For nearly his entire life, Corey chose to live life by his own rules — and no one else’s.“My mom and I fought a lot when I was growing up,” he says. “It seemed like nothing I did was ever good enough. So I thought, ‘if I can’t make her happy, I’ll make myself happy.’” And by the age of 12, what made him happy was drinking and drugs. He was so self-destructive and rebellious, his parents could do nothing to tame him.“As I got older, I drank every day. I felt better drunk than being sober,” he recalls. “Looking back, I think it’s because I felt so much guilt and shame. I knew I could have had a better life if I’d done it my parents’ way.”When he got married and had a daughter at 19, he tried to get sober. But when he lost his job and couldn’t take care of his family, he started drinking more and more to numb the pain of his failure.

The Only Way

Corey and his wife ultimately divorced. But as Corey’s life grew more and more out of control, he started to realize that his relationship with his daughter was more important than anything. Even drinking. By September 2014, he knew he had to come to Springs Rescue Mission.“When I got here, I was completely broken and lost. But I wanted my daughter to have a dad she deserves,” he says. “And this was the only way.”In therapy, Corey learned how much he had let anger control his life, and he learned how to control it better. But it was through prayer and Bible study that Corey developed a life-changing relationship with God that made all the difference. He learned to lay all his burdens on God and let Him lead the way.Today, Corey knows his daughter really will get the dad she deserves. “Now I want to incorporate myself back into my daughter’s life. I also have a dream that one day I’ll be able to open up a sober home to help more guys like me,” he says. “Thanks to Springs Rescue Mission, I have a future to look forward to.”