Helping Up // Stories of Addiction, Recovery, and Grace

Alison is the mother of Adam Fishman, who graduated from Helping Up Mission years ago and passed away more recently. Jake is Adam's brother. They share Adam's story, but also the story of their grief journeys. Mother's Day, like any holiday, is joyous for some and bitter or bittersweet for others. This episode goes out to all the mothers and all the family members who don't know where their loved one is today, or who've lost their loved one to addiction. We hope Alison's and Jake's stories and experiences bring you some measure of hope and encouragement in your grief. Please help us make a better podcast by taking our listener survey: https://hum.page.link/survey Transcript: https://helpingupmission.org/2022/05/a-mothers-grief-a-brothers-memorial Produced by Vic King (https://vicking.co). Music by Blue Dot Sessions (https://sessions.blue).

Listen as Renee shares her story of healing and recovery from childhood abuse, codependency, and recovery from addiction to alcohol. Please help us make a better podcast by taking our listener survey: https://hum.page.link/survey Transcript: https://helpingupmission.org/2021/12/when-the-whole-worlds-falling-apart-what-do-you-do-renees-story Produced by Vic King (https://vicking.co). Music by Blue Dot Sessions (https://sessions.blue).

Listen as Jeremy shares his story of healing from childhood trauma and abuse, and recovery from addiction to alcohol, heroin, and fentanyl. Please help us make a better podcast by taking our listener survey: https://hum.page.link/survey Transcript: https://helpingupmission.org/2021/09/my-scars-make-me-beautiful-jeremys-story Produced by Vic King (https://vicking.ninja). Music by Blue Dot Sessions (https://sessions.blue).

Listen as Carlton and Tyrell share their father-and-son story of addiction and recovery, from Tyrell's adoption at a young age to their reunion decades later. Produced by Vic King. Music by Blue Dot Sessions. Transcript: helpingupmission.org/2021/06/father-and-son-in-recovery-carlton-tyrells-story

Listen as Jon shares his story of addiction and recovery, including his growth in mental health, spiritual renewal, and plans to through-hike the Appalachian Trail. Produced by Vic King. Music by Blue Dot Sessions. Transcript: helpingupmission.org/2021/06/its-the-village-jons-story

"Everything you wanted - it's starting right now."  Listen as Ramon shares his story of addiction, recovery, and spiritual renewal. We featured Ramon's story in our video Road to Hope: https://vimeo.com/helpingup/roadtohope Music by Blue Dot Sessions.

"The catalyst, the breaking point, of me changing my life was me sitting on the side of a road one day and telling God that I accept this is going to be my life because you won't answer my prayer. " Demetrie grew up on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Hear him describe how, in recovery, his prayers started to change from telling God what to do to asking for God's will to be done, and how he's found the transformation he was always looking for.    Produced by Will Kapfer and Vic King. Music is Fifteen Street by Blue Dot Sessions and Thank You by Walter Hawkins.

We're relaunching our podcast with a new name! A Shot of Hope: Recovery Stories.  Listen and subscribe at: https://anchor.fm/helpingup Music is Fifteen Street by Blue Dot Sessions.

We invited our men to share: What does recovery look like for you in this moment of COVID-19? What's changed? What’s stayed the same? What encouragement would you have to offer others?  View the video version of this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1F5QPPu3ZVY Thank you for your prayers and your support, and may God bless you this Easter. Music is "Keep Up the Momentum, Friend" by Chris Zabriskie

We're back with Season 3! This episode is the story of Bobby Johnson and how despite his stumbles, God has placed Bobby on a path of service and redemption using his talents as a way to give back. Bobby reminds us that even in our darkest places, we still have a protector who, if we're willing, will help us out of the grips of death and into loving and meaningful relationships. Read more at https://helpingupmission.org/stories/bobbyj This episode was produced by Gino Toskes and Vic King with music by Podington Bear and Quincas Moreira.

“When I was in the midst of everything, there were no options. You wake up every day, and your intent has to be get money or be prepared to die. I have choices nowadays.”  Read more at helpingupmission.org/stories/ericw  Featuring Eric’s segment from the new podcast Drug Stories – check them out at drugstories.org. (Audio by Miriam Zimmerman and photo by Michelle Frankfurter)  This episode was produced by Evan Jones and Vic King.  Music by DMB (Eric’s request). 

