Wesley's Story: No More Missed Moments

In this episode of Unseen Atlanta, we hear from Wesley; a father, son, and leader fighting to reclaim the life that addiction nearly stole from him. After years of struggling with substance use and incarceration, Wesley realized the toll it had taken, especially the moments he missed with his son. At the Potter’s House, he found not just recovery, but forgiveness, community, and a renewed relationship with God. Now stepping into leadership and preparing to graduate, Wesley shares his powerful journey from brokenness to restoration – and his vision for a future filled with hope, fatherhood, and purpose. In this episode, we also hear from Adrienne Bumpers, director of the Potter’s House, for expert insights on how recovery programs build community and transform lives. 

Transcript

Wesley_Audio 
 

Wesley: I'm 40 years old, I'm at a rehab and I'm missing things like my son's college, you know, taking him to get to his dorm for the first time. I mean, you know, things like that. Going to a football game with him or some, anything like that, you know, I realized little simple things that I was missing, like I shouldn't be missing it, you know? 

Wesley: And I have been. Incarcerated so many holidays and stuff before this, but the thoughts of the fact though, why did I let my self get to this point? 

Rachel: Hey, welcome to Unseen Atlanta, an Atlanta Mission podcast where we shine the light on some of the city's toughest issues. We do this by sharing true stories from real people who've experienced homelessness and addiction. We're also gonna bring you subject matter experts to give some context to some of these issues. 

Rachel: I'm your host, Rachel Reynolds. And  

Jonathan: I'm Jonathan Miller, your co-host.  

Rachel: So we just talked to Wesley. Something that really stuck out to me in his story is how addiction kind of robbed him of being a dad to his kid and how it, um, he has a second chance with this kid. Yeah. And so I hope you guys get to hear this amazing story of Wesley. 

Rachel: And, um, the future that he has being a father to his son. We're also gonna talk to Adrian Bumpers, who is the director over at the Potter's House, and you guys are gonna love Adrian. She's done a lot of different jobs at the Mission, which the people are probably seeing. That's a theme here. You once you're in, you're kind of in. 

Rachel: Um, but she leads the Potter's House and she gives us a lot of great insight into the program and how it works. Um, so we hope you guys really get a better understanding of what these guys are going through when they're going through the Potter's House. So we're excited for you to listen. We're excited to hear some more about your story. 

Rachel: So tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? Tell us about your family.  

Wesley: I'm from Macon, Georgia. I have a son. And a daughter. Childhood was kind of normal. Okay. Uh, my parents divorced when I was four, so I did have two homes to grow up in. So my dad was military, ex-military by the time I was born. 

Wesley: And, uh, he worked at the post office at night. Okay. So he was hardly home, you know, uh, my mom was a school teacher, so, you know, she was very, I ain't gonna say strict, but. You didn't really, you know, break any rules, you know? Yeah. So  

Rachel: tried not to.  

Wesley: Tried not to.  

Rachel: So tell us a little bit about how did you end up in your addiction? 

Wesley: So I would say around the age of 12 or 13, my best friend's mom actually was the first person I ever did drugs with.  

Rachel: Your best friend's mom?  

Wesley: She actually gave us some marijuana. Okay. Uh, at the age of about 12, like I say. And, uh,  

Rachel: well, and it probably seemed fine to do. Oh yeah. That was 'cause she was  

Wesley: Yeah. 

Wesley: 'cause she done it. Yeah, he did. Her husband, you know, so, yeah. It seemed normal, you know, and, uh. We would take it to the parties with us. You know, I was kind of a popular kid, played sports, so I can tell. Yeah, I played baseball and basketball, so, okay. Yeah.  

Rachel: What was your favorite sport?  

Wesley: Baseball. Baseball? Yep. 

Rachel: Are you a brave fan?  

Wesley: A. Of course.  

Rachel: Okay.  

Wesley: When they're doing good. Yeah.  

Rachel: Honestly, same. I'm like, we got one World Series, come on. We need some more.  

Wesley: And believe it or not, see, I'm a Dodgers fan also, so, oh, I kind of go for both of them. Yeah. Okay. Even though we're there, our rivals kinda uhhuh.  

Rachel: Yeah. Okay. All right. 

Rachel: That's, I'll get us back. Back on track. Okay, so you started pretty early on. How did it end up? Like spiraling?  

