Tim’s story begins in a small town in North Carolina, a place best known for alcohol and violence. His mother grew up in a broken home after losing her parents in a tragic accident. At just 14, she married Tim’s father, and a year later, Tim was born. While there were moments of joy, his childhood was deeply marred by the constant presence of domestic violence. His mother, struggling with her own pain, often took her frustrations out on him.
At 15, Tim moved in with his uncle, where he was introduced to drugs. He later reflected that the drugs helped numb the trauma of his childhood. There were brief attempts to turn his life around—he returned to school, had a spiritual awakening, and joined groups focused on spreading the gospel, traveling, and witnessing to thousands. But after a night out with friends, a moment of weakness led him back to addiction, and it wasn’t long before alcohol and drugs took hold once again.
Tim, once passionately opposed to alcohol, found himself relying on it heavily and even selling narcotics to feed his addiction. His life spiraled further, leading to multiple stints in prison over the next 15 years. Yet, during his time incarcerated, Tim found solace in his faith. He spent time with the Lord, enrolled in addiction programs and sought a way out. But when his father passed away while he was still behind bars, Tim felt lost and alone. “I lost my mind, and I was all by myself,” he said.
As the cycle of addiction continued, Tim realized he was at risk of losing his children to the foster system. With a heavy heart, he entrusted family members to take custody of them, knowing he needed to change, but unsure how. He was exhausted from running, from losing everything, and from the endless cycle of despair. It wasn’t until his girlfriend of 15 years went to Dove’s Nest to find her own path to sobriety that Tim heard about the Charlotte Rescue Mission and the Rebound program. When he received a call that a bed was available for him, he knew it was time to take a hard step toward healing.
When Tim walked through the doors of the Mission, he immediately felt that it was no coincidence—this was where he was meant to be. “The Mission did things differently. It was obvious that people cared for me and wanted the best for me,” he shared. This wasn’t like any other program he had been through. Tim found a community of people who genuinely held him accountable and offered the support he needed to rebuild his life.
Through the Mission and the Rebound program, Tim began to heal in ways he never thought possible, gradually finding the strength to change and start a new path. He is now part of the Life Skills program at the Charlotte Rescue Mission and is about to celebrate one year of sobriety after twenty-seven years of battling addiction. This milestone is a powerful step in his journey toward lasting transformation. Along the way, he is also repairing relationships with his children and his mother, rebuilding the connections that matter most to him.
