Faith-based Recovery Provides Strength, Joy

For more than half her life, 39-year-old Kim Greenwood of Cadiz has struggled with meth addiction and its consequences in and out of jail and rehab. This time is different at Lifeline.

“I’m stronger now,” she said. “I have a richer foundation in Jesus, and I know who I am.”

At 14, she started running with an older crowd. “My parents didn’t have many rules,” she said.

By 18, she had been charged with manufacturing meth. Similar charges, plus possession, followed; and each time she’d get out of jail to go to rehab. Then came the relapses.

Now in her sixth month at Lifeline, she is confident that when she goes home this summer, she will not resume that cycle.

Kim Greenwood, 2020 Graduate, in front of Whitehaven Visitor Center where she works.

Kim and her husband, sober since he graduated from a similar faith-based program in Tennessee in 2018, are committed to raising their 13-year-old daughter and their 12-year-old son. “He is very supportive,” she said, “and my children say they love to see me smile now. I am happier and calmer.”

Lifeline is different from her previous rehab programs because of its structure. During the first three months, she stayed busy attending classes, church and Celebrate Recovery. In the second phase, she has worked part-time at McDonald’s and at Whitehaven Visitor Center.

The work has aided in her recovery. “My family paid the first payment to get me in, but I’m able to pay the rest from my jobs,” she said, “so that makes me appreciate it so much more.”

Recovery hasn’t been easy, but it’s been rewarding, she said. “When you first come in, you don’t have any TV and can use the house phone only 10 minutes a day. It’s hard. You feel so disconnected. But you’re with people who are going through the same struggle, and it’s important for addicts to know you’re not alone. We learn who we are, and we learn to let go of our past.”

After she completes the program, she will have a sponsor for regular support; and she plans to volunteer at the center. “I had always tried to hide who I am, but now I take pride in who I am. It’s very encouraging to those going through treatment to be with the staff and volunteers here because most of them have been through it themselves. We all want to help each other.”