Hello, my name is Aaron Warner and even being able to write this today is a true testimony of the love of Jesus Christ. I am 31 years old and grew up in South Jerseyin a home with both my Mother, Father, and two younger siblings. My childhood was very similar to most, my Dad worked a lot and Mom took care of the kids. I was loved and shown the love of Christ from an early age, even if at that time I had no idea what that was. I grew up playing sports and having a good time with friends. That good time quickly became what I thought of as a “great time” around the age of 12 when I discovered alcohol. I was always very sociable and the life of the party, but inside I was broken. I could feel completely alone standing in the middle of a room full of people. At the age of 13 I started smoking weed and progressed from there. In High School I found pills and cocaine, and I thought that was what my life was going to be. Although I was fully enveloped in the drug scene I was a very good student, at least scholastically. My senior year of High School I was accepted into Penn State. Little did I know this would just add to my poor choices and spiraling down into the dark deep path of addiction. Before leaving for Penn State a friend of mine, who just recently passed, had made a trip to Camden for cocaine. I couldn’t find what I was looking for so my friend said let’s get heroin. At this time I was not an IV user, but by the next morning I was. I had found what I thought was my all, my best friend, my lover, my everything, heroin.
Fast forward 13 years and I am yet again facing my biggest fear in life, being alone. I am in a hotel room getting high, but this time something is different. I no longer hear that tiny voice in my head telling me what I was doing is wrong. I realized that God had lifted his hand from me and left me to my own devices. I knew at that moment I had reached an all time bottom, worst than being homeless, worst than being in jail. My biggest fear had become a reality, I was utterly and fully alone and it was two days before Christmas. I had pushed everyone I loved, including my loving and supportive family completely out of the picture. I became overwhelmed with fear and anxiety and cried out to the Lord. Again, Jesus showed up in a big way through a fellow believer giving me the number to Chuck Miller and Shall Never Thirst Ministries. I was broken and knew that the only way I could survive is through the loving and healing hand of Jesus. God worked through Chuck and Shall Never Thirst, he answered my call and heard my cry of desperation. I was picked up on Christmas Eve and can say that Christmas is my sobriety date. I thank God and the ministry for coming to get me because if they had not there is a great chance I wouldn’t be here today to share with you.
Since coming to Shall Never Thirst my life and more importantly my heart has changed drastically. God is working on softening my heart and leading me in the path he has set for me. I have come to realize today that Christianity is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and I can’t stress the word personal enough. I have been blessed with reconciliation with family members that I did not expect. I am invited to see my family today, they want me there. I know that this is not of my own doing but God working through me. I am going to be applying to college to continue on where I left off. I am able to help others, when before I would merely walk over them. I will also be taking an addictions counseling course in May. All of this is not of me, because the only thing I am good at is destroying lives, but it is all thanks to my Lord and savior Jesus Christ.
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