A brain injury made it difficult to cope; reconnecting with God was the answer

Matt came to Renewed Hope in August—he had been calling for the month prior ensuring there was room for him. His money to pay for a bed at a sober living facility had run out. His mother-in-law had been helping out, but she could no longer afford it—Matt was at a crossroads.

Matt arrived having been in sober living for a couple months after bouncing around a few other treatment programs to help with his alcoholism,” said Hayden Roush, Renewed Hope’s program manager. “He had been exited upon the staff realizing his mental capacity struggles, which were due to a traumatic brain injury that occurred several years ago.”

Matt was a very friendly, hard-working resident, but his injury left him struggling greatly to read and remember things on a daily basis. He begged the staff not to kick him out; he had nowhere else to go.

Matt’s wife, who typically cares for him, had recently been arrested and placed in a treatment program, as they both struggle with alcoholism. Without her care and support, Matt’s mother-in-law had stepped up to help as much as she could, but couldn’t continue to pay for programs or sober living.

Renewed Hope kept Matt from living on the streets, which would’ve been detrimental considering his mental struggles. He was accepted as a special client, and the program was restructured to fit Matt’s abilities. He was assigned duties at the house, in the kitchen and at the thrift store, where he could really thrive and feel proud about being able to help the program.

“He began to share about the depression that had pushed him into drinking,” Roush said. “It’s what caused him to lose his job as a firefighter and ultimately led to his brain injury. He talked about feeling helpless and angry because it was so difficult to read, speak and communicate with others—that pushed him to drink more and more.”

“(The brain injury) left him feeling helpless and angry because it was so difficult to read, speak and communicate with others — that pushed him to drink more and more.”
— Hayden Roush, Renewed Hope Program Manager

Over the course of four months at Renewed Hope, Matt got back on his medications and started going to his doctor appointments and weekly one-on-one counseling sessions, while attending all the program Bible studies, recovery meetings and church services. In early November, his wife was able to start communicating with Matt and the staff while she was finishing her program and we helped them plan out their next steps once his wife felt able to care for him again.

Matt took strides in his sobriety, attending meetings while in program. He is continuing to attend them now that he’s reunited with his wife, since they live nearby. He has found himself back in a relationship with the Lord of whom he continually praises each and every day for opening the doors to Renewed Hope. Matt admitted that as happy as he was to be back with his wife, he was sad to leave because for the first time since before his injury, he was truly happy. He was sober, surrounded by friends, and feeling proud that he’d been a part of the program and had restored his relationship with the Lord.