We all love a good conversion story. A subcategory of the conversion story is that of rehabilitation and recovery. A further subcategory of that is stories that involve rehab and recovery from addictions to drugs, alcohol, and the like.
Even if we don’t suffer from a serious addiction, we can look to these stories as inspiring testimonies of turning one’s life around for good in the midst of darkness.
We can say “Wow, I’m not as bad as them and they got through it” or “I’m as bad as them, if not worse, and they got through it — so can I” . . . whatever works for you.
St. Camillus de Lellis had a gambling addiction before finding Jesus and converting. He later founded the Camillian Religious Order.
St. Mark Ji TianXiang was an opium addict. He later died a martyr and always strove to follow Christ while struggling with his addiction.
St. Mary of Egypt also has quite the story (parental discretion advised) that you can look up on your own time.
While they are not canonized saints, we can look at modern-day examples as well.
Some of them are celebrities.
Actor Martin Sheen struggled with alcoholism and later reportedly said “I got sober through my Catholicism, through my faith.”
Singer Demi Lovato battled addictions to alcohol and drugs and reportedly credited her faith in God to aiding in her recovery.
Another such story that I always gravitate to and seek inspiration from during low and challenging moments in my life is that of guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan.
While a successful studio and live musician in the 1980s, the Texas-born Vaughan came close to dying from the effects of cocaine and alcohol.
Long story short, he got well, continued touring and recording fully sober and full of life, and inspired me to pick up a guitar when I was young while most people wish I would back it back down.
Sharing the message
During his post-rehab life performances, SRV would pause his guitar shredding in the middle of his song “Life Without You” to talk to the audience.
He would typically start by saying he wanted to “thank God that I’m alive and well and can be with you all today”.
He would encourage the audience not to forget about what’s important in their lives such as “love and caring” adding that all he used to do was “run away from myself and everyone that cared” which meant his addiction.
He’d say “One day I nearly died and it kind of dawned on me that it was not the right thing to do.”
Vaughan’s success following rehab and recovery stands as an example that it is possible to carry on living a life clean and straight and still do what you love, bringing joy to others.
It’s no coincidence that God is a part of many conversions.
We can find strength in God, praise God, and thank God when we stop turning inward and being hurt by whatever it is that ails us — substances, online activities, gambling, caffeine, and so on.
Everyone has their struggles. Some are more serious than others. If someone who was literally near death could turn it around, there is hope for those of us who aren’t in such a dire state.
Learning from the message
While many would argue the lives of the saints are better examples than current celebrities, as children of God made in His image, everyone has a story.
Praise be to God for those who lived to tell it.
As many would say, their time as addicts wasn’t according to their plans, their time in recovery and being a light for others doesn’t always go according to their own plans either.
Vaughan did a lot in the time after his hitting rock bottom to spread the message of sobriety and hope, giving him a new mission in life along with playing the guitar, singing, and making people happy through his music.
Tragically, alleged helicopter “pilot error” and a crash into a ski hill in southeast Wisconsin on August 27, 1990, following his last concert performance ended that mission.
However, his message of “take care of yourself so you can be there for the ones who need you and love you the most” lives on.
It’s never impossible to turn our lives around and get out of any darkness, but God is always at the center of it all.
Thank you for reading.
I’m praying for you.