“Anybody can be an alcoholic. That’s easy… all you got to do is pick up the alcohol and start drinking… and eventually you’ll become an alcoholic… because you allow that to take over and consume your life. Anybody can be a drug addict. Anybody can be a prostitute or a drug dealer or this or that. That’s all the easy parts. The hard part is not doing it.”

Jeff was paying a great price for his drinking. His family had left him and he was all alone. She wouldn’t have anything to do with him. It didn’t matter how he tried to connect with her, she wouldn’t acknowledge him. Not having that communication hurt him more than anything. But it got his attention. Finally, he cried out for help… and everything changed.

Jeff, a Cayuga from Six Nations, grew up off the rez in Buffalo, New York. He started partying at an early age and he worked to support his drinking habit. His team’s success in lacrosse gave cause to celebrate often, and even when everyone else went home, for Jeff, the party never ended. He found out though, that not only does drinking ruin relationships, it ruins families.

Alcohol had taken Hugh… it had taken everything from him like it does to so many others. But something happened in his life that made all the difference, and now he has been clean and sober for over 27 years. Listen as Hugh shares the rest of his story.

“I took a drink of my mom’s beer. And it was terrible. I said, ‘Oh, how can you drink that stuff’. I’ll never forget her answer: ‘You’ll find out.’ And she was so right on.” Listen to Hugh share about how he got involved with alcohol and the toll that it would take on his life.

From falling into the freezing waters of the Yukon River to serving on the battlefields of Vietnam, George has lived through many challenging and difficult situations. Drugs and alcohol weren’t the answer he was looking for, but one day George did find something that would change his life forever.

George grew up in Mountain Village, Alaska where life can be pretty rugged. One day, while he was out on his snow machine he got caught in a storm. He got lost and, eventually, his snowmobile ran out of gas. He found himself in a potentially deadly situation. Should he abandon his snow machine or stay put?

One of the most difficult events in life is when someone close to you dies. The sting of death is especially painful when it comes unexpectedly. This was the case in Deloris’ life when she lost her brother. She shares candidly about her loss and the sober reality that she came to regarding her own readiness for death.

You don’t have to do bad things to be bad. Nicole grew up in a Christian home where her father was a pastor. She knew right from wrong and what she needed to do. But she also knew that deep down in her heart she wanted to do evil. Where does that come from, and what is the remedy? Nicole has the answer.

Dorothy grew up in Sweetwater, Arizona on the Navajo reservation where she lived without running and electricity. She tells about how they used to dress up rocks pretending they were dolls. As an adult she got involved in a bad marriage. It was very difficult. But her faith in Jesus helped her through. Now she encourages others who have problems.