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Les started using alcohol and drugs at the young age of 11. By the time he came to Union Gospel Mission for help, he’d been using for 40 long years. In those 40 years, as his addiction progressed, Les graduated from high school, was married, had a family, got divorced, and ended up on the streets.
Les had lost everything that meant anything to him and a longstanding battle with depression and alcohol and drug abuse brought him to a breaking point. “Suicide was on my mind every day,” he recalls. He was staying at a shelter on Granville Street and some people there suggested UGM would be the best place for him to go.
“When I first went to the Mission, I was a mess; I didn’t trust anyone and I was headed for the door to leave every day. But something inside of me made me stay.”
It took a few tries for him to fully commit to his sobriety, but he says, “With the help of the counsellors and God, I went through some amazing changes.” Les completed UGM’s Alcohol & Drug Recovery Program and has been clean and sober ever since.
Today, Les is happily married and contributes to the community everyday as part of the UGM Maintenance team. “The biggest thing I found out and realized was that God never gave up on me. A lot of people in my life gave up on me and I'd given up on myself, but the people at UGM never did, and the Lord never did. And between the two of them …. Well that’s why I’m here today and it’s quite amazing.”
| Hear a short message from Les. |
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