How It Was

It was terrible! Dusty was drunk every other night. We were thousands and thousands of dollars in debt and he was in trouble with the law over misappropriation of funds. I was a basket case and spent a month in a mental hospital. I couldn’t find a good time to talk to him because he was always either drunk or hung-over. I didn’t even know him anymore and I was afraid of him. He traveled a lot and I couldn’t go to sleep at night because I was afraid he’d cause a wreck and kill somebody.

WHAT HAPPENED
One Friday night about midnight I had just fallen asleep when the police called and said they had picked Dusty up on a DWI charge. They seemed to assume that I would come right down and pick him up. A neon “vision” in the front of my brain said, “NO!” and so that’s what I told the officer. It was the hardest (and also the best) thing I’ve ever done in my life but I left him in jail. He finally called our attorney who came over to talk to me. I told him to start divorce proceedings. Sunday night he bailed Dusty out of jail and took him directly to Norton and Valley Hope. The morning after he was admitted I had what I think was a spiritual experience and then another “vision” said, “Roma, you’re sick too. You belong at Valley Hope.” So I arranged to take time off from teaching school and joined Dusty for most of his 30 days in treatment. What an experience! We learned SO MUCH!

HOW IT IS NOW
Today things are much more serene and peaceful. We have a lot better relationship with a lot less controlling. There seems to be a lot less stress – a lot more acceptance and a lot more gratitude. Things aren’t as perfect as we thought they’d be the day we left Valley Hope – I’ve had cancer, we’ve been down the long road of Alzheimer’s with my Mom, and a fatal Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma scare with our second son – but now we have strength and hope and, one day at a time, can somehow accept life on life’s terms. The Promises seem to be coming true for us. The underlying feeling is one of deep gratitude – that we were given the GIFT OF ALCOHOLISM and the GIFT OF VALLEY HOPE.

If you’re in treatment now, pay attention. Listen to every word. Soak it up like a sponge. Here’s your chance to change your life. And if you haven’t found your Higher Power yet, don’t worry – He’ll find you!

By: Roma J