Taking the wheel is realizing you can to do anything. Our CHARITY BY DESIGN partner, The Herren Project (THP), embodies this message through providing assistance in taking the first steps toward recovery and a life of sobriety, educational programs and resources to increase awareness on the signs of addiction, and bringing hope for a better tomorrow.
In recognition of Alcohol Awareness Month, Jared Henry from Orlando, Florida shares how THP helped him navigate away from substance abuse and toward sobriety.
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“I vividly remember how the chains of alcohol addiction felt. Just over a year ago, I felt an unforgettable hopelessness, self-imprisoned in a misery created by my inability to put the bottle down on my own accord. At the time, the conception of choice was limited to the physical, mental, and emotional limitations set upon my body and mind’s need to drink.
Though lifelines were continuously passing me by, the environment in which I was surrounded was a constant distraction – the depths of depression and anxiety had me gasping for relief that only alcohol seemed to remedy. I knew I was a shell of a man, yet I did nothing. That is the power alcohol had over my ability to make a choice of my own. I received a call from The Herren Project who had become familiar with the state I was in. Internally, I was resistant to the help that was being offered. Though I knew how unmanageable my life had become, accepting help would mean giving up the only false-comfort I had left. However, the outreach I received through the Herren Project was different than the concerned voicemails I had become increasingly familiar with from friends and family. There was a consistence and sincerity in their message: life could and would get better if only I took a chance on the help that was being offered.
Through their willingness and determination to save me from drowning in the tumultuous waves of alcoholism, I was lifted from the waters and taught through selflessness, empathy, and acceptance to take control of my own ship, to take the wheel and gaze at the vast, beautiful ocean of life full of opportunities to seize, dreams to capture, and choices to make. A dear friend told me, “Wheels spin out of control – they also guide us. Wheels go in circles – but wheels can be stopped.” Sobriety is not always easy, but regaining control of the wheel has given me the gift of direction, a freedom for which I am forever grateful.”
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Help further the mission of The Herren Project with the Take the Wheel Charm Bangle. A symbol of guidance, it inspires new beginning and endless possibilities.
