Melanie’s Recovery ❤️‍

Hey Everyone. This is Tim, Melanie’s husband. I am writing this on her behalf and with her permission (she read this and approved before I posted). This is a difficult post to write. But here it goes... On Monday July 3rd, I will be dropping Melanie off at Good Landing Recovery, a 90-day, faith-based drug rehab facility just outside Atlanta. For most of you, I know this probably comes as a shock to hear. Melanie was able to hide her alcohol addiction pretty well until last October when, after having more and more health issues, she finally admitted to having a daily drinking habit - a secret habit that initially started 5 years ago, drinking a few times a week to help get some sleep and deal with stress at work and home, but grew into a chronic dependence of increasing amounts about 2 years ago. You may be asking, how did I not know for 2 years? Well, that question hurts. Because I certainly wish I had known. The main reason, is that Melanie hid it. And I trusted her. The few times I could tell something was off, and questioned her, she lied about it. Addictions make people hide. We also had different work schedules, sleep patterns, and we also were both dealing with depression and stress in our own ways. She lived in secret with shame, guilt and fear, and she drank more to numb the shame, guilt, and fear. This is the downward spiral - the death cycle of addiction. Since October, after acknowledging the alcohol abuse problem and forming a plan with our nurse, Melanie has seen some periods of success mixed with periods of relapsing. She even began a new job a couple of months ago. But after her most recent relapses, she realizes she needs more professional help at a recovery facility. The reasons for her addiction are complex. There are deep roots of pain interwoven in her heart. Years of hurt and lies that need to be replaced with years of love and truth. You might think that being an alcoholic is a rare thing, or something that only those people "more messed up than you" can become. Or you have convinced yourself that it is a personality thing or a genetic thing. Well, those are all myths. Anyone who drinks, can become an alcoholic. Because alcohol is an addictive drug. And you build a tolerance for it. So you need more of it and then it damages you more and takes a stronger hold of you. More than 1 in 10 people in America ages 12+ (yes, as young as 12 years old!) have Alcohol Use Disorder - the technical term for alcoholism. Over 10%. In layman's terms, 1 in 10 people you know are alcoholics - and their life and the lives around them are being destroyed. Melanie didn't plan to become an alcoholic. Nobody does. Sorry if that felt like a rant. I'm learning a lot of things about alcohol the hard way. And the more I learn, the sadder and angrier I am about how deceptive and destructive it is. I've been living with a wife who hates what she's doing but cannot stop in her own strength. She has lived most of the past 2-5 years in a wasteland of oblivion. No memory of hundreds of conversations and experiences with me and the kids. Years lost to a drug that you drink. I will post follow-ups over the coming weeks. So for now, let me end with this. What is this fundraiser for? This fundraiser is to cover the cost of the 90-Day Recovery Facility. As well as the loss of Melanie's income for 3 months. With my current job situation, and being the sole income for our family now, we cannot make ends meet. So, we are selling our house in August to help pay off some debt, and we will be moving in with my Mom until we can get our feet back under us. Melanie will have at least 9 months of continued recovery once she gets back home and may not be able to work at all for an entire year. To be honest, we need some miracles. I know $7,000 sounds like a lot, but it would literally take $100,000 for us to simply return to the financial place we were at 2 years ago. We are just trying to survive the next 3 months and hoping to "reset" our life together free from the chains of alcohol. We are chasing a glimmer of hope. Is there a good reason you should give to us? No. It would just be true mercy and love. I can't give you any reason to love us. We are broken sinners, left for dead on the side of the road. And Jesus is our friend. Jesus is our only hope. Jesus loves us for no good reason. He just does. If that's something you want to be a part of, we beggars will forever be grateful. Tim