Wesley: Yeah. Really just hanging with the wrong people and see really more or less, I. Was popular, so like yeah. You know, it just like upgraded. The more partying we did, the more the drugs upgraded. And, uh, I would say probably by the age of 21, 22 is when I was introduced to methamphetamine, and that really took me down. 

Wesley: Well, I ain't gonna say it took me down because it seemed like I was a functional person with it. Mm-hmm. You know, I did it for 18 years and  

Wow.  

Wesley: My mom hardly ever knew. Everybody guessed, but never knew, you know, to a certain extent until the end when I started going to in and Outta jail a lot. You know? 

Rachel: Yeah. So when did you go into jail the first time?  

Wesley: Uh, the first time I went to jail was my son was two years old, so that was 2007. I got arrested for running from the police on a motorcycle that was stolen and no insurance, no tag, no registration. Uh, I bought it from somebody and I knew it was hot and I took the risk anyway. 

Rachel: So you had your, sorry, you had your son.  

Wesley: Mm-hmm.  

Rachel: And was that like a big life change for you when you had your son  

Wesley: for the first year of his life? I did. Good.  

Rachel: Were you excited to have  

Wesley: Oh yeah. Definitely. Definitely. Especially when I figured, I found out he was gonna be a boy, you know? Yeah. When  

Rachel: you had out as a boy, what were you thinking? 

Wesley: Awesome. Yeah. You know, somebody carry the name. I ain't gotta try to have another one after that. The name continues, you know, I feel like  

Rachel: dad, every dad is like secretly hoping it's, it's, oh yeah. It's a guy. Oh yeah,  

Wesley: boy. Yeah, definitely. You know, uh, plus if I did have another child he could take care of whoever, you know, if I did have a daughter. 

Wesley: Oh, it all thought out. Oh yeah, definitely a big brother. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. So it was awesome. Uh, but me and his mother didn't work out. Okay. So, you know, me and her both were using and, uh. So it didn't work out, you know, a lot of fighting, a lot of arguing. And so I was started selling drugs around the time he was two. 

Wesley: And that's when I got into the getting things from people for the drugs. And that was how I ended up with the motorcycle.  

Rachel: So where was, where was your son at this time?  

Wesley: He was with her.  

Rachel: Okay, so he was with his, his mom. Okay.  

Wesley: Mm-hmm.  

Rachel: So between then when you first got in trouble and coming to the Potter's house. 

Wesley: How, how did you find the Papa House? Yeah, how did you,  

Rachel: how did you,  

Wesley: so I had went to RSA and when I came back from, what's R-A-R-S-A is like a residential treatment. Okay. Program for in prison or jail. Okay. And so I went there and I got out and I had to do this thing called aftercare where you have to stay clean for six more months, go do classes and stuff like that. 

Wesley: And I failed the drug screen for that. So they put me back in jail. I. And my mom actually found the part of the house. Well, a guy in jail told me about it and I told her about it. Okay, so he had actually went there. He didn't finish, but he went there and he had a lot of great things to say about it. So I said, mama, you need to check this place out. 

Wesley: You know, and she did and she did all the footwork for me. For the Oh, she did? Oh yeah. Yeah. That's so sweet. Is that  

Rachel: it? That is, I'm Well, I'm sure she was excited about you going somewhere.  

Wesley: Yes, definitely. Definitely. Because you know me, I was just trying to find the quiz way outta jail, a hun. Yeah, of course. 

Wesley: So, uh, but she  

Rachel: was looking for something that I'm sure was gonna change your life.  

Wesley: Yes, definitely. Definitely. And my probation officer Ashley. And read over my case and said, you know what? You've been in a lot of trouble for failing drug tests.  

Yeah.  

Wesley: So you need some treatment.  

Mm.  

Wesley: So she was okay with it also. 

Okay.  

Wesley: You know, instead of sending me back to jail or prison, she said, how about, let's try treatment. So did you recognize. That you were addicted. See that? That's the part that like, I felt like since I never was homeless mm-hmm. And I never was out power, you know, I always had a place to lay my head. I thought I wasn't had, I didn't have a problem. 

Wesley: But, uh, coming to the Powder House has opened my eyes to the fact that, you know, addition doesn't have no name, no money, sign on it. Mm. You know, no religion on it, nothing like. An addict is an addict.  

Mm mm-hmm.  

