Luke’s Story

Luke is 29, from North Yorkshire, and began the program in January 2023. A year on, we sat down with him to reflect on his experiences so far…

Luke says he had a very normal childhood: he loved playing football with his friends and had a good relationship with his parents. Luke was adopted at 4 months, and looking back, he can see that his parents were very protective of him; they are Christians, so faith was very present in the family and how they treated one another. Luke, himself, grew up believing in God but said that he never “engaged” in having a personal relationship with Him. 

Because of his parent’s faith, Luke had no contact with alcohol growing up, so, when he left home at 18 and started going out with his friends, he tried alcohol (and later drugs) for the first time. His use of alcohol and drugs increased until it became part of his daily life, and then, an addiction he was dependent on to function. His dependency made it harder and harder for him to hold down a job, and he moved from sector to sector doing different jobs. Luke also said that his relationship with his parents reached breaking point at this time, and they insisted that he get help.

Coincidentally, Luke is related to Renewal’s CEO, Wesley, and his parents approached Wesley about Luke joining the programme. Although Luke was nervous at the prospect, he knew that sobriety was not something that he could achieve on his own, as he had tried several times throughout the years and could not sustain it. 

Luke had heard a lot about Renewal North West over the years and had seen how the Renewal Living programme had grown, so when he started the programme himself he thought he was prepared, however, it was a shock for him as the programme is very strict – it reminded him of school and was a lot to adjust to! But, a year later, he can see that this was exactly what he needed and he has no regrets.

Luke would highly recommend the programme to others in his position as, with the programme’s help, he has achieved a year of sobriety, is in a full-time position and has a renewed relationship with his family. Luke’s confidence has increased and he feels ready to try things that scare him, like public speaking and telling his story. Although he grew up in a Christian environment, it’s only now that he has begun a personal relationship with Jesus, and relies on Him daily to maintain his sobriety and continue on the path of progress he has begun.