An active addiction that spans any considerable length of time will make its presence felt, perhaps inconspicuously at first and then obnoxiously later. This is exactly what transpired during the years of my out of control drinking and drug use, leaving a vast swath of confused and hurt people in my wake. I vacillated between bewilderment at how I could be so uncaring towards others who loved me, to deliberately taking actions that I knew would create hurtful waves. My lifestyle and way of being had a negative effect on numerous people, many who were far removed from me. I now am in awareness of this fact and have opened myself to allowing my Creator to influence the tide of my current experience.

When I got sober in 1997, my sobriety began to have dramatic consequences on my immediate family. This first ripple included my family members who waited for the return of the person they knew I could be. I began to demonstrate that I was a new man through repetitious actions of character and honesty. This in turn led to having an influence on my local recovery community as I took on more and more service opportunities. I recognized that allowing my daily actions to be dictated by a Power greater than myself could have lasting and meaningful effect on not only my family, but in the city and state I lived in!  This realization led to more action in the southwestern states and then to the entire nation. Working at Origins Behavioral Healthcare exposed me to individuals and their families from all over the United States. I am in contact with incredible people from all regions of our country and this is one of the bright spots of my life. If the sphere of influence I’ve been graced with went no further than this, I would be forever grateful. It appears that that this is not the case and the ripples have now extended across the oceans.

I recently returned from Istanbul, Turkey where I was immersed in helping others find their way to recovery and wellness. There were long, intense days of work that left me emotionally and spiritually drained, but as I would pray and meditate before I would go to bed, I would pause in wonder at how my journey has led me a long way from my home in Texas! I have a miracle-making God that I offer daily authorship and ownership of every thought, word, and deed that emanate from me. I am consistently in awe of how He can engineer the most amazing set of circumstances that previously did not exist or were even deemed possible. I am awake enough to feel and see that God is in the process of creating something special and I am humbled to play a small part in His plan. One of my favorite mantras is, “Think bigger!” because it has been so true throughout my sobriety. Whatever I think is possible is consistently proven shortsighted. I pray this is your experience as well.