Wesley: And yeah, so I do now I realize now that I have a problem,  

Rachel: so, yeah. 'cause it sounds like you were always just trying to manage something. 

Wesley: Oh yeah. Yeah. Like, well, you know, death was a big trigger of mine. And so I watched my aunt suffer from cancer for seven years and when she died, that was real tough for me. And I would say between her dying and her husband, my godfather dying, that really was the turning point. Where I kind of stopped caring, you know, uh, I lost my con my relationship with God, you know, because I was mad, you know, went through that anger stage of grieving and never really came out of it, you know? 

Wesley: And so, uh, I think that's what made me realize that I had stopped caring.  

Rachel: Mm-hmm. So you get to the Potter's House. What was the first 24 hours like?  

Wesley: Hmm. First 24 hours at the powder house.  

Rachel: Do you remember?  

Wesley: Yeah, I remember I was nervous. Uh, of course you got a place with a bunch of men. You don't know their walk of life. 

Wesley: A hundred of your  

Rachel: best friends  

Wesley: now, now. Uh, but you know, no, really, everybody made me seem like I was at home. You know? They were very welcoming. The first 20 hours was okay. It was really once you met your team of advocates and your counselors that. That got real. Things started real, yeah. Things get real. 

Wesley: 'cause you like, man, you gotta work for this. Mm. It ain't just show up and, you know, have biscuits and cake and cookies all the time. You know, it was, you gotta put some work in  

Jonathan: so  
 

Wesley: it starts to get real. Mm-hmm. Right.  

Jonathan: Oh, I have to do a lot of work. Did you ever get to the point where you're, you're thinking this is too much. 

Jonathan: I didn't sign up for this, I wanna quit, I wanna leave. Did you ever, did that ever cross your mind?  

Wesley: Well, you know. Being mandated is kind of hard to think like that. Yeah. But the thoughts of the fact of why did I let my get self get to this point?  

Mm-hmm.  

Wesley: Crossed my mind a lot. Like, it seem like a lot of this stuff, you already know it. 

Wesley: Just putting it into practice so. That was my biggest issue with me is like I'm 40 years old, I'm at a rehab and I'm missing things like my son's college, you know, taking him to get to his dorm for the first time. I mean, you know, things like that. Going to a football game with him or some, anything like that, you know, I realized the little simple things that I was missing, like I shouldn't be missing it, you know? 

Wesley: And I had been incarcerated. So many holidays and stuff before this, you know, that it just,  

Rachel: yeah. Had you kept up your relationship with your son?  

Wesley: Oh yeah, definitely. Okay. Well, see, my mom actually got custody of him when he was 12. Oh,  

Rachel: okay. Okay. So she's had him for a while.  

Wesley: Oh, yeah. Mm-hmm. For the last seven years. 

Wesley: So that probably helped a lot. Oh, yeah. Yeah. So I, I've always had a relationship with him. It just, you know, not always there for him. Right. Yeah. Mm-hmm.  

Rachel: Well, you're changing that now.  

Wesley: Oh yeah, definitely. Yeah.  

Rachel: Yeah. Tell us about your time at Potter's House. What has been the biggest thing that has helped transform you? 

Rachel: I mean, there might not be one thing. There might be many things. Yeah, it's  

Wesley: been many things. Yeah. Uh, really the first and foremost is God. You know, my relationship with God is so much better now. I know that you ain't just gotta go to him when things are in, in desperate need. Mm-hmm. You know, having a relationship with him through the good times, the bad times and in between is, you know, he's always there for you. 

Wesley: And then secondly is the power of forgiveness. You know, with my family, uh, you know, 'cause I done a lot of things to my dad, to my mom, and to my son, and they forgive me for that. And that's, that's, you know, so, uh, working the steps, you know, having a counselor to talk to at the Potter House has been wonderful. 

Wesley: Help you realize some things about yourself that you need to change.  

Rachel: What has it been like being in community at the Potter's House? The brotherhood. Tell me about the brotherhood.  

Wesley: The brotherhood. Yeah, man, the brotherhood's awesome. It was no real. Hard decision for me to go into leadership. Once I got into leadership, I realized how tight knit of a group leadership is and really the hope outta the house is pretty tight knit group. 

Wesley: You know, we stand up for each other, we try to help each other. If you see somebody having a bad day or going through something, you try to find out why. But leadership, man, it's like, it's changed my life. You know, like having empathy for people, you know, being people where they are, you know? 'cause everybody don't come in. 

