“I couldn’t understand why I was using (drugs) again, after all I went through,” Billy says of the time just before he came to the Milwaukee Rescue Mission.

 

He’d certainly been through a lot--four years in prison for a drug-related theft. Sadly, he didn’t take advantage of that time to make any lasting changes in his life. As soon as he was out, he went back to his old neighborhood and the same bad choices. He tried a state-run recovery program, but he couldn’t seem to stop using.

 

After a week of getting high, Billy was desperate. He walked all the way across Milwaukee to get to MRM for some real answers. “Now I know [why I kept using],” he says. “It was my sin problem.”

 

 

“Pride was killing me,” Billy admits. “But I decided to give God 100%, and now I’ve got a different attitude. When I prayed, the things around me didn’t change, but the way I looked at things changed.”

 

Billy was grateful for the length of our program, because he knew recovery would be a process. “It’s like math,” he explains. “You’ve got to learn how to add first, before you can multiply.” And the Milwaukee Rescue Mission’s program didn’t just try to take drugs out of his life, without giving him anything to put in their place. “If your focus is to stay off drugs, then you need to put your focus on something more powerful than drugs...God.”

 

If you visit MRM today, you might find Billy deep in conversation with another resident. They look up to him for his maturity and seek him out when they feel troubled.

 

When he graduates, Billy plans to put his mentoring skills to work by returning to a former career--security at an alternative school for kids who’ve grown up rough. “This is a cruel world we’re living in.” he says. “One mistake can lead you down a path that can slowly destroy your life.” He’s sure his example can save those kids years of trouble and set them on the right path.

 

“I wake up with joy in my heart,” Billy says. “Waking up in itself is a blessing--being able to thank God for what I have!” Thank you for helping to set Billy’s feet on the right path, along with dozens of other men battling addiction!