Submissions

9/11 was an American tradgedy. Thousands died, leaving families in shambles. It led the American government to go to war, and spend billions on the international war on terror. This war on terror left the countries major domestic issues on the backburner for a long time, and left media focus on domestic issues at a minimal. Quite frankly, if it’s not in the media, most polititians don’t care.

The federal government spends about 44 billion dollars a year on the war on drugs. That seems like a lot right? Well wrong….the reality is, the war on drugs is totally a backburner issue.

Well, 80% of all people in prison are either there for drug charges, or they were under the influence when they commited a crime, or in some way shape or form their crime involved drugs. That doesn’t even count the cost of paroling these inmates or the cost of people on probation. 1/6th of my states budget goes to the correctional system here. Multiply that by 50 states, and thats a lot of money just for the impact of drugs on the correctional system.

Then you have the financial burden on the individual families impacted by drug addiction. I read the beginning of a womans blog that said she went into bankruptsy twice trying to help her daughter with addiction. There are millions of families across America just like hers.

Healthcare? An estimated 300,000 AIDs cases were supposed to be related directly to drug addicts using dirty needles. And the president wants to stop the needle exchange program and make public health care. Kind of hypocritical in my opinion. Then there are other health problems, overdosing, brain damage, kydney problems, the list can go on. The drug addiction epidemics cost on the healthcare system is huge.

Drugs have a huge impact on crime in the states. Most street gangs finance thier operations with drug money.

Not to mention the international impact of the American drug epidemic. The war in Mexico now would not be going on if America didn’t have so many addicts willing to spend a lot of money on drugs. The international drug cartels have unlimited power in most central American and Carribean countries. With 1/6 of the drug cartels budget going to pay people off in these countries, the top levels of government in some of these counties are corrupted to support the American addicts.

Thousands died in the events of 9/11. Millions die as a result of the drug trade. Millions of families are impacted by drug addiction. Government policy and prioities are funny to me….

Born Broken is an inspirational story about acute alcoholism, a story about hope and belief that there is a better way.

http://bornbrokenbook.com

Born Broken is the story of my struggle with alcoholism, and the different stages of my journey to recovery. It is the story of growing up in a poor white neighborhood called Okieville, with no way out and no hope for a better tomorrow. You will feel the wrenching pains and paralyzing fears of my childhood as I waited for heart surgery to be developed, hoping that one day I could live a normal life like other children. As you travel through this story with me, you will discover how alcohol took control of my life while I was still very young and vulnerable. Yes, most of my struggles stem from chronic alcohol abuse, a disorder that this story will expose for its true nature. It will reveal insights I gained during my climb back into the real world from this deadly disease. How God grasped my trembling hands one desperate night and summoned me out of the abyss that held me captive for so long, one day and one step at a time.
Born Broken is a story that comes out of an era when many believed we only gained from life what we earned, through self-will and strong determination. I view my world from a very different perspective than one in which I grew up. In the 1950’s and early 60’s there was a belief that if you worked hard enough, received at least a high school diploma, a strong willed individual could reach whatever goals they set their mind to. But I was to discover that insights weren’t any more than rearrangement of facts. Sometimes in life things happen for a reason, though that reason may not be apparent.
From the early moments of my birth, everything that happened in my life was inevitable. I needed to experience what I experienced the way that I did. Even though I didn’t know it at the time, there was a mission of self-discovery that needed to be accomplished at any cost. This self-discovery would eventually have a profound impact on my life, altering its direction many times.
This book will concentrate on lost directions, while chronicling my journey through alcoholism. Even though I will use a variety of simple analogies to illustrate my personal experiences, these are just whispers of the true reality of where I came from, shadows left behind after escaping the darkness, the complex moments of uncertainty and clarity that marked my path toward recovery.
I pray that my story will impart a message of hope and courage to those still suffering from this sad disease. I hope that it mirrors the horrors of millions of like people, and shows how I was able to learn the truths that I can now share and write about candidly.
My hope is that my readers will experience a greater understanding of God’s Mercy and Grace, and their own capabilities. It doesn’t matter where you came from in life—where you are headed though is of the utmost importance. Inside this book you may come to recognize similarities to your own life, similarities that many alcoholics have endured over the years.
What makes this story so heart-felt is the fact that I have gained freedom from the obstacles that held me captive for most of my life. How I was able to leave behind problems that had previously shackled me. Agree with me or disagree with me, we should all pray that those who seek help may find God’s Grace.
The world of alcoholism is a darkened abyss, waiting patiently to devour all those who dare to venture beyond its gates. As we listen to those cries of anguish and torment inside our troubled minds, our spirits stay troubled. Without a powerful merciful intervention, who knows what future those still lost inside must face?
Once, maybe even twice in a person’s life, an opportunity may appear that can brush against that person’s soul. It can alter what they were destined to become. It can leave an impression on broken hearts and injured souls. These are the Evidence, the Footprints that God leaves behind. I am one of those blessed individuals who have emerged Within God’s Grace, to share His Merciful and Gracious message.