California Mother Shares with Workshop Participants Her Story, from Addiction to Ongoing Recovery
A 24-year-old mother who battled for years with a drug addiction that eventually led to a downward spiral shared her personal testimony at the California-Pacific conference workshop on her previously troubled life, how she found God, and how the church can reach addicts.
Christina Rachford, a Lake Los Angeles, California native, remembers alcohol and drugs being in her life ever since she was a young girl. Her parents divorced when she was four years old. Her mother was a drug addict who left the family, and she lived in a turbulent home with her father who she described as a "functional alcoholic."
At 14, she took her first drink and her substance abuse problems compounded from that point. "As I got older, I drank more heavily and started rebelling," said Rachford.
Her home life didn't get any better when her father remarried, and she was not getting along with her stepmother. Not able to deal with the enormous pressures in her life, she ran away from home at 16. Rachford longed to have a parent in her life. "I was having emptiness in my life, not knowing who I was," said Rachford.
Rachford moved from place to place searching for a stable home life. She had a son with her on- again, off-again boyfriend--who was living a clean life--and continued to abuse drugs. A knife fight with a roommate landed her in jail for three years, and she lost custody of her child.
In jail, she got on her knees and prayed. "I said, 'God, I don't know what you want from me, but I need a change.' I felt so defeated," said Rachford. A prison ministry helped her to find God and gave her faith to make a change in her young life.
Now out of jail, Rachford lives in a Los Angeles suburb with her aunt and uncle and is turning her life around. She has been reunited with her son and has regular visits with him. Additionally, she attends Temple City First United Methodist Church in Temple City, California, where she serves on the church's outreach committee. "I'm doing whatever I can to rehabilitate myself," said Rachford.
For local churches planning to start recovery ministries, particularly with young people, Rachford said congregations need to move out of their comfort zone to reach addicts in their community, where they are. "You have to be in their face," said Rachford.
She added that churches should offer guidance and support to substance abusers on what they can do to help fill the emptiness in their lives and steer clear of alcohol and other drugs. "From where you are, this what you can do to stay away from darkness," she said.
Stay tuned on SPSARV's website for an extended article on Christina's life and how she turned her life around.