2025 June #2
By a Joy Junction Staff Member (JBF)
Addiction is a thief. It steals all the normalcy out of a person’s life. It turns truth into lies. It changes the character of the person and makes them into someone their friends and family members do not recognize.
If the addicted person once had values and principles, those things have been changed into something that no longer matters.
Life as they knew it no longer exists.
Some of us know of friends or family members who have fallen into addiction because of an illness or injury that called for strong medication. Or, maybe some chose to address their situation/pain with alcohol, instead of pills.
Either way, the desire to have an outside substance remove or change their circumstance has led to an undesirable effect.
Unfortunately, many times, that result causes the loss of a job, home, or relationship(s).
We hope, at that point, they will understand that their own choices have placed them in a very hard situation…but they still have a chance to make positive changes in their life by coming to us and joining our program.
At other times, losing a job or housing has nothing to do with addiction or poor decisions. Life just happens and some are hit pretty hard. They, too, will be welcomed at our shelter while they figure out what their next step in life is.
No matter the circumstance, we want those who have fallen into the homeless category to know that they CAN change their predicament.
Jeremiah (not his real name), one of our guests, chose to make some changes in his life after realizing he was homeless due to his own choices.
Here’s his story:
I was controlled by alcohol. Everything I did was focused around the thought of “when’s my next drink?”
I had a job and could “function” during that time, but the moment I was clocked out, I headed for the booze. All my money went toward that, so I was not able to keep an apartment.
I was basically homeless. I found places to sleep with other people, but after a while, I realized that I needed to stop doing that. I had enough wits left to figure that part out, at least.
I finally became aware of the fact that:
I had to admit I was/am an alcoholic…
I needed help.
When that sunk in…really sunk in…I decided to do something to change my life.
I had heard about Joy Junction’s program, so I got myself here [Joy Junction] and joined the program. It was hard, but I was determined to get myself off the booze, so I put my full self into the classes and homework. It has been a huge help knowing that there are others who struggle with the same type of problems I do.
We [programmers] share our stories to help encourage each other and most of us are working toward the same goal: freedom from addiction. We are learning to deal with each day, and its problems, and not focus on tomorrow.
Our shelter’s programs to help homeless individuals overcome the reason why they have been placed in their current situation are available to each one who enters our doors as a resident. Our goal is to provide the necessary tools for re-entering society and the work force before they attempt to move off campus.
Jeremiah and others like him are in the process of changing their idea of what good habits are. Our program is Bible-based and teaches people to lean on God for their strength, encouragement, and hope to move forward in their lives. Learning how to make wise choices (leaning on God and not their own understanding) is a major part of the transformation process.
Whether they are in one of our programs, or not, we offer resources to encourage our guests to gather all their needed information for job searches and/or interviews. That could include gaining a driver’s license and a social security card, as well as learning how to write a resume and search for employment on the internet.
It’s important to us to make sure each guest knows we care about them and their future.
Life-planning goals are important for each person. The moment our guests plan to walk off our campus, we hope they remember to include in their plan the newly developed habits introduced to them.
We want them to have a successful experience as they work to move forward in life.
