Alcohol was drowning my family

Chain of Prayer, I was absent, Rainbow Theatre, still face problem,

Alcohol was drowning my family

‘I started drinking from a very young age – in fact, I was under age. It was something that my friends and I used to do a lot’, he told us.

Jose’s wife had become accustomed to his drinking, and everything seemed fine; however, it all changed when they had their first daughter. ‘Our fights were so heated that on one occasion my wife reported me to the police.’

Having an alcoholic in the family is not healthy, for the addict or for the loved ones. In this case, Jose’s children suffered the most. Drinking turned Jose into a completely different person: ‘I was absent, my wife lived as a single parent, as I was barely around’.

Their finances also suffered because any money coming into the household was being used to feed Jose’s addiction. His drinking took such a toll on his wife that she also turned to the bottle for comfort, often meeting up with friends to drink.

Surprisingly, it was through this new circle of friends that Jose and his wife found a lifeline. It was through them that his wife was invited to the UCKG.

‘My wife started attending the meetings. At first, I was sceptical and didn’t want to go, but, one day I decided to accompany her. In the beginning, I didn’t take it seriously and would even show up drunk to the meetings. At my worst, I was drinking morning, noon, and night.

But the big eye-opener came when my youngest son asked me to stop drinking. This was when I realised that I had to change. I started participating in a chain of prayer – a series of uninterrupted meetings focused on helping me to achieve a positive transformation through faith. As I kept persevering, I found a strength within me that I didn’t even know I had and things began to change. I started paying more attention to my family and slowly but surely, I also saw changes in my addiction and I have been sober for 21 years.

Today my life is completely different, and I have regained my family. Of course, my wife and I still face problems, but the difference is that now we are able to overcome all of them together as a family and through our faith’.

Jose Teixeira

Are you also suffering because of addiction? The ACT is a meeting that works to empower addicts and their families. It takes place every Sunday at 4pm at the Rainbow Theatre

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