Renewal Story: Anthony

“I was around the wrong people, doing the wrong things,” Anthony admits of his younger days. After years of drug use, the morals he was raised with convinced him that “I had to get serious.”

Anthony began attending Narcotics Anonymous meetings, but even that wasn’t enough to turn his life around. Instead, he found his new beginning at Union Gospel Mission of Tarrant County.

When he enrolled in the Men’s Program, Anthony found the structure at the Mission exactly what he needed. “Everything’s coming together,” he says. “I have no reason to use drugs anymore. I’m on track, and it feels good.” Anthony tells us his family – including three older children – are involved in his recovery. “They’re proud of me!” 

Today, Anthony has a job and is working on getting a place to live for himself and his youngest daughter. In the meantime, he continues to take classes at the Mission and is one of the first participants in our new program, Club UGM. He especially enjoys the sports. “My team is killing it out there!” he says.

More than anything, Anthony credits the faith-based components of the program with keeping him on track. “You need that as fuel,” he says. “If you feel bad about yourself, you can go to chapel. You get that morale boost. The preachers really hit it on the nail, and we have discussions about it back at the dorm. It’s working for a lot of guys here.”

Anthony recommends UGM-TC for “anyone who has fallen low in life.” He tells us, “it is a place where you find people with open hearts and open arms. You feel the warmth here. If you need something positive in your life, try UGM-TC. In these walls, it’s Heaven!”