My name is Luke Drone, and my life has been a long battle with alcohol and drugs.

I grew up in a home that was anything but safe. My mother divorced my father when I was a baby and married an abusive alcoholic around my fifth-grade year. Alcohol was everywhere, and I started drinking at nine. Growing up surrounded by substance abuse, drugs and alcohol became my way of coping. When my biological father returned when I was eleven, it was too late—the damage had been done. I write this because I refuse to pass the cycle of abuse to my son.

Childhood left scars. I was molested by a family member, which left me isolated and unsure how to process fear, shame, and anger. Watching my mother endure abuse taught me to bottle up everything. By twelve, I was smoking marijuana daily, acting out in school, and eventually dropping out. Being the youngest, I felt alone in a family where my siblings navigated pain differently.

By sixteen, I moved out and lived on the streets. I drank, smoked, and tried to survive. After coming out as gay, my family rejected me, and I returned to living out of my car. I entered an eight-year relationship filled with cocaine, heartache, and isolation. Depression deepened, and suicidal thoughts became a reality. It was during this time that I got my first DUI.

A move to another town offered hope. I entered a relationship with an older man, got a good job, and stayed sober for two years. But I relapsed. Marijuana and alcohol pulled me back, leading to another DUI and another destructive relationship. Then came a health crisis: I had twelve inches of my colon removed and spent more than a year in and out of hospitals. Pain medications led to addiction, and when my prescriptions ended, I turned to the streets.

I briefly found God through a church, but relapse followed. I spiraled into a relationship worse than any before. I began manufacturing meth, injecting it, and eventually mixing it with heroin for three years. My life came crashing down with a hospital stay and an arrest, landing me in jail for seven months.

It was in that dark cell that God found me. I reached out, and I saw bright flashing lights with the silhouette of a dove in the window. I felt the Holy Spirit fill me with love and hope. In that moment, I realized God had a plan for me beyond the darkness of my past.

Released to drug court, I was introduced to Gateway Foundation, where I began to rebuild. I changed my people, places, and things. I got involved in a church and joined a men’s Bible study, growing closer to God. During this time, I learned I was a father, and my son was in DCFS custody. I worked tirelessly through drug court, Gateway, and the M.A.T. program—and I successfully regained custody of him.

Now, I live one day at a time. Recovery is my most important focus, alongside God, my son, and my family, including my church family. My support system is there at any hour, reminding me that I am not alone. God gives me strength to live minute by minute, hour by hour—but today, I choose sobriety.

If it weren’t for God renewing my mind, forgiving my sins, and giving me a fresh start, I wouldn’t be the father or the man I am today. As 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.”