The Truth Will Set You Free: My Journey from Addiction to Redemption

I never thought my life would turn out this way. I had dreams—simple ones, really. A wife, a house, a family, even a dog. But somewhere along the way, those dreams got lost in the haze of addiction.

It started small. In high school, I had no interest in drugs. I had hopes, goals, and no plans of straying. But after graduating, I loosened up. Marijuana here and there, drinking on the weekends. Then one night, I tried crystal meth. I knew right away that I loved it, and deep down, I also knew it had the power to destroy me. I told myself I wouldn’t let it, that I’d control it. But addiction doesn’t work that way.

For years, I balanced my life between partying and maintaining a sense of normalcy. But when the economy crashed in 2007-2008, so did my life. No work meant no money, and no money meant no drugs. Desperation took over. I started stealing—breaking and entering, taking from my own mother, selling anything I could just to stay high.

My family knew. My sister, trying to protect her children, kept my nieces away from me. That broke me. They were my one joy. The shame, the guilt, the weight of it all became unbearable. I toyed with ending my life. I even went as far as reaching for a gun. But when I went to get the bullets, they were gone. Later, my mom told me, "Son, the Lord told me to throw those bullets away, so I did."

That was the moment I started realizing I needed freedom. But I didn’t know how to find it.

One night, I was at a friend’s house, and his mom—a sweet woman who had tried to share the gospel with me before—said something that changed my life. She casually mentioned she was making little yellow ribbons that said, "The truth will set you free." The words hit me like a ton of bricks. They wouldn’t leave my mind. And I knew—I had been living a lie. I was a drug addict, but no one could prove it because I refused to admit it. So I did. I blurted out the words, "I’m a drug addict." And in that moment, something shifted.

An hour later, I asked her to take me home so I could tell my mom. When I walked in, she looked at me and said, "Son, the demons are going crazy." That freaked me out, but I told her anyway. I confessed everything. She wasn’t angry—she was relieved. Word spread to my family, and my cousin Gloria called, saying she wanted to take me to lunch. She took me to a rehab program called U-Turn for Christ. I wasn’t happy about it, but I went.

I was stubborn. I walked in with no belief in Jesus and no plans to change that. But on my second day, a pastor called me in to talk. I told him straight up, "With all due respect, I don’t believe in what you believe. So let’s not waste each other’s time." As I turned to leave, he simply said, "That’s fine, as long as you’re okay with going to hell." That made me mad. I turned back, sat down, and listened.

He told me I was a sinner. That was news to me. I thought I just had a drug problem. Then he asked about my mom. I started realizing that my choices weren’t just affecting me—I was hurting the people I loved. And then he said, "I want you to put your trust in Jesus." That was different. I couldn’t just suddenly believe, but trust? I could try that. So I did. I asked Jesus to come into my life. 

That night, I had a dream. I was graduating from U-Turn for Christ, walking out the gates, when something grabbed me—something dark, angry, full of hate. I thought I was done for. But then, out of nowhere, a fist struck it in the face and knocked it to the ground. I woke up shaken. The next night, during my Bible reading time, I flipped open to Psalm 3: "For you struck all my enemies on the cheekbone..." God had answered me.

Rehab wasn’t easy. But for the first time in years, I had joy. I laughed again. I found purpose. After completing the program, my cousins took me in instead of letting me go back to my old life. I got a job working for a pastor, and the church surrounded me with support. Then, I was asked to go to a Bible college in the Philippines. That led to more learning, more growing. I developed a hunger for God’s Word.

Today, I have the life I always wanted but thought I’d never have. I met an incredible woman, married her, and became a father to two beautiful daughters. I spend my time ministering to others, going back to U-Turn for Christ every month to share my testimony.

To anyone still struggling, I’d say this: Addiction isn’t THE problem. It’s A problem. It’s a symptom of a deeper issue—trying to be king of your own life. As long as I was calling the shots, my life kept going downhill. But when I realized that God wanted that place in my life and surrendered to it, I finally found peace. The truth really did set me free.

And it can set you free, too.