9/5/09

Clean and Sober

At dinner tonight I realized that today is the 10th anniversary of me going clean and sober.

Labor Day, 1999.

I was sitting on a boat in the middle of Lake Havasu observing the general shenanigans (very little of it legal) that go on at Havasu or any one of a dozen beach towns during spring break. I was partaking of several substances which have been shown scientifically not to improve brain function...

God opened my eyes in a very literal way. I can only describe it as the feeling of opening your eyes after receiving a concussion - everything's weird, bright and somehow brand new as though you have never seen it before. My immediate reaction was of revulsion - followed quickly by pity....

  • Why did those guys not feel like they could face the real world without being stumbling drunk?
  • What pain must that girl have suffered that she feels the need to prostitute herself for the sake of attention?
  • Where is my life going, sitting here smoking and drinking my mind into numbness?

I tossed out what I was doing and that was the end of my substance abuse. It wasn't through my strength of character, my insight or my will power. It was literally a miraculous moment.

It's been the defining event to which most of who I am now can be traced. My marriage, my family, finishing college, coming to Ukraine - it all stemmed from that semi-road to Damascus moment on a boat on a river....

I can't believe it's been 10 years already.

6 comments:

  1. I love you.

    word verification whoduedu :-)

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  2. We love you, Matty! God is really good!

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  3. Matt, God is so merciful and gracious isn't HE? I love your story. It brings tears of joy to my eyes to read your testimony. I can only praise God that I didn't have that kind of testimony or something much worse. He is wonderful and faithful

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  4. Congratulations Matt! God has done a mighty work through you my friend.

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