‘Alcohol was my god – but now I have something far better’

After hitting rock bottom, Tony moved from a life of addiction to one of purpose, finding a new family at Preston Salvation Army and a fresh start through his faith.

My faith used to be in a god called alcohol. I thought it would never let me down. But then I reached a point where I had no purpose in my life. No goals. No one to care for. Nobody to care for me. All I lived for was my next drink.

I made a plan to do myself in and started sending goodbye messages on my phone. But then I pressed the wrong button and ended up calling a Salvation Army officer that I knew, called Ian. Immediately he came to see me and took me to hospital, where I was sectioned under the mental health act.

I knew that Ian answering my phone call wasn’t a coincidence. God was real. I believe that he was always there, but waiting for the point where I was willing to accept him.

So I went to rehab, got clean and then moved into a recovery home based in Preston, where I started attending The Salvation Army. Pretty quickly the people there became my family. They supported me when I got my flat and the Army’s Employment Plus service helped me get a job. In 2019, I became a Salvationist. I go to the Corps every Sunday where I’m part of the meet-and-greet welcome team and I also volunteer at the food bank.

For so many years, alcohol was my god – but now I have something far better. God loves me. It’s unconditional. He’s always there for me. I want people to know that when life is hard, there is always a way out – and that’s God.

When the Bible talks about God showing us life beyond our wildest dreams, that’s what I’m living today. I haven’t had a drink for more than seven years. I don’t want one. My story proves that when you have God on your side, you can do anything.