Tucson Center Students

I grew up in a pretty broken home where there were lots of issues. This eventually led me to making risky choices and looking for a way to escape the pain that I was feeling. Looking back, I was tossed into full-blown addiction by the time that I was twenty years old. I liked the way that drugs temporarily filled the void within my heart, even though it would have huge consequences. Before deciding to come into the program, I experienced the death of my two brothers. I am here at Teen Challenge to receive healing from the Lord and to change my life for the better. I desire long-term sobriety and a rekindled relationship with Jesus Christ.

Favorite Scripture: John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Growing up, life was difficult. I witnessed a lot of violence in my home and grew up pretty neglected. My brothers moved away when I was around the age of 14, so I did not have very many close friends and I felt isolated. I started smoking weed and doing pills at a young age. Things quickly escalated after my motorcycle accident and it was downhill from there. I enjoyed doing drugs as a way to cope with the pain of never feeling truly loved. I felt like a burden for most of my life and drugs offered a means to not feel that way. After several months of serious abuse, I knew that something needed to be done. I am here at Teen Challenge to receive a relationship with Christ, find a firm and lasting identity, and learn to love myself. I am looking forward to my future with Christ. 

Favorite Scripture: Luke 1:79 “To give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet in the way of peace.”

I did not have a positive male figure in my life growing up, which led me to develop deep trust issues. I was left feeling abandoned, scared, unloved, helpless, and alone. I first used drugs at the age of 10. I was forced to smoke marijuana with someone who abused me and my addiction began there. I used drugs for over 30 years to cover up and mask the pain from my childhood and from being mentally, emotionally, and sexually abused. Before coming into the program, I was caught with a large amount of methamphetamine and was court ordered to go to Teen Challenge. I am here to grow closer to God and I see this as a blessing in my life. I hope to find the purpose that God has for my life and to graduate from the program. I am so excited to have a new found future in Christ! 

Favorite Scripture: Jeramiah 29:11 “For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you, to give you a hope and a future.”

Growing up, life was pretty difficult. I grew up in an abusive household and my father would abuse me physically, mentally, and emotionally. My addiction initially began at the age of 12. I began smoking marijuana drinking alcohol, and taking acid to alleviate the pain that my father inflicted upon me. I liked that these substances would numb the pain and distract me from the trauma that I was experiencing. Before coming into Teen Challenge, I moved out of my parents’ house and experienced problems with my girlfriend and eventually became homeless. I am here at Teen Challenge to permanently get off of drugs and to get to know God on a personal level. I hope to graduate the program and maybe even work for the ministry in some capacity.

Favorite Scripture: Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Life for me went reasonably well until around the time I was in first grade. During this time, my family lost our house and we were forced to move in with my grandmother. Both of my parents battled drug addiction and it spiraled more and more out of control after this. My addiction began around the age of 12. I found a sense of identity in using drugs. I felt that it was a means of escape from the emotions and traumas I did not want to confront. My parents actually graduated from Teen Challenge and it changed their lives! I decided that I wanted a better life for myself as well. I am here to identify both traumas and thought patterns that led me down the dark road of addiction, and allow the Lord to correct them. I am trusting the Lord for peace and healing for my inner child. 

Favorite Scripture: Romans 12:21 “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

I was born and raised in a very loving and supportive family and never really had any major issues in my early years.  My addiction actually began in my early thirties.  Prior to this, I enjoyed drinking alcohol, but I did not consider it to be a problem.  However, I began experiencing stress, depression and lack of purpose.  I felt that alcohol would help ease these troubles.  Before coming into the program, I felt the Lord telling me that there was a better way of handling problems, but I continued with what I was used to.  I finally came to a point in which I was miserable and I decided to reach out to Teen Challenge.  I am hoping that I am able to regain the connection and fire that I once had for the Lord, as well as a deeper meaning for life. 

Favorite Scripture: Ephesians 5:1 “Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.”

My childhood years were filled with ups and downs. When I was 12, my parents ended up getting a divorce, which definitely had a negative impact on my life. I started smoking marijuana when I was 15, which escalated to experimenting with harder drugs. I eventually became heavily addicted to alcohol. That was my drug of choice. I initially started abusing substances as a means to fit in, but this later transitioned into a form of self-medication. I liked the way it would turn my brain off. Before coming into the program, I was constantly relapsing. I was also experiencing horrible and severe panic attacks, which felt like a heart attack each time. I am here at Teen Challenge to get sober and build a relationship with God. I hope to find my true purpose in life and become a man that is fitting to be a husband and a father. 

Favorite Scripture: Proverbs 13:19 “It is pleasant to see dreams come true, but fools refuse to turn from evil to attain them.”

Growing up, I had a hard life. I grew up in a broken home and left my house at the age of 14. I was getting in fights with my father and felt that it was time to leave. I was exposed to drugs at the age of five and was a full-blown addict by the time that I was fifteen years-old. I turned to meth because I felt that it helped me cope with my troubled life. Right before coming into Teen Challenge, I decided that I wanted to get closer to God. He led me here. I finished a sixteen-week intensive outpatient program and came into Teen Challenge right afterwards. I want the Lord to change my life. I want to draw close to him and view myself through his eyes. I also hope to learn to read and write better while being here. I am happy to have this opportunity.