Wesley: With the same, uh, I guess you could say, wants and needs for the program. So, you know, sometimes you gotta understand that they might not be feeling it today. You know, they might not even want it. But hopefully that will change. That's the, that's one thing about leadership. I love, like I do the intakes when they come in, so I love seeing the guys when they first get there. 

Wesley: Yeah. What's that  

Rachel: like seeing you? Oh, it's like seeing you. Seeing me? Yeah. Oh yeah,  

Wesley: definitely. You know, I like to say, Hey man, how did you come, you know? Yeah. Did your mama bring you, you know, like, did you come from jail? You know? I like to know their background a little bit, you know? So, uh. And I also worked in the office, so I gotta answer a lot of phone calls, uh, people calling, saying, Hey man, you know, I need help from my brother or somebody. 

Wesley: And it is just nice to talk to them, let 'em know that this is the place they need to be at, you know? Yeah.  

Jonathan: For those guys coming in for the first time, what do they need to hear? What helps them get through that first day?  

Wesley: To me, I let 'em know that they're there because God wants 'em to be there. And then two is that. 

Wesley: It is no reason not to get the help that is available and it's free. Hmm. That's number one thing. I mean, you would not get this kind of help nowhere else. It is. I mean, it is a God's gift that you are there and to make sure you remember the, the reason that you want it.  

Mm-hmm.  

Wesley: Because most people come there. 

Wesley: And they don't know what they want. So just remember what you want. It ain't for nobody else. You can't come there for nobody else. You gotta come for yourself.  

Rachel: What did it feel like to know that your mom like didn't give up on you?  

Wesley: What unconditional love looks like, you know, because there's many times she said she was going, if you go to jail again, I'm not going to be there for you. 

Wesley: But mm-hmm. It is that mother's intuition, you know? Uh, not to ever give up on somebody. So now I, I see the same thing like. You can't give up on nobody because everybody has deserves a chance. Mm. You know, it's up to you to mess it up or go with it. So my mom has been my number one supporter. Right. She really, if I call her, she gonna answer. 

Wesley: Mm. If I need anything, she's there. You know?  

Jonathan: I'm  
 

Wesley: sure she's  

Jonathan: very proud of you.  

Wesley: Oh yeah, she is. You know, I graduated in two weeks. Excited. Oh my goodness. So, congratulations. Yeah. So they ready? She, she's gonna be there.  

Rachel: Awesome. What, what does the future look like for you?  

Wesley: Oh man. Be I hope to continue to be a successful business owner. 

Wesley: And  

Rachel: what kind of business?  

Wesley: I do construction. Okay. TLI do, uh, renovations on houses.  

Rachel: Okay.  

Wesley: And I just want to help people. I. In recovery, like  

yeah,  

Wesley: I'm trying to work on my CPS while I'm here at the Potter's House so I can continue to give back. That's a certified peer specialist. Peer specialist. Mm-hmm. Yep. 

Wesley: So that's my goal is to give back.  

Rachel: And what does it, what does it look like for you and your son in the future?  

Wesley: Man, he's gonna be wonderful. He does everything he's supposed to do. I can't ask for a better son. I mean, he's got a good head on his shoulders. He wants to be a psychologist. So  

Rachel: is he proud of you? 

Wesley: Oh yeah, definitely. Yeah.  

Rachel: And Buddy's really happy to have his dad.  

Wesley: Yes. My mom reminds me all the time how much he talks about me now, you know, and not having his mom. He gotta have me. Yeah. So  

Rachel: yeah. You gotta do this for him.  

Wesley: Yeah, yeah. Definitely. And you are so, yeah. He needs me and, and you never too old to need your daddy. 

Rachel: No, no. Never too old because  

Wesley: I'm 40 and still need mine.  

Rachel: Yeah. Well and I mean, it's just, even though, yeah, you're talking about your BA yourself being 40, but like you still have so much life left. Oh yeah,  

Wesley: definitely. Like this is gonna  

Rachel: change the trajectory of your life forever.  

Wesley: Oh yeah. Yes. Hopefully I grow old in recovery. 

Rachel: You will.  

Wesley: Oh yeah.  

Rachel: Long-term recovery. Yeah. What does long-term recovery look like for you?  

Wesley: Going to meetings? Being a sponsor.  

