UNLEASHED FROM ADDICTION
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Becky Pritchett, Author of "Unleashed from Addiction", and now featured on the God's Ladies website www.unleashedministry.org "Titus 2 Ladies in Leadership"
My name is Becky Pritchett, this is my testimony, and the things I am learning in this new journey of life!
I look back on my life often and wander how I got where I was, and praise God for where I am? I have made many bad choices throughout my life that led me to the darkest place I could ever imagine. I started experimenting with drugs and alcohol when I was 18, by the time I was 23 I was using meth on a daily basis; my life had spiraled out of control. I didn't think anything was wrong with my behavior at the time, because everyone I knew was doing it. It was the cool thing to do; or so I thought.
For years, I didn't want to change; I was okay with how I was living “my” life. When I was 28 years old, my addiction had progressed so much, if I didn't have the drug I couldn't function. My husband at the time, and I would physically fight constantly. We were both in the worst shape of our lives. We later divorced after 10 years of marriage. My children suffered in so many ways. I wouldn't send them to school sometimes, because when I would finally go to sleep; I would oversleep and not get up to put them on the bus. I left them with my mother so I could go party and not come back for days. I was pushing everyone that loved me out of my life so I could get high. I had been arrested 3 times and had lost custody of my children twice by the time I was 31 years old. At the time of my 3rd arrest, I had been married to my current husband, who also suffered with addiction and incarcerated. This was “my” life. This is who I was. BEFORE, JESUS CHRIST!
While in jail the last time, in Feb. 2007, I had convinced myself this was who I am and would never be able to change; I was at the point of just giving up. I didn't want to change anything. I was ready to just do my jail time and go back to my same lifestyle when I was able to go home. I was willing to give up my children permanently; I had accepted that they were better off without me.
Then my husband checked himself into Lifeline Ministries in Paducah, Ky. I would receive his letters and I could see the change in him. At first, I thought to myself we might as well get divorced because I didn't want to know God. I didn't want to know this new way of life. But at his request, I started attending the church services in the jail. Anytime they would start singing hymns, I would start bawling my eyes out, not realizing I was under conviction. Then one night I was lying in my bunk, reading the Bible. I don't think I was really understanding any of it, I was just reading because I needed something to do. I was in Proverbs, just reading along and when I read Chapter 3, Verses 5 & 6, it felt like someone literally slapped me in the back of the head! Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.
Out of all the verses I had read, this was the one that made me realize it was time for me to start living God's way because my way obviously wasn't working out too well. The next church service I went to was when my whole world did a complete flip-flop. They started singing, and of course I started bawling again. The conviction was so strong, I knew this was the time and it was for real. We were in prayer circles, and the girl that was doing the jail ministry was a student at Murray State University. She started praying and asked if there was anyone in our circle ready to accept Jesus Christ into their hearts as their personal Savior; she said, to just look up. I looked up at her with tears rolling down my face, and said, "I'm ready." After that night, I didn't cry anymore when they sang, I sang with them. My heart wasn't empty anymore. I realized I wanted to go through the same experiences my husband had been talking about in his letters. I knew we had to do this together.
By May 2007, they had opened the women's facility, Ladies Living Free and I was accepted into their program. In this program, I studied the Bible every day, went to church 3 times a week, and learned how to have a personal relationship with God. I had finally come to the point in my life where I wanted something better for myself and my family. I wanted to live freely and not be chained to this addiction.
After graduating their program, I went home, got custody of my 3 children back, and life was great. A few months later, my husband received final sentencing on his charges and was revoked by the parole board for 18 months. We knew this day was coming, and prayed faithfully God's Will would be done in this situation. I was at work when he called me from jail with the news, and I was devastated; but I understood God has a purpose for every situation. At the time, I wasn't sure what His purpose was for us but I knew in my heart there was one.
With a lot of prayer and a ton of support from family and our church, we lived through it. God gave him the strength to endure being inside, and God gave me the strength to endure being in society without my husband. This was God's purpose. This was His plan. He separated us so we would learn to rely on Him alone, and not on each other. He finally came home in Feb. of 2010.