Favorite Scripture: Matthew 7:12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

I was raised with good morals and high standards. Our family never struggled financially and I was always given good counsel. When I turned 21, I dove deep into drinking and it took a grip on my life. For me alcohol was a way to fit in during my time in service in the Marine Corps. I’ve tried to do this on my own including going to AA thinking that it would be my savior. I came to Teen Challenge for a genuine relationship with God, and for my heart to be healed. My hope is that I will grow in the plan that God has for me.

Favorite Scripture: Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Life was pretty difficult most of the time growing up. I had seasons where life felt normal, but they did not seem to last. When I was 13 years old, I began experimenting with drugs and alcohol. I started smoking marijuana on a regular basis and by the age of 17, I was doing and selling methamphetamine. The thing that I liked most about doing drugs during this time was that they allowed me to not have to deal with my problems while I was high. However, this did not last. Teen Challenge was offered to me as a deferment while I was in jail and I jumped at the opportunity. Now, I am here looking for a relationship and identity in Christ. I want a new way of living and doing things. I desire to go places and do things that God has specifically planned for me and me alone. I know that I was made for great things. 

Favorite Scripture: Daniel 6:22 “My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him.”

Life for me growing up was actually pretty great. I feel that I had a normal childhood for the most part. When I became a little older, I began prioritizing things that I wanted to do over things that needed to get done, like responsibilities and life’s demands. I never struggled with substance abuse, but I found myself looking for love and acceptance in all of the wrong places. I developed unhealthy spending habits, as well as lived for the approval of others. This addiction mainly served the purpose of receiving the love that I felt I did not receive from my parents and family members. Right before entering Teen Challenge, I left another program that I did not see helping me in the same way Teen Challenge could. I hope to acquire a strong and foundational relationship with Christ, and live a completely different life. 

Favorite Scripture: Ecclesiastes 1:18 “The greater my wisdom, the greater my grief. To increase knowledge only increases sorrow.”

I believe I had a normal, happy childhood. I grew up in a loving, Christian family. However, when I moved away to college, I started drinking heavily. I believe I used alcohol as a way to deal with self-diagnosed social anxiety, as well as a way to get out of my head and escape my tendency to overanalyze everything. Over the next 18 years, I became less and less interested in holding down a job or paying rent. I prioritized getting drunk over everything else. Recently, when I was facing eviction and homelessness yet again, some tough love from my family finally prompted me to seek help and break the cycle. I truly believe God has brought me to Teen Challenge to rest in His presence, listen to what He wants to teach me, and restore a relationship with Him that I walked away from so many years ago. I can’t wait to discover my new identity in Christ – an identity that doesn’t need alcohol!

Favorite Scripture: Ephesians 5:1-2 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

I had a pretty normal life growing up. I do not feel that I had a bad upbringing. I am not exactly sure the age I was when I realized that I was an addict, but I was drinking heavily which ultimately led to an addiction to methamphetamine. Looking back, I felt that these substances were actually helping me. I now understand that was not the case at all. Right before coming into Teen Challenge, the people that I thought were my “friends” all seemed to turn on me. I am here in the program because I knew that I needed something different in my life. I needed to make a positive change and I felt like Teen Challenge provided me with that opportunity. I hope that God will restore me while I am here and help me to live life as a completely different man.

Favorite Scripture: Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

I grew up in a rodeo and ranching family, it's been a part of my life since I can remember. My addiction began a few years ago in 2021 to alcohol. I used it to party and let loose, but I also used it to forget painful experiences. I didn't come to Teen Challenge on a winning streak. I came here because of a car accident I had while drunk. Thank God I didn't hurt anyone in the process. I came here to find a relationship with Jesus Christ and step up into the man God is calling me to be. I hope to find out the purpose and the plan God has for my life.

Favorite Scripture: Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

I grew up in a Christian household where both of my parents were involved in the Catholic Church. My father was pretty strict on me and implemented an almost military style of parenting and discipline within our home. The first time that I used drugs I was in 5th grade. I smoked marijuana with one of my friends at the time. I enlisted in the Navy and began drinking heavily. I also spiraled into depression after my father’s suicide. Part of me even blamed myself for my father’s death. I turned to substances to help me function working three jobs in order to provide for my family. I came into Teen Challenge because the relationship that I had with my family was suffering harm from my addiction. I hope while I am here to gain a relationship with the Lord, have my family put back together, and learn how to be the father to my children that Christ destined me to be.

Favorite Scripture: Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans that I have for you declares the Lord.

My childhood was simple at first until my parents divorced at the age of 12.  My father who I stayed with was an alcoholic, and I pretty much took care of myself. I started smoking weed around this time because of the large amount of free time I had and began experimenting with other substances such as pills and coke. By the age of 17 most of my friends had graduated to using meth and harder stuff. At the age 18 I lost my best friend to an overdose, who I considered a brother, and for some reason it brought me to really dark places. I began taking prescription pills a lot more than I used to. I pushed most of my family away and was living a life of violence and just didn’t care if I just gave up on life. This past year I lost another friend to drugs and just decided I was next. I ended up overdosing on fake pills and somehow made it out alive and finally came to accept that I needed help. My mother found me a 30-day rehab and while I was in there told me she wanted me to come to Teen challenge.  I accepted the fact God wanted me here and not dead. Now being here, I realize that I do have a heart and I am ready to be the person that God sees I am and not this perception I created of myself.

Favorite Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:6 Yet true godliness with contentment is itself a great wealth.