It took Patrick many years to confront the trauma of his childhood.

“I was born and raised in a very abusive family situation with my stepfather until I was about 15,” Patrick says. Unable to escape his surroundings, Patrick began drinking to numb the pain. “I struggled with alcohol from my late teens up until my early 40s. For many years, that’s how I dealt with my feelings.”

After decades of fighting this battle on his own, Patrick finally reached a low point after getting fired from his job. “All I was doing was drinking and gambling and feeling sorry for myself,” he recalls. “I knew that was not a good thing, so I checked into the Las Vegas Rescue Mission.”

It wasn’t easy in the beginning. Patrick needed time to heal and rebuild his life from the ground up.

“When I first got here, I definitely had no hope,” Patrick recalls. “I had no place to go. I figured if I’m going to get on my feet and do this right, I’ve got to come through the program. I’ve got to stop drinking. I wasn’t sure if everything was going to work out, but I knew it was better than what I was doing.”

And thanks to friends like you, Patrick was able to find that better way — and the hope he was lacking when he first arrived. “My life’s completely turned around,” Patrick says, amazed. “Sober. I’ve got a great job now. I got my head on my shoulders. Back in church. Getting reconnected with God was a big thing with me. That’s why I celebrate recovery so much. The reconnection with God and church has just been a great blessing.”

Patrick credits a big part of his success to the support system of people like him at the Mission: “That’s what we do here — we encourage each other and we help each other. We keep each other accountable.” Beyond that, he’s grateful for how the Mission gave him the tools he needed to work hard and break the cycle he was in. “The whole program structure was great,” he says. “That’s why I’m so successful now. It’s definitely been a great journey. I’m not going to say it was easy.”

Of course, Patrick thanks God for his perfect plan. “Things have worked out so well,” he says. “God’s just been so great with me. I couldn’t have planned it better.” Last of all, Patrick wants to express his gratitude for you and your generosity. “Thank you,” he says. “You are helping people who cannot help themselves.”

Thank you for sharing support and compassion for neighbors like Patrick!