I grew up in a pastor's home and have been in church all my life. I always appeared to have it together, in school, sports and later as a professional. I was a Christian, but inside there was a deep sense of emptiness and pain. Overcomers provided a safe environment of compassion and accountability in which I could be real about who I was and honest when I failed. It's been 16 years since I graduated from Overcomers. I still have challenges, but I don't quit! Charles always said, "You can't lose if you won't quit." I'm not a loser, I'm an Overcomer - it's who I am, not what I do."

"By the time I discovered Overcomers, the pain and voids in my life had led me down a path of self-destruction. In an effort to end the suffering I attempted to end my life. But God, who is rich in mercy, rescued me from the grip of death and graciously placed me in the hands of Overcomers founders, Charles and Sharon Burton.

Since then, through the program, they have helped me face and conquer the hurts, wounds, and fears of my past. Now I love the man in the mirror and I'm totally in love with the Maker of that man. God is using me in a great platform to share my story and to encourage others to become more than conquerors. I thank God daily for Charles and Sharon because they have truly helped me become an overcomer."

When I first came to Overcomers I had several months of sobriety, but in the past I had always relapsed. I had some areas of my life that needed to change. My drug of choice was crystal meth, but I had used marijuana and alcohol since I was about 15. I didn't think I was an alcoholic, but if I couldn't get the crystal I would turn back to alcohol. I thought 'just one drink is not going to hurt me,' but it would always lead me back to the drugs.

Doing the daily lessons in the Overcomers workbook led me back to reading the bible, which was very cleansing for me. I learned God's point of view on a lot of things. I have been drug and alcohol free for five years. I had a very violent history, but my family is seeing the change in me and they know it's real. They knew that I would smoke marijuana all day long, from the time I woke until I went to bed. Now they don't see the bags of drugs on the table!

Today I facilitate a women's discussion group and teach a weekly class at our county drug court. I've been in the same position as those in my drug court class, facing two years in prison and couldn't get sober. But I met Jesus and He set me free! With His help I recognized behaviors that were leading me back to drugs and I'm learning how to behave in the character of Jesus.

(Priscilla) My addictions to cocaine, alcohol and marijuana had left me with nothing. When I met Charles & Sharon, I was confused and hopeless, but I started attending Overcomers meetings and doing the workbook. I thought I was the only one with these type problems; but everything I was going through, they had already written about. The Overcomers program has taught me to face my problems, pray about them and do something to change things. Now, 2-1/2 years later, God has blessed be more than words can say. He's blessed me with a brand new life, new hope, a home and a husband who loves God and me. God used Overcomers to give me another chance to live by His grace.

(Charles) Things were very bad in my life the day I wandered into an Overcomers meeting. I was a very, very angry person. My addiction had taken my freedom. I had become a virtual slave to my disease. I couldn't hold a job, I couldn't support myself and I was homeless. I did the whole thing -- from jails to sleeping under bridges. Charles, Sharon and other group members just kept loving me. Now, only 3 years after starting the program, God has given me a beautiful, loving wife and restored my relationships with my father and family. I work in a detox center where I am able to talk with people every day, telling them how God brought me from a destitute life with nowhere to go, to a life of hope, peace and freedom.

I began attending Overcomers to more effectively reach out to others with chemical abuse related problems. After 20 years of sobriety I guess I thought I was doing pretty good. It didn't take long in the Overcomers program to realize I had a whole lot more to overcome than just putting the drinks down. The problem was not the liquor and other bad habits I had acquired; it was all the junk on the inside that I was trying to drown with it.

When the 12 steps are applied daily from the book A Daily Choice, it gets so deep down inside you either have to admit your character faults and allow yourself to change by working the program daily and depending on God, or you just have to quit the program. It is that intense.

I would recommend Overcomers to anyone with any kind of addictive problems. If you've come clean and never been in any recovery program, do not be deceived into thinking you are O.K. You are just clean or sober but O.K. comes when you let God do the work from the inside out. Overcomers helps one to focus from the inside out to find the real problems and resolutions for them. A support group is a must for anyone with addictive behavior problems who wants to overcome them. Overcomers is the overall best. It covers everything.

I was a textbook case of an addict/alcoholic. All the clichés applied to me: "I know I can quit if I really want to;" "I'm different, I can handle it;" "I've got a higher tolerance level;" "I'm not hurting anybody, I'm just having a good time. By the way, have you seen my car?"

By the time I realized I had a drinkin'-druggin' problem, it was way too late to quit on my own. I'd lost jobs, relationships and all self-respect. Truly, there was no way out but up! Jesus Christ showed Himself, His love and His power to be all that His Word says it is. When I literally called out to Him, He met me right where I was and set me free.

Through the Overcomers program I soon learned that God's plan for us is to bear each other's burdens and comfort one another with the same comfort we received from Christ. There is no doubt in my mind that God used the people in my Overcomers group to give me the love and mercy I needed to experience. Through my friends in the group, the weekly meetings and the workbook, I learned the principles that have kept me clean, free and sober for the last 15 years.

For 22 years I was a drug addict who didn't care about anyone or anything if it didn't benefit me personally. I've been in and out of treatment programs and jail, but nothing ever took hold of me until I went to an Overcomers class while in prison. I knew I couldn't stay clean on my own, and for the first time ever I realized that I wasn't alone; Christ was right there beside me every step of the way.

While I finished my prison sentence, the Daily Choice workbook taught me 'step by step' how to deal with the rough times. The week after I was released, I started attending an Overcomers meeting at a local church. I've learned how to live my life free of drugs, trusting Jesus in all things. As of September 9, 2002, I have four years clean. I finally know what it's like to have peace, hope and love as a daily part of my life.