God has done so much for us and I am so amazed at how he saved my life. I once heard a woman say there is no cure for addiction, and I had to politely correct her. GOD IS THE ONLY CURE. Whatever your stronghold is, the only way to beat it is with God. I am living proof of that, and I strongly believe nothing else in the world works EXCEPT GOD. I have so much to be thankful for. I have a great job I love, and have been Manager for the past 2 years at our location in Murray, Ky.
God places people in my life that are either a blessing to me, or that I can be a blessing to, especially through my work. I have recently joined the Board of Directors for the New Beginnings Transition Home in Murray, Ky. This will be a home for women coming out of incarceration, the program is Christ centered. My experiences with addictions and watching God's miracles, is making me into a person I never thought I could be. This is my life. This is who I am. AFTER, JESUS CHRIST!
I have had amazing support from family and friends. I have 3 wonderful children, ages 15, 9, and 6. I knew my biggest challenge would be restoring these relationships.
My oldest has seen me at my worst. How could she ever forgive me for all the anger I expressed and all the disappointment and hurt I caused her. She wasn't able to live a normal childhood because I was being the child. The only thing I knew to do was pray. God took this burden from me and has restored my relationships with all of my children. We attend Sunday school and Church regularly as a family, this is very important to me.
Ashley (15) is a beautiful, sensitive and smart young woman; I am so proud of her. She has accepted Christ which is the greatest blessing. She believes in second chances, and I am so thankful she gave me one. Our relationship is stronger than it has ever been and we owe it all to God.
Brandon (9) has also accepted Christ and enjoys reading his Bible at night. It feels good to know my actions are being watched and absorbed and I am trying to set good examples for all of my children. He's very inquisitive and asks lots of questions about God and is proud of himself when he can recite certain verses, or even the books of the Bible in order. This makes me very happy.
Hannah (6) doesn't remember much about the bad times in my life. I don't even think she remembers me leaving her at the babysitter's house to go to court and not coming back because I had gone to jail. When I finally did come home, I just wanted to hold her tight and not let go. She loves going to church and singing songs she learns in Sunday school, it brings me joy to hear her sing and share what she learns about God.
I often think how if I had not turned my life over to God, my children would not have these amazing characteristics. So by God saving my soul, He allowed me to be a small part of saving theirs. I love each one of them so much and pray they grow strong in Christ.
As for my mother, she supported me when no one else wanted to. She used to blame herself for the way my life turned out. It wasn't her fault. I made my choices regardless of how she raised me to be. When my husband went to jail, my kids and I moved in with her; the five of us (along with her dog and eventually mine) lived in a 2 bedroom trailer. I can only hope she knows how much I appreciate all the things she has done for me. The day I heard her say, she was proud of me and she had her daughter back; was the day I realized the change God had made was so huge it was noticed by the ones that loved me. Thanks to God, and thanks to my mom for not giving up on me.
I have an amazing boss who is also one of my best friends, Tina Simpson. I went to her for a job interview while I was at Ladies Living Free. I had doubts she would even consider me for any position because of my record. It has been my experience that convicted felons find it harder to find employment. She gave me a chance. Within a month, I was promoted to Assistant Manager and 1 year later, we opened up a new store and they made me Manager there. If it wasn't for her giving me the chance to show that I could be productive, I don't know where I would be. I appreciate her and love her very much. She is a Christian and we operate our businesses in a Christian atmosphere. Thank you Tina for believing in me and for being there when I needed you!
Last but not least, I am truly blessed to have Theressa Lindsey in my life. She has been my accountability partner and mentor for the past 3 1/2 yrs. She taught me to search the truth and not just accept what people tell me. While my husband was incarcerated, she was at the altar with me every Sunday praying. She can't possibly know just how much I love her and depend on her. She is an awesome Christian lady and she is the woman that I look up to most in my life. Thanks Theressa for everything. Thank you for being there and for setting an example for me of the Christian I should be.
Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Thank you God for saving me, and for taking all the horrible things out of my life. Thank you for helping me to change my entire way of life, way of thinking, and way of reacting. You are my strength. Help me to share my testimony with others, so you may be glorified. Place people in my life that can hear my story and see what you have done for me, in hopes that they may turn their lives over to you.
Becky Pritchett
For years, I didn't want to change; I was okay with how I was living “my” life. When I was 28 years old, my addiction had progressed so much, if I didn't have the drug I couldn't function. My husband at the time, and I would physically fight constantly. We were both in the worst shape of our lives. We later divorced after 10 years of marriage. My children suffered in so many ways. I wouldn't send them to school sometimes, because when I would finally go to sleep; I would oversleep and not get up to put them on the bus. I left them with my mother so I could go party and not come back for days. I was pushing everyone that loved me out of my life so I could get high. I had been arrested 3 times and had lost custody of my children twice by the time I was 31 years old. At the time of my 3rd arrest, I had been married to my current husband, who also suffered with addiction and incarcerated. This was “my” life. This is who I was. BEFORE, JESUS CHRIST!
While in jail the last time, in Feb. 2007, I had convinced myself this was who I am and would never be able to change; I was at the point of just giving up. I didn't want to change anything. I was ready to just do my jail time and go back to my same lifestyle when I was able to go home. I was willing to give up my children permanently; I had accepted that they were better off without me.
Then my husband checked himself into Lifeline Ministries in Paducah, Ky. I would receive his letters and I could see the change in him. At first, I thought to myself we might as well get divorced because I didn't want to know God. I didn't want to know this new way of life. But at his request, I started attending the church services in the jail. Anytime they would start singing hymns, I would start bawling my eyes out, not realizing I was under conviction. Then one night I was lying in my bunk, reading the Bible. I don't think I was really understanding any of it, I was just reading because I needed something to do. I was in Proverbs, just reading along and when I read Chapter 3, Verses 5 & 6, it felt like someone literally slapped me in the back of the head! Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.
Out of all the verses I had read, this was the one that made me realize it was time for me to start living God's way because my way obviously wasn't working out too well. The next church service I went to was when my whole world did a complete flip-flop. They started singing, and of course I started bawling again. The conviction was so strong, I knew this was the time and it was for real. We were in prayer circles, and the girl that was doing the jail ministry was a student at Murray State University. She started praying and asked if there was anyone in our circle ready to accept Jesus Christ into their hearts as their personal Savior; she said, to just look up. I looked up at her with tears rolling down my face, and said, "I'm ready." After that night, I didn't cry anymore when they sang, I sang with them. My heart wasn't empty anymore. I realized I wanted to go through the same experiences my husband had been talking about in his letters. I knew we had to do this together.
By May 2007, they had opened the women's facility, Ladies Living Free and I was accepted into their program. In this program, I studied the Bible every day, went to church 3 times a week, and learned how to have a personal relationship with God. I had finally come to the point in my life where I wanted something better for myself and my family. I wanted to live freely and not be chained to this addiction.
After graduating their program, I went home, got custody of my 3 children back, and life was great. A few months later, my husband received final sentencing on his charges and was revoked by the parole board for 18 months. We knew this day was coming, and prayed faithfully God's Will would be done in this situation. I was at work when he called me from jail with the news, and I was devastated; but I understood God has a purpose for every situation. At the time, I wasn't sure what His purpose was for us but I knew in my heart there was one.
With a lot of prayer and a ton of support from family and our church, we lived through it. God gave him the strength to endure being inside, and God gave me the strength to endure being in society without my husband. This was God's purpose. This was His plan. He separated us so we would learn to rely on Him alone, and not on each other. He finally came home in Feb. of 2010.
God has done so much for us and I am so amazed at how he saved my life. I once heard a woman say there is no cure for addiction, and I had to politely correct her. GOD IS THE ONLY CURE. Whatever your stronghold is, the only way to beat it is with God. I am living proof of that, and I strongly believe nothing else in the world works EXCEPT GOD. I have so much to be thankful for. I have a great job I love, and have been Manager for the past 2 years at our location in Murray, Ky.
