“Since being at House of Cherith, I have found my own courage to believe in myself and face the world. I have learned new coping skills and feel confident that I will be able to lead a normal productive life.”

“Before House of Cherith, my life was filled with poor choices, bad relationships, and family trauma including sexual violations starting at 4 years old. At about 35 years old, I went back to live with my parents to take care of my mom who was sick.

My dad became my drinking buddy. Two years after that he was diagnosed with breast cancer. He died about five years later. Within that time we drank a lot, trying to cope with our grief.

One year after my dad’s diagnosis, I got back together with my high school sweetheart. When we first got together, it felt like a fairytale but it quickly turned into a nightmare. After about 3 months, the emotional abuse started. Slowly it turned into physical and then sexual abuse. I was in a very dark place. I struggled with insomnia, PTSD, major depression, and alcoholism. I was in denial about how serious my problems were and I thought if I self-medicated with alcohol and marijuana all would be good in the world. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. I tried multiple times to commit suicide. I thought the world would be better off without me. During this time, I went to several hospitals and programs ultimately leading me to House of Cherith.

Since being at House of Cherith, I have found my own courage to believe in myself and face the world. I have learned new coping skills and feel confident that I will be able to lead a normal productive life. I have been sober for a year and a half. I even graduated from an Orthodontist Assistant program. All of this is made possible with the healing restorative power of Jesus whom I give all the gratitude and praise for my second chance at living a healthy life."

-T | House of Cherith Graduate