LIGHT READING

Six GLR Men Celebrate One Year of Sobriety

Every few months we celebrate graduates of the Guiding Light Recovery program that reach a year of sobriety. Check it out!

It Boggles My Mind How a Year Can Change Your Life

After years in and out of sobriety, Chad describes that period of life as being in “a very dark place” of depression and drug use, including an overdose. A year after arriving at the Guiding Light Recovery program and his life has completely turned around.

Dedicating New Spiritual Direction Spaces at Guiding Light

Guiding Light staff has been hard at work renovating two rooms that have been dedicated spaces for the men of our Recovery program to receive Spiritual Direction. These renovations, made possible through the generous donations of Larry and Judy Fredericks, have allowed us to create two safe, peaceful, and therapeutic spaces for men recovering from addiction to form a better relationship with God. In May 2023, we were able to formally open these spaces and dedicate them to our long serving Spiritual Director Larry Slager. Larry has been volunteering at Guiding Light for over a decade, helping men to develop their spirituality and move forward in their lives.

“Being Here Gave Me That ‘Sky is the Limit’ Attitude”

Parris got to the point where “enough was enough” and he reached out for help at Guiding Light. He remembers the specific date – January 19 – just as he remembers what he found here: “A lot of structure. A lot of love. Acceptance, wisdom, knowledge. This place made me stand for something. It helped me not only find sobriety but also find myself as a person who I really am, my purpose in life.”

Hold Still & Be Set Free

We often try to avoid the things that make us feel uncomfortable: topics, ideas, or actions that might take us to a scary and vulnerable place, such as DEATH. Most of the men in the recovery program were living a figurative death before coming here, controlled by their substance of choice and delusional thinking. A literal death is a too-familiar reality for those living in addiction.

The Harsh Reality of Recovery

The harsh reality of addiction is that many do not make it to recovery. Many simply do not get it, many die, many move on, struggling to cope by substituting one addiction for another. But few are able to truly reach sobriety and reap the amazing benefits that true recovery offers. The men of Guiding Light Recovery recently had to confront this when a member of their community relapsed.

I Went in to Give This My All | Andy Bob’s Story

Andy came to Guiding Light with nothing to lose. His addiction burnt every bridge he had, and he wanted to prove that nothing could change him. Today he is a family man, a business owner, and a shining example of what a little bit of willingness can do for a young man that puts in the work of transformation.

Celebrating Recovery

We look for ways to celebrate the movement and transformation of the men who are living a new way in this world. Check out what our One Year Sobriety Celebration is like in the video below.  At the end of May, a group of 5 men will each get a chance to share how their lives are different a full year into abstinence-based sobriety and then hammer their name plaque onto a wall with a hundred other men who have achieved the same milestone.

Parris and Josh’s Easter Testimony

This Easter, Guiding Light Recovery clients Parris and Josh had a chance to speak directly to to the families and communities that support them.