Rachel: Yeah. Just staying connect. Continue to connect.  

Wesley: Yeah. Connected with my sponsor. Yeah. You know, revisiting the powder house. Yeah. Alumni days, you know, help in any way I can.  

Jonathan: Yeah. Wow. 

Jonathan: So if, um, as we're wrapping up, I'm just really curious if, if you could tell someone who's. And going through addiction and they can't seem to make, take that first step. What would you say to that person?  

Wesley: To not be ashamed, because shame is what kept me from asking help a long time because I felt like I had all the answers. 

Wesley: Be vulnerable for once and just take that step. Yeah. And ask for help.  

Hmm.  

Rachel: Wow. Thank you for sharing your story with us Wesley. I think that, yeah, you talking about how shame can keep you in these. Dark places.  

Mm-hmm.  

Rachel: And I think it can be, addiction can be a piece of that shame, but there's so many things in our life that are. 

Rachel: Oh yeah, that cause shame. And so I think that that's just a great reminder for me too, is like, don't let shame keep you something. Oh yeah. You need to bring it to light.  

Wesley: Oh yeah, definitely. You know, pride can get in the way, you know, so just don't let it get in the way. Yeah.  

Rachel: Well we hope you enjoyed listening to Wesley's story. 

Rachel: I know I enjoyed listening to Wesley's story. We. Going to bring you a subject matter expert next to talk a little bit more about addiction and what long-term recovery looks like. If you made it this far into the episode, you're likely feeling the weight of these stories unseen. Atlanta was created to reveal the raw and unfiltered realities faced by individuals in our city struggles with addiction, homelessness, and mental health. 

Rachel: It's heavy, but don't stop. Now we're about to turn the page to something life-changing. Hope is coming. When someone steps through our doors, they step into an opportunity to start fresh. The transformation you're about to hear wouldn't be possible without our incredible partners like the Justin Landis group. 

Rachel: Whether you're buying or selling your home in metro Atlanta, their unwavering commitment to exceptional service and authentic relationships sets 'em apart. Their compassion and dedication to our community fuels stories just like these. A heartfelt thank you to our partner and sponsor, Justin Landis Group, because of your generosity, these stories don't end here. 

Rachel: Now let's dive back into the episode. We hope you enjoyed that story. We have with us a subject matter expert here who is going to give us some context to that story. We have Adrian Bumpers here. She leads the Potter's House at Atlanta Mission and has been there nine years. Almost. Yeah.  

Jonathan: Wow. Yeah.  

Rachel: Um, I know, that's  

Jonathan: great. 

Jonathan: So we  

Rachel: wanna hear from her and kind of get some context to what we talked about in the story. So thanks for being here, Adrian. Yeah, thanks for having me. I'm super excited to be with  

Adreinne: you guys today.  

Jonathan: Alright, before we jump in, I, I'm just really curious what brought you to Atlanta Mission?  

Adreinne: That's a, it, it, I don't know that I can answer that in a short way. 

Adreinne: That's okay. Um, I'm called to do ministry in the community and I've worked a lot with the homeless population or people experiencing homelessness. I've done a lot of service myself. And then I really honestly got into direct service, doing case management, running a shelter facility, got really burned out because it was my first real career job in the field. 

Adreinne: Didn't know how to do Selfcare. And then somebody told me about an opportunity at Atlanta Mission. That's how I got started with the organization. But I now am the director of the Potter's House, and so I'm doing much more than I was doing in the beginning, but I love it. She's great. Uh,  

Rachel: Adrian started working in volunteer services mm-hmm. 

Rachel: That moved over to do some design work. Mm-hmm. Now is leading the Potter's house, so she's had. Several lives here at the Mission, several lives. Um, ever since you've been here, you've had a heart for the Potter's House. Mm-hmm. So tell us a little bit about why.  

Adreinne: Yeah. Well, I just love the environment. Um, of course, we're located on a 550 acre farm, so the environment's really peaceful to come into work every day. 

Adreinne: Um, we also just get a. Huge opportunity to transform lives. And, uh, we get to spend almost a year, if not more, with the guys who come through our program and we get to see a lot of change. And so that keeps me excited about coming to work every day. I think I have a great team. I think I have, um, just a lot of opportunity to, uh, be creative within the workspace and it's just really a joy and a privilege to do what we get to do. 