God places people in my life that are either a blessing to me, or that I can be a blessing to, especially through my work. I have recently joined the Board of Directors for the New Beginnings Transition Home in Murray, Ky. This will be a home for women coming out of incarceration, the program is Christ centered. My experiences with addictions and watching God's miracles, is making me into a person I never thought I could be. This is my life. This is who I am. AFTER, JESUS CHRIST!
I have had amazing support from family and friends. I have 3 wonderful children, ages 15, 9, and 6. I knew my biggest challenge would be restoring these relationships.
My oldest has seen me at my worst. How could she ever forgive me for all the anger I expressed and all the disappointment and hurt I caused her. She wasn't able to live a normal childhood because I was being the child. The only thing I knew to do was pray. God took this burden from me and has restored my relationships with all of my children. We attend Sunday school and Church regularly as a family, this is very important to me.
Ashley (15) is a beautiful, sensitive and smart young woman; I am so proud of her. She has accepted Christ which is the greatest blessing. She believes in second chances, and I am so thankful she gave me one. Our relationship is stronger than it has ever been and we owe it all to God.
Brandon (9) has also accepted Christ and enjoys reading his Bible at night. It feels good to know my actions are being watched and absorbed and I am trying to set good examples for all of my children. He's very inquisitive and asks lots of questions about God and is proud of himself when he can recite certain verses, or even the books of the Bible in order. This makes me very happy.
Hannah (6) doesn't remember much about the bad times in my life. I don't even think she remembers me leaving her at the babysitter's house to go to court and not coming back because I had gone to jail. When I finally did come home, I just wanted to hold her tight and not let go. She loves going to church and singing songs she learns in Sunday school, it brings me joy to hear her sing and share what she learns about God.
I often think how if I had not turned my life over to God, my children would not have these amazing characteristics. So by God saving my soul, He allowed me to be a small part of saving theirs. I love each one of them so much and pray they grow strong in Christ.
As for my mother, she supported me when no one else wanted to. She used to blame herself for the way my life turned out. It wasn't her fault. I made my choices regardless of how she raised me to be. When my husband went to jail, my kids and I moved in with her; the five of us (along with her dog and eventually mine) lived in a 2 bedroom trailer. I can only hope she knows how much I appreciate all the things she has done for me. The day I heard her say, she was proud of me and she had her daughter back; was the day I realized the change God had made was so huge it was noticed by the ones that loved me. Thanks to God, and thanks to my mom for not giving up on me.
I have an amazing boss who is also one of my best friends, Tina Simpson. I went to her for a job interview while I was at Ladies Living Free. I had doubts she would even consider me for any position because of my record. It has been my experience that convicted felons find it harder to find employment. She gave me a chance. Within a month, I was promoted to Assistant Manager and 1 year later, we opened up a new store and they made me Manager there. If it wasn't for her giving me the chance to show that I could be productive, I don't know where I would be. I appreciate her and love her very much. She is a Christian and we operate our businesses in a Christian atmosphere. Thank you Tina for believing in me and for being there when I needed you!
Last but not least, I am truly blessed to have Theressa Lindsey in my life. She has been my accountability partner and mentor for the past 3 1/2 yrs. She taught me to search the truth and not just accept what people tell me. While my husband was incarcerated, she was at the altar with me every Sunday praying. She can't possibly know just how much I love her and depend on her. She is an awesome Christian lady and she is the woman that I look up to most in my life. Thanks Theressa for everything. Thank you for being there and for setting an example for me of the Christian I should be.
Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Thank you God for saving me, and for taking all the horrible things out of my life. Thank you for helping me to change my entire way of life, way of thinking, and way of reacting. You are my strength. Help me to share my testimony with others, so you may be glorified. Place people in my life that can hear my story and see what you have done for me, in hopes that they may turn their lives over to you.
Becky Pritchett