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Weston can’t pinpoint the moment when his fondness for alcohol turned into a habit. But he remembers his dad coming home from work each night and pouring drink after drink. “I had everything I needed growing up,” Weston says, “but I still felt like something was missing.”
Fueled by alcohol, Weston began a years-long quest to fill that aching absence in his heart. He’d sleep on a friend’s couch, wear out his welcome, and move on to the next one. Finally, that downward spiral led Weston to the streets of Phoenix—and county jail.
“I know what it is to be homeless in the summer,” he says. “You walk into stores asking for water and hope they won’t kick you out. A few times I passed out from dehydration and woke up in the hospital.”
Then one stiflingly hot day, something clicked in Weston’s mind. “I was tired of living that way,” he says, “but I didn’t know how to go about changing it. I thought about committing crimes or even killing myself just to escape that situation.”
Thankfully, Weston didn’t give up on himself. He came to Phoenix Rescue Mission, where our donors’ compassion met him like a reassuring embrace. “Once I realized God cared about me, I saw His acceptance being reflected in others,” Weston says. “I found a reason to stay sober.”
Since graduating from our program, Weston formed a connection with his 6-year-old son, George, for the very first time. They love taking trips to the zoo and tossing a football around in the yard.
“Having him in my life is the best gift I could ever ask for,” Weston says. “Thank you for helping me turn things around.”