Raised by a single mom, Christian and his fraternal twin brother never really wanted for anything. Christian says he wouldn’t describe it as upper middle class, but they lived a good life. His grandparents lived nearby and they were a close family.

 

“Social drinking was acceptable in my family,” shares Christian. “Even drinking underage wasn’t that big of a deal. So no one in my family raised an eyebrow when I started drinking. Most of them could handle the affects of alcohol; I on the other hand could not. I fell in love with how it made me feel, and it didn’t take long for me to develop an addiction to it.”

 

 

Christian’s drinking started at age 15. He loved how uninhibited it made him. He enjoyed being the life of the party and if he did something dumb, it was easy to blame it on the alcohol.

 

“I did well in school despite my drinking,” says Christian. “I went to college so I could join a fraternity and drink with my buddies. I basically paid to go to college so I could drink.”

 

At the same time, Christian worked as a welder earning more money than most people do working full-time. He was consumed with buying material things like cars, boats, four-wheelers and whatever else his heart desired. Despite incurring a couple of DUIs and being arrested multiple times for public intoxication, Christian never slowed in his appetite for drinking.

 

 

In September 2007, Christian fell in love and got married. After a night of heavy drinking, he got carried away with his buddies, called his

boss and quit his job.

“After that, my wife never looked at me the same way,” says Christian. “I know her parents never thought I was good enough for her, and I guess this sealed it for her as well. We got divorced after four months of marriage.”

 

 

Christian started running from his past. He moved to the Virgin Islands with an “I’ll show her” attitude. “With such easy access to alcohol, I was drinking all the time,” recalls Christian. “I ended up getting in trouble there and moved back home after a year. I was determined to make some changes in my life, but within a month, I slipped right back into my old routine.”

 

“One night I was driving home and got pulled over,” says Christian. “I was plastered. I had expired plates and this was my third DUI in five years. They took away my driver’s license. I blew it off like it was no big deal, but inside it was very humiliating.”

 

While waiting for his court date, Christian stayed with his grandparents. His grandfather had Alzheimer’s and required around the clock supervision. One night after coming home drunk, Christian’s grandmother told him his grandfather had not had a shower in two days and she needed his help.

 

“Regardless of being drunk, I will never forget this as long as I live,” says Christian. “Most days my grandfather didn’t even know who I was, but as I was helping him down the hallway to the shower, he jerked his arm away from me and shouted, ‘You’re drunk!’ It stopped me dead in my tracks. Despite his medical condition, even he could see I was drunk, and it was obvious he was ashamed of me. This was my turning point.”

 

 

Christian picked up his cell phone and googled the phrase “treatment center.” The telephone number for the Nashville Rescue Mission showed up and without realizing it, Christian pressed the button and made the call.

 

"I went from worrying about who I was and started focusing on who I wanted to be."

 

“The man who answered the phone told me they had a spot for me and to come on down. The next day my aunt and uncle dropped me off at the Mission,” says Christian. “I had no idea it was a homeless shelter. It was a shocking realization to be homeless, and right away I decided I didn’t want to stay there. I walked up the street and sat under the bridge for a while.”

 

After spending some time thinking, Christian realized he had nowhere to go so he walked back to the Mission. It was there his life was forever changed.

 

 

“During my time in the program I did a lot of thinking,” shares Christian. “I read lots of books. I learned how to be social without drinking. I went from not even being sure I could believe in God to now calling Him my friend. God showed up in the little things. It was a life-changing experience for me.”

 

Christian graduated from the life-recovery program in March 2009. He spent five months in the Mission’s transitional housing before moving back to his hometown. Today, Christian owns his own custom tile company and is making plans to move to Nashville to grow his business.

“I’m so glad my grandfather got to see me change,” says Christian. “When he passed away, they asked in lieu of flowers, donations be made in his honor to the Nashville Rescue Mission. I consider that a huge testimony to the faith he had in God’s ability to work through the Mission’s program because he saw how it changed me!”