“I am a firm believer that the small things in life make the difference. The big [things] are going to happen to everyone. The little ones are gifts. When someone talks to you and they actually care, it’s something you remember. It can make a huge difference in the rest of your day. It might make a difference in the rest of your life. Care might be the difference between life and death.”  Read more at helpingupmission.org/stories/blue 

“I was using drugs for so long that I didn’t know how to live without them.”  Read more at helpingupmission.org/stories/dustini 

“You can’t do this alone; it’s just impossible.”  Read more at helpingupmission.org/stories/johnb

This spring, we had the privilege of welcoming Diane Langberg to our campus for a visit. Dr. Langberg is a practicing psychologist whose clinical expertise includes 45 years of working with trauma survivors and clergy.  Dr. Langberg shared with our clients some of what she’s learned about healing from shame, sexual abuse, and other kinds of trauma.  00:01 The many faces of shame (below is the Shame Compass that Dr. Langberg refers to in this section)  28:05 The trauma of sexual abuse  36:07 The shape of healing: talk, tears, time 56:13 Q&A You can also view this talk on Youtube. And you can hear what Dr. Langberg shared with our staff, “Lessons from a Life of Counseling,” at helpingupmission.org/langberg

“When I saw my daddy in the hospital, I made a promise I would stop.  I made a promise to him, and I stopped for a while.  But it took a toll when he died… and I couldn’t help it.”  Read more at helpingupmission.org/stories/jackier

“Before, I had no desire to really dig.  I was too afraid of what I would find.  Now I know that there is no hope of hope if I don’t do what is uncomfortable.”  Read more at helpingupmission.org/stories/jakeh

“…That is when things started to go downhill for me, once I deleted God out of my life and pushed him to the side, that is when I started to do some really, really sad things.”  Read more at helpingupmission.org/stories/davidh

“Part of me thinks that it was because I was doing so well – maybe I could get away with one… I shot up while driving and I just had an immediate overdose…the last thing I remember was a loud crash. My next conscious memory is three weeks later in Johns Hopkins ICU surrounded by doctors with machines and tubes everywhere. My parents are there and crying, so I started crying.”  Read more at helpingupmission.org/stories/gregp

“I had nothing to sell; I had nothing to give; I was just really taking everything… trying to fill the void inside with drugs.”  Read more at helpingupmission.org/stories/wesr

Julio knows how it feels to be successful in the world’s eyes, but had to learn to be still and serve in order to succeed in his recovery. Read more at helpingupmission.org/stories/julios

Richard is no longer wandering the streets. Instead, he is spending this Christmas with family! Read more at helpingupmission.org/stories/rickp

“I just tried to talk honestly about myself and how God is helping me. I also shared that I don’t really know what God has for me, but am waiting patiently. Afterwards, one guy said to me, ‘God is already doing something in you and through you.’ That helped!” Read more at helpingupmission.org/stories/dougc

Yasin Abdul Adi was born in Detroit, MI but, while still young, his family moved to Knoxville, TN – the places he considers his “hometown” today. Yasin says he always felt a God-connection and tried many things to deepen it – including 25 years practicing Islam. Here’s his story. Read more at helpingupmission.org/stories/yasin

“Settling in, I wasn’t scared. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into but I was ready to change, whatever it took – I knew it was better than jail and it was time to get honest with myself.  I felt peace and could walk into a place and not be judged. I could lay my head down and fall asleep.” Read more at helpingupmission.org/stories/jamesw

“I don’t have a problem being vulnerable to the Father because I know he is not going to hurt me and has my best interests; my problem is being vulnerable with people… I resist it; I don’t want you to know that I have any vulnerability in me. Sometimes there’s a time to be angry, but I just don’t want to be angry anymore.” Watch AJ and others in our video Defined: Shame and Pathway to Hope Read more at helpingupmission.org/stories/aj

“Be yourself, be honest. Have faith… because you have to lean on something beyond yourself. If you put yourself first, and you think it’s all about you, then you’re already lost. Stay clean, stay drug-free. I know it’s cliché to say, but it doesn’t lead anywhere but jail or death. God didn’t give you the blessing of life to waste it and to get trashed every day. You weren’t put on this earth for that. I’m happy to wake up every day, open my eyes and breathe.” Read more at helpingupmission.org/stories/mark-ramiro

“Things have changed – I don’t react to things the way I would in the past. In the past when traumatic things happened, I would have used. Not today.” Read more at helpingupmission.org/stories/matt

Hear how Jack went from being desperate, conflicted, and stuck in addiction to happy, content, and spiritually free.