When Richie was just 16, his father died and he began numbing his grief with alcohol. It was the beginning of a 40-year struggle with addiction that cost him jobs, destroyed his marriage, and left him homeless. “I didn’t care where I slept, what I ate, or what happened to me. I was depressed and desperate.” Then, one morning, he awakened under a boardwalk and decided to change his life. “I was sick and tired. [...]

“I had to get right with God.” Carson grew up in a dysfunctional family where alcohol was used liberally. He picked up the destructive habit and soon came to depend on it to feel comfortable around others. “I was real quiet, but drinking made me open up,” he says. Over the next few years, however, the practice escalated to addiction… and deeply impacted his life. An experienced LPN, “I had good jobs, but I lost [...]

“I was looking for a solid foundation with God and I found it here at Bridgeport Rescue Mission” When Pamela learned the man she loved no longer loved her, she was heartbroken. And the substances she’d used only recreationally became a panacea for her emotions. “They made me feel like I had no pain and no resentments,” she says, ignoring the danger of her self-destructive habit. Soon addiction took hold and life spiraled out of [...]

  “I never thought I was worthy.” Carol’s father left when she was young, and she always felt the absence of his love. Influenced by those around her who abused alcohol, she began drinking too, believing it filled the void she felt inside. As she grew older, the destructive habit escalated, impacting her health and her relationships with those she loved most. “When I was drinking, I didn’t care what I said or if I [...]