A very special thanks to all who have provided their wonderful stories.
“I would recommend the Bridge to anyone and everyone wanting to get help. ”
What an awesome place to go. I would recommend the Bridge to anyone and everyone wanting to get help. I can not say thank you enough to all the staff and interns there, You guys rock. Thanks for all you guys do.
“Seeing God work in their lives as they attempt to give their lives over to His control is amazing. ”
When my husband and I retired from the mission field 8 years ago and came to live in Stanfield, NC, we prayed for God to open doors for service for His Kingdom here. We heard about a need for house painters at the soon to be opened BTR Women's house. Since then we have been involved in a number of ways. The most personal has been my leading weekly Bible studies at the men's house. Recently I have begun the same practice at the women's house. People come in broken, feeling overwhelmed with shame, scared of their ability to ever break the chains of addiction. Many are able to find hope and acceptance for the first time in years. Most are very open to learning about the grace and love God has for them. Seeing God work in their lives as they attempt to give their lives over to His control is amazing. Some say, "BTR saved my life." Addiction is a life-threatening disease and a cruel slave master. When people are able to finally break free with the help of God, they have the chance to be the parent, the spouse, the friend, and the son or daughter they have longed to be.
“Before coming to Bridge to Recovery my life was total destruction. ”
Before coming to Bridge to Recovery my life was total destruction. Since I have been here I have been able to find myself again. For that I give a special and sincere thank you to my loving Higher Power and the awesome staff here at The Bridge.
“God grant you all the serenity you have awakened in all of us.”
Through the ever present merciful Grace of God and the extraordinary altruistic and humanitarian efforts exemplified in the sanctity of The Bridge to Recovery by Dr. Lew, the counselors and the auxiliary participants, I have joined the roles of hundreds of lost men given another chance to re-join the human race as a recovering alcoholic at peace with myself, with God and the world. God grant you all the serenity you have awakened in all of us.
“When everyone else had given up on me including myself, Bridge to Recovery was there; for that I am forever grateful.”
Before I came to the Bridge to Recovery my life was unmanageable due to my addiction. Thanks to the staff and the counselors I have not only learned about the disease of addiction, I have been given new perspective and the tools to carry that out in my everyday life. When everyone else had given up on me including myself, Bridge to Recovery was there; for that I am forever grateful.
“I have learned a lot about my life, but most importantly about God.”
Super awesome. The on site staff are not only caring, knowledgeable, and kind, but also funny, laid back, and trust worthy. The A.A. 12 step program has brought a lot of life into my life, but the spiritual renewal tops it off. I have learned a lot about my life, but most importantly about God. Very homey! Comfortable with great food! You feel right at home (:
“Great place for recovery”
Great place for recovery. Not to fancy and its affordable. My stay was great with staff and onsite meetings.
“I felt I belonged for the first time in my life, I was home.”
The first day at the Bridge was met with confusion. I had told a doctor I did not want a religious based facility. I had however, exactly come to one. God’s grace led me here through some misunderstandings. Barbara, the director, went over the rules of the house. The same thought kept playing over and over in my mind: “Why Am I Here?”. After my intake I went to a meeting. It took every ounce of energy and willpower to walk through the door. What happened next I will never be able to explain. I just felt a presence in the room, as if someone put a hand on my shoulder and released me. God brought Barbara and the Bridge into my life and I was saved from the path that would have destroyed or killed me.
“I believe God truly sent us here.”
I can't say enough about this place. I believe God truly sent us here. This is a well rounded program and the staff is amazing.
“I have hope today and am feeling so much better.”
I came in thinking I was gonna go through the motions and skate by and get my graduation certificate to please my family. That changed. I learned so much about myself and the disease of addiction. I have hope today and am feeling so much better. Thanks so much! I really want to live my life in recovery today! I’ve seen that I can
“The Bridge to Recovery saved my life.”
When I got to BTR I was a broken man with no faith and very little hope. The staff and my housemates have taught me how to live my life without being numb to drugs and alcohol. This program showed me I can find people just like me, some more broken than others. Today I do not have to use, my feelings will not be hijacked anymore, and I will not be categorized as a statistic anymore. The Bridge to Recovery saved my life.
“ I didn’t come to BTR, God sent me to BTR.
Former Client Testimonial
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I had a traumatic childhood; I lived in a lawless and ruthless environment with no father. My mother was mentally unstable, abusive, and neglectful. I started doing crime at 8 years old; this was normal life. When I was 11 years old the state of New York took over custody of me. At age 13 I started drinking and smoking marijuana. I ran away from the group home when I was 16. 3 days after my 17th birthday I was arrested and charged as an adult; I went to prison and all this seemed normal to me. I took on the world by myself and got pretty beat up along the way. For thirty years I have been actively drinking and/or smoking marijuana.
In my early 40s, after years of alcohol abuse, I picked myself up by my boot straps and got sober again and flew to Charlotte to start over in NC but I picked up alcohol again. I went to detox, when I was ready to be discharged I had nowhere to go. I made at least 50 phone calls, to 50 different places. BTR Oakboro was the only place that would take me. They picked me up and brought me to Oakboro and then to BTR Monroe Residential. The staff at Bridge to Recovery was supportive, the environment was comfortable and relaxing. There were a bunch of deeply rooted core issues I had to work on. I could pray, reflect, work on my emotions and I soon realized something in me as a man had changed.
I had a great 16 months of sobriety, started working on becoming a certified substance abuse counselor, secured a job I loved. I put a relationship over my recovery and when the chips fell again, I was devastated, I picked up alcohol again and ran. I realized I had to face life on life’s terms and go back to NC to people who cared about me at Bridge to Recovery. I trust the 12-step process but this time I needed to seek God and strengthen my faith like I never have before.
For the most part spirituality had not been a part of my story. I know to be good but I never had any faith or conviction. I knew I needed to reach out to God. I started praying and trying to build a relationship with God. Now I have built a relationship with God and I have a much stronger spiritual conviction than I ever have in my entire life. I have hope, strength, courage and peace of mind that I didn’t have before. What BTR has done in my life in such a short time is more powerful than any other program that’s tried to help me. I didn’t come to BTR, God sent me to BTR.
Former Client Testimonial
“Today, my life is 10 times better than I could ever imagine. ”
“My entire life I chased love from my family and relationships, all I ever wanted was to be loved. I sought after drugs to feel better about being me. I always needed to be accepted and loved by everyone, I was constantly chasing false things. I know now drugs were not my problem, the drugs were my solution to all my problems. I raised my white flag and surrendered because I knew I couldn’t keep on going like I was anymore. I was dead inside and hopeless. I asked for help, and went to the hospital. I thought when I got the drugs out of the way. my life was gonna be awesome. After 40 days in the hospital, I gave up and came to the realization I absolutely could not do it by myself. I was willing to do whatever it took to change.
I spent two weeks at an inpatient facility in the mountains and was referred to another program that had a 7 week wait list. I called Bridge to Recovery in Oakboro for three days until I was able to get a bed because I knew I was not ready to go home. I came and kept hearing about a love that God had for us and it sparked something inside me. I saw how people genuinely loved and cared about others. I started reading the Bible myself and talking to God. It was so simple and I made it complicated for so long.
God is good let me tell you. I had been in active addiction for 34 years but now I am at nearly a year of sobriety. I have been on staff at BTR since January 2020 sharing hope and love with the guys that are broken like I was. Today, my life is 10 times better than I could ever imagine. God pushed me to do the things I wasn’t comfortable with and even when I couldn’t see it, God was working things out for me. Being totally broken is the best place I’ve ever been.”