HoG

 

Greetings everyone.  Amateur guest post writer here so keep your flames to a minimal.

So let’s talk about the HoG…no I don’t mean the pulled pork you had last weekend, I mean the Home of Grace.  Doesn’t everyone know what I’m referring to when I say the HoG?  Most of you?  Anyone?  Very well, I shall explain. 

When I say the letters H. O. G. I am referring to the Home of Grace.  (And by the way, I = Heather’s husband, Bobby)  The HoG is an addiction recovery program that I discovered through online correspondences with Ryan Hampton. While that primarily means drugs and alcohol, there are some who have other issues which have taken a hold on their lives.  We have two campuses: a women’s and a men’s.  Both are located in southern Mississippi, but we have clients from all over the country. 

Throughout the post I’ll bombard you with pictures I took one day when I needed to get out of my office.

Like this one:

and this:

I work at the men’s campus in Vancleave.  This is also our admin office location.  I love the way the campus looks.  There is a sense of peace when you drive up.  The first thing you see of our ~160 acre campus are the two lakes.  I’m glad to have such a beautiful campus, not just to make me feel more relaxed, but mainly because it is a good way for clients to start the program.  Some of these guys are coming from extremely difficult backgrounds and even prison, so pulling up on a campus that looks so peaceful must be a huge relief.

Doesn’t it make you want to take a walk?

Something I have learned in my short time at the HoG so far is that most people have some connection with addiction.  No I don’t mean most people have themselves suffered through an addiction, but often times they have someone close to them who has.  It can be a father, sister, uncle, or just a close friend.  When I tell people what I do, more times than not they respond by telling me about their own personal experience with an addict or even their own past addiction.  I even imagine many of you that are reading this have already been thinking of a loved one who has had their lives destroyed because of drugs or alcohol.

It’s sad but true.  And when an addiction takes over someone’s life, the consequences are usually devastating.  Loss of job, family, friends, hope, even their lives.  We say often, at the HoG, that we are dealing with life or death situations.  It is sadly the absolute truth. 

But there is hope.

The HoG is a 90 day, in-house, treatment program.  Clients live on campus for three months and spend each day getting better.  I have heard story after story of guys and girls who have been at some terribly low points who are now excited about their new lives.

Speaking of low points, that’s where a lot of people have to get before they want help.  If you don’t want to get better, chances are you won’t.  When a person reaches rock bottom is when they finally realize that they can’t go on living that lifestyle. 

The men live in ^ these cottages for their stay at the HoG.  In addition to individual counseling and group counseling, each day is broken up into two parts: class and the work program.  The clients are either learning how to get their lives turned-around or developing work skills and habits.  The work program may not sound as important, but a lot of the clients have not held down a steady jobs in years…if EVER.  If you are used to laying in bed until noon each day, getting high, passing out, and then doing it all over again; you might have a hard time adjusting to a normal work schedule.  The HoG tries to help people get to the point where they can leave the campus and be ready to go live a normal life.  If someone simply stays off the addiction for a few months but doesn’t learn what to do once they are out, the chances of a relapse are staggering.

I see fields of green…

Since this is just a blog post, I will try to wind things up.  If you know someone who has been dealing with an addiction, don’t give up on them.  Yes it often takes tough love (don’t be an enabler), but there are places that want to help. 

The HoG is a non-profit.  It’s setup solely to help people.  The cost of coming to the HoG ($4200) is less than the cost of the program and includes all meals.  The HoG receives donations to help fund the program and even provide financial aid to those who can not afford the program. 

We hope to open more campuses eventually.  The community support is great and through that support we can help change more lives. 

Last thing: Our success rate is a lot higher than a secular program (on top of being cheaper) because we help clients with the real problems.  The drugs and alcohol are usually just a symptom of some deeper issue.  The Home of Grace is a faith based recovery program.  The clients attend chapel daily and are taught in classes and counseling about Jesus.  The void that is being filled with drugs and alcohol is that “God shaped hole” that can only ever be fully filled by a relationship with the Lord Almighty.  Out of the 600-700 clients that came through the program last year, over 175 of them accepted Jesus as their Savior and through this faith were able to find hope and overcome their addictions. 

If you want more information on the Home of Grace for yourself or someone you know please visit: The Home of Grace

We also have a song the guys sing each week at graduation (an awesome event to attend).  HoG song 

Thanks for reading through my guest post. 

QOTD: Simply by saying yes or no (you don’t have to give specifics): are you one of the people who has been or know someone who has been affected by an addiction?