Jonathan: Awesome. Yeah. And for our listeners, they might be familiar with Atlanta Mission and they're probably thinking homelessness.  

Adreinne: Mm-hmm.  

Jonathan: The Potter's House is unique.  

Adreinne: Yes. Can  

Jonathan: you tell us what is the Potter's House and how is it sort of different?  

Adreinne: Yes. I mean the, the short history of the Potter's House, we started in 1967. 

Adreinne: Uh, the family who gave the property to Atlanta Mission to kind of start the Potter's House. Um, had some people in their family who were experiencing addiction, um, specifically alcoholism, and that when they gave their property over to our organization, they requested that we would continue that mission forward. 

Adreinne: So we've been able to serve specifically men who struggle with substance use and have done that for over 50 years. Um, and we've maintained doing that in our, in our community, um, in North Georgia. For that time because we know that it's making a difference and we know we have a unique opportunity with the property that we have to get people out of their current environments in order to really have a safe space to recover. 

Rachel: Yeah. Can you tell us how the 12 Step program kind of works within Atlanta Mission? Yeah. Potter's House.  

Adreinne: Yeah, so we kind of have a. A multi-fold approach to recovery. Mm-hmm. The 12 steps has been our foundation. Now, the 12 Steps is a, um, you know, longstanding tradition of recovery or of a recovery model within Narcotics Anonymous. 

Adreinne: I think it started with Alcoholics Anonymous. A long, long time ago. And, um, so what we do being a Christian organization, um, the 12 Steps is not necessarily Christian, but we use a lot of the kind of Christian version of the 12 steps within the foundation of our work. So the guys actually have a curriculum that is 12 step base that they work through individually, um, in order to kind of do some internal work. 

Adreinne: Through that 12 step process. And then we also use an evidence-based approach as well. So we use some additional curriculum for classes that is, uh, much more about embracing addiction as a disease. And then we also appreciate kind of the Christian model of sin, and we talk a lot about sin and addiction and how those correlate in, in the healing process for our men. 

Adreinne: Wow.  
 

Jonathan: So yeah, that's a lot.  

Adreinne: Yeah.  

Jonathan: So someone starts at the Potter sauce. How long is, is the program? Yeah. How long are people there?  

Adreinne: The process once you start it at minimum is 11 months to graduate. We generally say a year, 'cause it might take a little bit longer than that for some people. Um, there really is no maximum time. 

Adreinne: Per se for somebody in our process, we just wanna make sure that people are working towards their goals and are able to get kind of everything that they need in order to transition out of our program successfully. So however long that takes, if you're really abiding by our guidelines and also. Pursuing your goals, we wanna make sure that we're supporting your process for that 'cause we want you to be successful. 

Adreinne: But at minimum we do have graduation every month and those graduates are about 11 months to 12 months. Meaning that they've fulfilled the requirements of the program, um, but may still want continued work after that.  

Jonathan: Mm-hmm. During your time. At the Potter's House, you probably have seen a lot of guys go through it. 

Jonathan: Tell me about the community and the bonds that form on campus. Yeah. Between those men.  

Rachel: Tell us about the brotherhood. Brotherhood, Brotherhoodhood.  

Adreinne: Yeah. I was about, say is Brotherhoodhood. I was about to say that's what they call it. Um, well, we use a lot of our own language, which is kind of funny, but, um, we call the community the body. 

Adreinne: Kind of like the body of the Potter's house mm-hmm. Related to the body of Christ. But, um, we definitely want, uh, our guys to form connection and relationship. I mean, they're living in community, you know, they have to have a roommate, they have to work alongside guys. They have to be in class with them. So they're naturally building relationships with one another. 

Adreinne: Sometimes those are healthy, sometimes those are not. As is life, I know as is life, but they form a lot of bonds with one another because they're going through the same experience. Yeah. Um, over time and. We have, um, not only the guys within program, but we have an alumni network. So people who've graduated our program have left. 

Adreinne: Maybe they're doing really well and then they come back and serve, or they stay connected with us, and they also have experienced this same process. And so they have this kind of bond or connection of, you know, we've kind of been through this thing together and it's  

Jonathan: pretty like. Immediate like you, they come and Oh yes, oh yes, there's this bond that's already there. 

Jonathan: Yes.  
 

