10/26/2018
Ferol Matthews
Jeremy's Story
14 months ago I was ready to leave this world. I had exhausted every resource and had decided death may be the only solution. While su***de was never an option, giving up was. I was tired of fighting an almost 20 year addiction to opioids. My days consisted of working for drugs and drugs keeping me working. I had created distance with my family, friends and anyone I thought may care. I don't think the phrase "dark place" was a strong enough term for where I had found myself.
Through the years I had always used everything to benefit me. My job was for cash. My relationships were only so I could make myself feel loved. My talent was wasted on ego. My drug use was to numb the pain of never feeling comfortable in my skin, and never feeling loved. At that time God was not a factor, and the only person that didn't love me, was me. How could I not see that my kids adored me, that my ex wife spent way too many years trying to make an impossible situation work, and that the problem was me. I was doing it all wrong.
On August 25, 2017 I entered The Foundry with the help of my sister. I was broken, tired, and not expecting much help. I've never really been that religious, but I decided to put everything I had into the program. Anything that would help was definitely okay with me. During my time there I developed a purpose -- something I've never had. With the help of World Exit Ministries, my passion for design was reborn with a new approach. I was using my artistic gifts to help others struggling like I had. There's something about helping others while doing what I love that has lifted me up above all the pain. I can feel God in my life, and the blessings around me are so obvious. The one thing I regret is not figuring this out sooner. While there's many bridges that need mending, one thing has changed immensely, I have the overwhelming comfort of knowing God has my back. This gives me the confidence of understanding everything will be ok, because it already is. - Jeremy
