No Ordinary Johnny

I met Johnny about a year and a half ago.  I’m not going to lie. He looked terrible!  He had recently gotten off of drugs and was going through some serious withdrawal symptoms.  He had entered rehab at Hogar- Jesús es Vida (Home- Jesus is life) and was in the middle of a deep fight for his life.  He looked like a weathered and beaten man of 40 who had been sleeping under a bridge.  Not exactly the type of person you bring home to meet the family.  And by the way, he was 23 at the time!  But what a difference a year can make!  Today, Johnny looks much closer to his actual age, but with a maturity that transcends his youth.  He is healthy, strong, drug-free for over a year and a half, and serving as the live-in coordinator at the rehab center where he once went through a terrible time of detoxification.  So what transpired in Johnny’s life that produced such a dramatic transformation? 

Here is a summary of the version that Johnny shared with me the other day when we sat down together:

“I had everything I needed.” 

                Johnny was living alone in a house with his father and thought that he had everything he needed to be happy.  In the home of a working class family, there was enough money to comfortably sustain the two men.  Johnny was unemployed and failed to finish high school, so he took care of the house and all the chores.  His father was OK with this arrangement, so he gave Johnny money to do whatever he wanted.  Once the father left for work, Johnny also left to look for his friends.  He spent the day drinking and consuming drugs with his friends.  Johnny’s drugs of choice were cocaine and prescription drugs, but he tried everything available (i.e. marijuana, paco, etc.)  In the afternoon he would return home to be with his father, but then would leave again to consume drugs at night.  It was normal for him to stay out all night and come home at dawn.  The weekend was like the rest of the week, only worse.  Every night was spent strung out on drugs, going from party to party and dance club to dance club.  Johnny confesses that he thought he was living the “good life”.

“I felt invincible.” 

                Obviously, no one can maintain a life style like the one Johnny was living.  He felt great, but others were starting to see strange changes in his behavior.  Johnny said that when he was high, he felt invincible and left the house ready to conquer the world.  He started to sell things on the street in order to maintain his habits and would enter the most dangerous neighborhoods in the city without a care in the world.  It is known here that many neighborhoods, known as villas (slums) are extremely dangerous for those who aren’t from those areas.  They are controlled by the Argentine equivalent of gang members and violence is the norm for those who are not welcome.  Johnny didn’t care or even consider the danger.  He also made it a habit to rob people in the street whenever he felt like making some extra money.  His life was becoming more and more reckless.  Johnny then began to start having hallucinations.  He was beginning to see people and hear voices of those who were trying to kill him.  Paranoia set in and more than once, Johnny pulled a knife to protect himself from these delusions.  This was when his father became worried.

“I didn’t want to go”

                Johnny’s father had heard about a Christian rehab center and thought that maybe they could help his son.  Johnny didn’t want anything to do with it, even though he was becoming frightened by his hallucinations.  Eventually he was convinced and went for a day, but he didn’t want to stay.  Johnny wasn’t interested in admitting himself to a “religious rehab” with a group of other drug addicts.  He left that day, but continued to be tormented by his delusions.  Once more, his father and others convinced him to return to the rehab center.  This time he stayed and the real fight was about to begin.

“I was tempted to escape through the window and walk off the roof.”

                The first few days in rehab were awful for Johnny.  His hallucinations were only exacerbated by a complete withdrawal from the cocaine and pills that his body was accustomed to.  Johnny didn’t sleep at night for the first two weeks.  He was awake at times groaning and screaming.  Johnny would tell you that he was in a deep spiritual battle and he was actually being tormented by demons.  Whether produced by drugs or demonic influence, Johnny was in a fight for his life.  Johnny admits that at one point, he was thinking about escaping though the first floor window and throwing himself from the top of the roof.  He was desperate, but others were fighting along with him. 

“Jesus rescued me from my drug addiction”

                At Jesus es Vida, there is a clear philosophy about their treatment.  They recognize the physical and medical aspects of substance abuse, but they hold to a core belief that spiritual treatment is an absolutely essential part of authentic recovery.  During Johnny’s struggles, pastors and leaders were constantly fighting with him.  They were praying for him, sharing God’s truth with him, and pointing him towards a savior.  Johnny explains that he was never fighting alone and that it was Jesus who rescued him from his addiction.  He gives credit to God for his physical and spiritual recovery.  Johnny persevered despite his withdrawal and whatever spiritual attack he might have faced.  He came out of that time transformed and began to grow spiritually in a remarkable way.  The following year became a year of many changes and blessings for Johnny and his family.

Johnny (Left) with two guys from the rehab center preparing to sell bread that helps support the ministry.

“It’s amazing how God has blessed me”

                During his time in recovery, it became evident that God had something special in store for Johnny.  He began to soak up the biblical teachings, he was baptized at his church, and he started to assume a leadership role in the center.  When it was time for Johnny to leave, he was invited by the leaders to stay on as a coordinator of the recovery home.  He has been fulfilling this role for probably about a year.  It is amazing to see how Johnny has grown in his leadership skills.  He is teaching young men how to overcome their addictions with the power of Christ and he invites every drug user he knows to come to the rehab center that he calls home.  I would estimate that at least 20 men have come to the center due to a personal invitation from Johnny.  Something unique is truly going on here!  Johnny is recognizing that God has tremendously blessed him since leaving drugs behind and choosing to follow Christ.

Johnny (3rd from left) with other guys from the center. 3 of these guys grew up with Johnny and came to the center because of his testimony and personal invitation.

Please pray that Johnny would continue to faithfully follow Christ and could reach more and more people dealing with addictions and fighting spiritual battles.