Brodie’s Story: From Death to Life

Brodie’s story is not one of your typical “I was curious about drugs” stories. His story is about pain and hurt and trying to escape them. His testimony is powerful and he will share it all over the world one day. He gives all praise to God for bringing him from death to life.

“It started with abuse in my childhood. I remember when my Dad was drunk, he would throw my Mom around and I would scream and beg him to stop while trying to comfort my little brother. The verbal and physical abuse went on for years and it was enough to make a child just want to escape. At first, I turned to music but that wasn’t cutting it so I turned to witchcraft. Following that, I started taking mini thins, Ritalin, smoking weed and cigarettes every chance I got. By the age of 15, I was expelled from school for pain pills. It was around this time that I started smoking crack and stealing my Dad’s truck at night to go party. One night I got caught and received 9 tickets, a ride to the police station, and an a-whooping from my people. This was only the first run in with the law. Not long after that I got kicked out of my parent’s house and moved in with the dope man. At this time, I was introduced to shooting up Cocaine, taking Ecstasy, GHB, Acid, Shrooms, Valium and anything else I could get high on. Partying and getting high became a daily routine until I overdosed at the age of 18. It was the scariest thing that has ever happened to me, but it wasn’t enough. I only chilled out for about a week.

At the age of 20, I began hanging out with two gangs. I moved in with one of them and partying became a nightly event and because I rode with them, I rode for them. I’ve been shot at on multiple occasions, hit in the head with a bat, pistol whipped and jumped on multiple occasions. Fighting became a hobby and drinking and drugs became a lifestyle.

By the age of 21, I obtained my first felony charge for stealing a Harley Davidson Motorcycle out of a local strip club.

At the age of 23, I was involved in a couple of accidents and broke my back and ended up in a wheel chair. I had to have surgery, which involved six screws and cages, and a lot of physical therapy. During this time, I became addicted to Oxycotin, Xanax, Methadone, Fentanyl and other opiates.

Throughout these years, I received multiple charges which include: disturbing the peace by fighting, two attempted murder charges, inciting a riot, attempted robbery, conspiracy to distribute schedule IV, breaking and entering, prohibited acts, trespassing and possession of controlled and dangerous substances. I have been in countless vehicle and motorcycle accidents and through all of the physical pain, I’d gotten hooked on shooting opiates. It got to a point that the Roxy’s no longer relieved the pain and I would start detoxing within hours of shooting them so I would sell them and buy Methadone instead, cause the methadone had a half-life and would stay in my system for much longer, hence detoxing wouldn’t come so quick. It got to a point that I was ingesting 25-30 Methadones daily.

In 2013, I went to jail and the detox process was enough to make me never touch a pain pill again once released. Instead, I began drinking whiskey very heavily. Two fifths a day became the norm. I went see a doctor because I began having nose bleeds and bruising easily and I knew that wasn’t normal. The doctor told me that I have one month to live if I did not stop drinking. It was at this time that I decided to go through detox. I have not touched alcohol since. But my struggles did not end there. I got out detox and started taking Adderall and shortly after, I tried Meth. It made me feel so lit and gave me so much energy but I didn’t see the long term affects until I was already too far gone. One time, I was tripping and almost killed a man over something that wasn’t really taking place.

Throughout all of this, I had gotten married and my wife was with me but would come and go at her convenience  for 15 years until I found out that she was seeing someone else and became pregnant for him. We have three sons together which were removed by the state. I was devastated and wanted to end my life and God talked me out of pulling the trigger.

Not long after, my younger brother helped me get a job with the same company as him in order to get me away from the lifestyle I was living. For the first two years, it didn’t help. It actually made it worse because I was able to supply myself with more dope. Then I got fired. On the same day, I wrecked my motorcycle and suffered road rash, a broken thigh and heel. At the beginning of my recovery from the accident, my wife came back home to take care of me because I could not walk. Once I received my last paycheck and was out of money, she left again so I had to tend to myself and it was very painful but I walked it off until I no longer felt the pain. I contemplated suicide again.

Next, My brother and sister-in-law offered to get me into a rehab and to get my job back. So I decided that I’d go. Besides asking Jesus into my heart, it was the best decision I have ever made. For years, I searched for something to fill the void and kept failing. Until Jesus. Jesus is the only one that was able to fill the void that I had been trying to fill. I now understand that without these things happening, God would have never gotten my full attention. It has been three years that I have not touched a drug or taken a sip of alcohol and I must say that I’m the happiest that I have ever been. I’m now 38 and having a sober and clean life is amazing y’all!!! I wish I would have done this sooner. In the past three years, I got my job back and worked my way from roughnecking to being a driller. I joined MMA and came out 2nd in my 1st ever JuJitsu tournament. I have my kids everyday when I’m off of work. I got a driver’s license and purchased a Harley Davidson, and its not stolen! I even bought myself a car and even have insurance and the right license plate on it! I am steadily moving forward and keeping a positive attitude. I gave you my story to let you know that if God can take me out of all of that mess, he can and will do the same for you. You just have to surrender to him and let him. God is good!!!”