Zachary Harrison’s Road of Recovery

Hello, My name is Lance Watts, and I truly appreciate you taking a few minutes to read the story below from my nephew, Zachary Harrison. All funds raised through this effort will be used to pay for the specific needs mentioned in Zach's letter.

I enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2009 and was stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina in 2011 while I was training to become Army Special Forces Engineer Sergeant more commonly known as a Green Beret. Throughout deployments to Afghanistan and the hardships that accompanied deployment, I began to struggle with combat-related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) along with residual symptoms from multiple micro and moderate Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs). Due to being an active-duty Special Operator and the stigma that goes along with seeking help, I began to seek relief from the symptoms associated with TBI & PTSD by drinking alcohol on a regular and increasing basis. After a few years of seeking escape through alcohol, I realized I had a problem but was too deep in denial to see a way out despite many attempts from family and friends to help. I began to struggle with suicide. The struggles of everyday life became seemingly insurmountable and I believed there was no way to recover. Despite having three amazing daughters and my love for them, I believed ending my life was in their best interest.

I planned a weekend vacation with my girls with the specific purpose of this being the best way to tell them goodbye. By God's grace, He had other plans for this trip. Instead of a final goodbye, this turned into something much different. God provided this time for me to make amends with my oldest daughter Avery and for Him to reveal to me, my true identity, which is not based on my past extremely poor choices, but instead in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the Cross.

Through the help of a few close friends, I found my way into counseling after being discharged unexpectedly from the Army in July of 2022, eventually entering residential treatment for PTSD and Substance Abuse on 03 December 2022. After learning about the importance of dual diagnosis specifically for Special Operators and re-gaining traction in life along with the support and encouragement from my counselors in treatment, I began to look into going back to school to complete my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and pursue a Master of Arts in Psychology. My goal is to become a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor focusing on trauma so that I may help others learn that there are ways to move through the seemingly insurmountable challenges in life.

Thankfully Veteran Suicide awareness is being addressed more today than in the past, however, that awareness has not been enough to impact the current statistic of 22 Veterans who commit suicide each day. I’m grateful that by the grace of God, I didn’t add to that number. Unfortunately, that is not the case for one of my Infantry brothers, who took his life in February 2022.

As of today, I have completed 54 days of residential treatment along with 60 days of intensive outpatient treatment and will be concluding 6 weeks of Magnetic Resonance Therapy (MeRT) and living at Warriors Heart’s sober living lodge. I have been sober for 134 days which, is the longest I have abstained from drinking alcohol outside of the five and a half months of my first combat deployment since I was the age of 18. I have continued weekly telehealth appointments with my counselor back in NC as well as with a licensed chemical dependency counselor here at the Lodge. Most importantly, my relationship with the Lord is getting back to where it should have been my whole life.

Due to my unexpected Discharge from the military, I gave up my home and moved in with a Special Forces brother and his family who have since relocated. I no longer have a living situation that is conducive to my continuing recovery available.

The week before flying from North Carolina to Texas to enter Warriors Heart treatment center, my truck started having mechanical issues and is now in need of some major repairs.

As I am currently working on Step 7 in Alcoholics Anonymous and learning that one of my main character defects is a lack of humility (aka…Pride). The last thing I want to do in my flesh is to reach out for help from others, but God is showing me that I have to humble myself before the Lord and trust that He will lift me up, and provide everything I need according to His will and in His perfect timing (James 4:10, Matthew 6:25-34).

I am very thankful to receive disability income from Veterans Affairs as I am a 100% service-connected disabled veteran. While in treatment, I have been able to save $3,000. Unfortunately, this is not enough to cover the cost of the repairs to my truck and establishing a place to live.

Prior to May 9th, here are my specific needs:

1. Above all else, please join me in praying for these very specific needs:

A) that I continue to seek and trust in the Lord

B) that I leave my problems in His hands and live out & seek His will not mine

C) that I find a place to live that ideally has room for my daughters

2. Finances. I will need an estimated $6,000 for truck repairs and $3,500 for initial living expenses.

Upon my return to North Carolina, at the recommendation of my counselor, I plan on enrolling in a traumatic brain injury-centric intensive all-day outpatient program based out of UNC-Chapel Hill, starting at the beginning of June. Upon completion of this program, I will be on the hunt for a job…..and prayerfully, shortly thereafter, return to school to pursue a career in Counseling.

Above all else, I covet your prayers. If you are not able to donate at this time, please pass this along to other people in your community for consideration. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.

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Very Respectfully,

Zachary Harrison