‘Second chance’ brings victory over addiction

The careworn brunette had given way to her drug addiction once again, a pattern she seemed incapable of changing. To anyone tracking her life, the middle-age woman was out of “second chances.” Really, how far could hope stretch?

The drug and alcohol abuse Lynn Moore of Kennewick witnessed growing up made the door to craving the next “high” an easy one to repeatedly open.

By the time Lynn was 15, her confidence was shattered, propelling her into the drug scene.

“They used to have ‘keggers’ on Bateman Island or out in Finley,” Lynn said of the 1970s revelry. “I did acid — it’s kind of like LSD and psychedelic — and I’d sneak out and party and then come in late, but mom was asleep.”

But nobody noticed because Lynn was a good kid — a peacemaker at home — and she didn’t get into trouble at school. But when the teenager dropped out in her junior year, it was a resounding “wake-up call.”

Within a short time, the emotional turmoil took its toll and the 18-year old moved to the San Francisco Bay area to enroll in college and live with her married sister. Her grades mirrored a young adult sincere about getting ahead in life. But then Lynn made a decision that sent her on a downward spiral.

“I met a girl at school and we got an apartment together,” Lynn said about a choice that soon defined her future. “We’d go into the city and party.”

For more than three decades, Lynn lived a tumultuous lifestyle of drug addiction, failed marriages, four children, and several moves from state to state. At times there was successful employment, but temptation was ever present.

“A guy that started working at the same company turned (me) onto meth,” said Lynn, reflecting on how she could appear to be an upstanding person, but her behind-the-scene life was dark. “I went on welfare after (my) marriage fell apart and it was embarrassing because I had a black eye when I went in to sign up.”

Still through it all, the struggling addict held onto a childhood memory of what life could be.

“My grandma would sing Amazing Grace and In the Sweet Bye-and-Bye,” the 56-year-old said, reminiscing about the only faith moments she experienced as a little girl. “She’d read her Bible and tell us the stories.”

Lynn tried to regain her moral footing through the years, entering one rehabilitation program after another. But with each opportunity for change, she would slip back into her addictive pattern. Eventually, even family gave up hope. Her oldest daughter, Melissa, separated herself completely from her mom’s unpredictable way of life.

“I was searching for something, I didn’t know what,” Lynn said, pondering how she would pull herself out of one addiction only to fail again. “I gave up pot and meth for about five years, but then I started taking prescription drugs.”

Life blurred as months melded into years. By all appearances, Lynn had run out of “second chances.”

But almost two years ago, Lynn found what she was searching for in Victory Outreach, an international faith-based ministry that understands the painful realities of drug and alcohol addiction. Promise of a restored life brought Lynn to the rehabilitative home in Portland, Ore., directly across the street from the church.

“When I heard my mom was going into rehab again, I just laughed,” said 34-year-old Melissa, remembering the many rehabilitation programs. “I didn’t have any hope for this program and half the family didn’t either.”

But against all odds, Lynn came out of the program a changed person and on a positive path to rebuilding her life and relationships.

“I hadn’t seen Melissa for almost four years,” the mother and grandmother said, emotion playing on her face. “I hadn’t seen my grandkids either, but on Valentine’s Day we got together in Seattle. She wants me in her life now.”

“I’ve seen a huge change,” said her daughter, who graduated from the University of Washington and is a registered nurse. “As a child growing up with an addicted mom from as far back as I can remember, my mom is a completely different person now.”

Lynn credits the restoration of family and her transformed life to a new faith in Christ.

“He’s a God of ‘umpteenth’ second chances,” Lynn said with a catch in her voice. “I have a lot of hope.”

This story was originally published March 19, 2016 at 5:53 PM with the headline "‘Second chance’ brings victory over addiction."