Miguel's Story

There are turning points in all our lives, some bad, some good. Miguel recalls two turning points that sent him deeper into his drinking. The first was witnessing the death of his father, killed by a relative in 2010. The second was his divorce in 2018.

Miguel knew his drinking was a major factor in the divorce. “My wife got fed up with my anger toward her and the kids,” he admits.

Immediately following the divorce, Miguel decided to address his addiction. He went to rehab for 60 days, but the results were as shortlived as the program.

Thinking a change of venue would help, Miguel went to Mexico, where his family owned a house. Being on his own, though, proved disastrous. His drinking left him in a coma for three days. He returned to Milwaukee and tried another program, with little success.

Miguel was still drinking, still unhappy and soon, he was homeless. Then there was a third turning point in Miguel’s life, this time a positive one. A friend told him about Hope Gospel Mission.

Last August, Miguel started the recovery program. Everything went well until his mother passed away in December. Miguel went home and started drinking again. He knew he had toreturn to the program but had to wait 30 days and start over. “It was the longest 30 days of my life,” Miguel recalls. “But I’m blessed to be here. I want to continue getting better, instead of reaching the bottom again. And that’s what I’m doing right now.”

Miguel is back in touch with his family. In fact, his ex-wife is one of his biggest supporters, praying for him and emailing scripture every day.