room in transitional housing, where she’ll live…
Ron Laments Years Of Missed Opportunities
Despite growing up without a father, and moving around often with his mom, Ron had opportunities to excel in life. “I started playing baseball, and scouts were watching me in high school,” he said. “But I just went down the wrong road. I became an alcoholic at a young age.” Ron dropped out of high…
Hector Finds Hope At The Mission
Hector married young, and after three years, when the marriage ended, Hector started drinking and going out more. “Sure enough, drugs showed up,” he said. “It was a quick, easy masking device.” Hector kept using, even after remarrying and having a son. He worked in the oil industry, and drug use was especially prevalent during…
Gary Reconnects With God After Years Away
“I grew up on a small island in the South Pacific called American Samoa,” Gary said. “I only had three goals in life: to speak English without an accent, get a college degree—check, check—and to leave that island and never return. It was too small. I loved my culture, but I wanted to see what…
After Suffering Devastating Losses, Nick Focuses On His Young Daughter
When Nick was 10 years old, his brother died after a night of extreme alcohol and cocaine use. Two years later, his mother, a lifelong heroin addict, died from congestive heart failure, and complications from hepatitis C and diabetes. “I lost so much of my family at an early age,” he said. “My father was…
Lighthouse Grad’s Life Renewed After Years of Struggle
It wasn’t until her 30s that Elena started experimenting with drugs with her husband. They were both in the entertainment industry and it was all around. “We were both drinking and using even though we were educated people and knew better,” she said. “It’s fun when it’s fun, but when it’s bad, it’s really bad.”…
Wade Wants to Fight for His Joy
Growing up in a tough part of Oxnard, the gang life was all around Wade. “I was only 13 when I got into it,” he said. “They go after the little kids and manipulate them. In my mind, I thought of it as a righteous cause. As you grow up, you realize, this isn’t right.…
