A Decision to Change
by Chaplain Bill Baleka
Woodstock, Ontario,
Canada
2001
In order to respect client confidentiality and to preserve anonymity,
Glen is an alias, but the events of his story are true. Glen’s recovery from his
downward spiral of self-destruction is attributed to his decision to change and
the collaborated efforts of psychiatry, the legal system, his employer, and his
family.
When Glen
first came for counseling, he came reluctantly, because he was unsure if anyone
could help him; feeling as though no one really cared. He was angry, confused
and untrusting. Glen’s family members had encouraged him to get help as they
were fearful he was heading for certain destruction. The situation he was facing
included pending drug-related charges, loss of his job, and alienation from his
girlfriend and family.
Glen
constantly heard voices and this was causing him to think that suicide was his
only answer—his only way of escape from a life in which everything was going
wrong. Glen grew up in a home that offered love and encouraged spiritual values.
He couldn’t understand why this was happening to him.
During
counseling sessions things began to unravel as he shared more about his feelings
and his past. Glen’s present drug dependence began as a teenager when his first
exposure to illicit drugs was a result of peer pressure and curiosity. We began
to suspect that the voices Glen was hearing was the result of the combination of
drugs, including hallucinogens, that he had experimented with many years before.
His further dependence on drugs led to breaking the law and now he was facing a
possible jail sentence. During his time of increased usage, his work performance
and reliability deteriorated and he was fired without the union being able to
reverse the decision.
With the help of a psychiatrist, I was able to confirm a diagnosis of
chemically induced schizophrenia. Through careful prescribing and monitoring
medication, Glen stopped hearing voices. He also agreed to a counseling approach
of total abstinence and he was determined to become sober.
When Glen’s lawyer
presented these facts to the court, it was decided that restoration was more
beneficial than incarceration; granting probation that includes counseling. His
union representative was successful in appealing Glen’s dismissal and a
compassionate employer rehired him because he willing to give him another
chance.
Glen came to realize
how so many were wanting him “to make it” and he decided to seize the
opportunity to turn his life around. He is clean and maintaining sobriety;
proving to himself to be a reliable employee. He knows he is not “out of the
woods” as yet, but his future looks bright and includes plans for
marriage.
Glen’s freedom from
being enslaved to his addictive bondage came after two years of dedicated, hard
work. During this time, he also decided to have Jesus become the Lord of his
life. This year, I had the privilege of participating in Glen’s wedding
ceremony.