Success Stories
Singing Songs of Praise
At his lowest point James Harverson contemplated suicide. It was a journey of the worst kind that brought him to that point. He was raised in southern ways to respect his elders. But his mother drank, gambled and eventually had a breakdown. James started using crack when he was 15. He says, “In the middle of my addiction, God showed me that my mother was going to get very sick.” He remembers telling her, “you’ll be proud of me one day.” But his recovery was a long way off and included two stays in the Men’s Recovery Program and time in the Penitentiary. When he wanted to go back into rehab he was told, “you already know what you have to do.” In 2004 doctors gave his mother six months to live. James knew he had to take his recovery seriously or his mother would never be proud of him. He remembers, “I surrendered my life to God.” He took the things he learned about himself in Project Rehab and started the hard work of his recovery. He also learned that getting himself straight for his mom, the parole officer, his wife, kids, and everyone else was not going to work, he had to do it for himself. At this writing James’ mom is still alive and proud of her son. When asked what his life is like today James says, “All my wildest dreams have been awakened.”
James' story appears in 40 Stories of Courage and Hope: Celebrating 40 Years of Project Rehab, which was published in Fall 2008 in recognition of Project Rehab’s 40th anniversary. Click here to read more stories about our courageous clients and the treatment pioneers who helped make recovery possible.
This story is sponsored by Berends Hendricks Stuit Insurance Agency