We were an average family, me, my husband and our three daughters. But because of some inner
turmoil which I was experiencing, my doctor had put me on tranquilizers. They called them "miracle"
drugs.

At first, they seemed to help, but after years of use, I became immuned to their effects.

My husband and I began to party and drink and the alcohol combined with my tranquilizers was
devastating. We could see that our lives were headed nowhere. We had our own home, nice cars and
enough of the "necessities," but living a life with no joy. My body built up such a tolerance for the drugs
that I sometimes needed as many as twenty 400 milligram meprobamate tablets a day just to feel
"normal," (a dosage that would probably kill the average person.) It was literally destroying me.

In great despair, my husband and I finally went to our church one night at midnight and cried out to God to
"Do something! We can't stand it any longer." We could see no immediate change (actually things got
worse for a time), but somehow there was a new HOPE, in our hearts which we did not have before.

Soon, I found myself in the hospital for a removal of a benign breast tumor, then in a psychiatrist's office,
then a mental hospital for a month, back home, then to the mental hospital again and then, the doctors
told me that I was pregnant.

I had taken so many drugs and X-rays that the doctors insisted that I should have an abortion. They kept
saying: "You have three children, you don't need any more. However, my husband and I agreed that we
would have the baby and trust God that it would be normal. After two months in this very well equipped
and well staffed hospital, all they could tell me was that I would never be normal again as long as I lived,
that I would be in and out of that hospital for the rest of my life. A hopeless appraisal.

It seemed that there was no alternative, so we to returned to NC to sell our property and planned to move
closer to that Birmingham hospital.

When we were back at home, our fourth beautiful baby daughter was born, perfect in every way. Our
property didn't sell, so we stayed in NC. But soon I was back at the doctor, asking for more of the original
drug that I had been "hooked" on. I did not want to live if I couldn't have it. The doctor finally gave in and
put me back on meprobamate, but it didn't work this time. Soon we began attending a home prayer meeting
and a young man from Canada was teaching about how to be "born again" and "baptized in the Holy Spirit."
We listened and learned, and my husband received. I was still not convinced that God even existed. After a
few weeks, we visited in the home of the teacher of this group and I poured my heart out, with all my problems.

He told me to come back a week later, without any drugs in me. This was very difficult for me, as I had been
unable to face anyone without drugs for a long time but we went that night, and they prayed over me for a
long time, I still didn't believe. I thought we were wasting our time. Then, I repeated a prayer to accept Jesus
into my heart and something miraculous began to happen inside me. I felt something like electricity flowing
down through my upstretched arms and the agony of withdrawal began to fade away. For the first time in
years, I felt peace in my heart. Then I asked Jesus to baptize me in the Holy Spirit and I was flooded with joy
unspeakable.

My husband and I were water baptized that night and I was set free from 17 years of bondage to drugs. I haven't
had any drugs since that night, January 26, 1976. We have had struggles as we continue growing in the Lord,
but they are becoming fewer and the joy of knowing Jesus is worth more than anything that I have ever known.
Here we are now at the turn of the century and God is still with us getting us through every situation with victory.
We now have twenty grandchildren, all blessings from God.

Perhaps you know someone who is in bondage to drugs or other terrible habits. They too can be set free.
Would you share this story with them. All it takes is to seek God through Jesus Christ, with your whole heart.
Ask Jesus to come into your heart and be your savior and forgive your sins and change you. As you yield to
Him, He will work a miracle in your life too. Try it, you've nothing to lose.   It has now been thirty-three years and
I am still drug free.  Praise God!!