Faith&Friends
FEATURE
Saved to Serve VINCE CUSACK WAS AT HIS LOWEST WHEN HE ENCOUNTERED GOD AND THE SALVATION ARMY. by Ken Ramstead
A
“
ddiction consumed my whole life,” states Vince Cusack. “I’ve been locked up, homeless, suicidal, had withdrawals that almost killed me, overdosed numerous times and had to be revived with Narcan. I’ve been in numerous car accidents because I was high behind the wheel. I hurt my family and my friends and did things I never thought I would do.” Vince posted this on his Facebook page this past spring to celebrate another year of sobriety. “I had two options,” he went on to post. “Continue to self-destruct or surrender and admit I had a problem. “I chose freedom. I chose to believe in God!” 12 • MAY 2020 I faithandfriends.ca
Destructive Spiral Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, Vince “grew up in a family that was dysfunctional.” At the age of five, his family moved to Arizona, where Vince spent his childhood and teen years. Unfortunately, his parents struggled with alcoholism. “At an early age, I started drinking with them and that carried over into school,” says Vince. “Whether I was at home or whether I was at school, I was using substances and abusing them.” By the time Vince reached high school, his life revolved around self-medicating, using drugs and alcohol, alone, with friends or with his parents. In his senior year, Vince