Adreinne: And when we have a new guy come on campus, some of the things that they say in their first week that they experience, they're like, everybody's like, nice to me. I don't, you know? And we know when there's a new person because we're in a rural environment and we don't have a lot of. People coming on and off campus all the time. 

Adreinne: We don't have a lot of visitors. And so our guys, they are definitely seeing a lot of themselves. And so when we have a new face, a new client, everybody gravitates towards them and welcomes them onto campus. But yeah, it's, it's pretty immediate. The bonds that you form, just, I mean, it's kind of like going through the trenches of going through the experience together. 

Rachel: Why is that community so important? Why do they need that?  

Adreinne: Yeah. Well, so one of the things that I've learned most about addiction is that isolation is a common theme that people experience when they're using. Uh, so with that comes a lot of broken relationships or a lot of unhealthy relationships that, um, our guys would experience prior to coming to our program. 

Adreinne: You don't just. Go to a 12 month or 11 month program for, because you want to, I mean, typically people are experiencing their rock bottom before coming, so they've maybe destroyed a lot of relationships before coming here. And so what we wanna do is. To try to work on the opposite of that isolation, which is connection. 

Adreinne: Mm-hmm. And so connection with the staff, connection with your peers. Um, starting to be honest with one another and form trusted bonds because a lot of the things that maybe you are unlearning from your lifestyle prior to coming to the Potter's house is, um, oh, I actually need. People in my life, oh, I need these relationships. 

Adreinne: This might actually help me long term in my recovery. It's also very similar to what the recovery community embraces with having a sponsor. Mm-hmm. Having, um, going to recovery meetings, having a home group, their fostering connection too within their process. And so we like to embrace that piece, but also embrace kind of the, the whole perspective of we really want you to have. 

Adreinne: Relationships with God, with yourselves and with others. And that starts with the relationships that you start on campus when you get to, when you get on site.  

Jonathan: So at the Potter's House. Addiction to recovery is a big piece of it. Mm-hmm. But you also do, uh, vocational training. Mm-hmm. Um, and, and guys try to get jobs and then housing. 

Jonathan: And tell me about the other programs, other resources that you guys provide for our guys.  

Adreinne: Yeah. Our hope is that guys can actually get connected into a recovery community or maybe with the alumni network or maybe with a home church, so that those people can wrap their arms around. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Uh, long term while guys are trying to maintain on their own, but. 

Adreinne: That's up to our, our guys and if they really invest in that for, um, for their own success being Atlanta Mission. We're a Christian program, so we really wanna foster the spiritual development of all of our guys. Um, so that's really incorporated in everything that we do. And then as guys are processing, they get to work with their counselor, they get to work with a peer in recovery, they get to work with a social worker to just kind of get themselves equipped and ready to live an independent lifestyle. 

Adreinne: And then we do job prep. So guys will get a resume and they'll start working offsite at our thrift stores as their work assignment to start learning what is it like to kind of get out into the world and then they'll go to obtain a job. You know, maybe they, um, would like a little bit of experience. So we do have a, for. 

Adreinne: Gly certification training program that's, um, provided by a, a local partner, another nonprofit that is trying to get people back into the workforce. Maybe they need a parenting class or maybe they need, uh, or would like to obtain their GED. So we have a few different offerings that people can work on alongside their recovery. 

Adreinne: And then. Once they are kind of at the phase where they've completed most of the curriculum, they're ready to go to work, and we have a few different employers that we partner with. We assist them in the application process, trying to get, you know, their foot in the door, but they're the ones kind of. 

Adreinne: Doing it. Yeah. And they obtain a job and then they start working. The goal, once they start working is that they start plugging into the recovery community. So we want them to go to recovery meetings throughout the week. We want them to plug into church, into the local community spiritually. So they should be attending church on the weekends. 

Adreinne: We also want them to, uh, save their money. So that's one thing that we're working on. We're coaching them with their budget, saving money, trying to help them with the resources that they need to put pieces together because maybe they need to work on their credit, maybe they need to pay back some debt or pay some legal fines. 

Adreinne: So there's a lot of coaching on the budget end. And then we want them to really ultimately, like have kind of a network set up and have savings set up, maintain their job in order to get ready to launch out of our program and live independently. And  

Jonathan: so I'm imagining we might have a listener who's like, Hey, I know someone who, who needs recovery help. 

Jonathan: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Or maybe I need recovery help. How do people find the Potter's House?  

Adreinne: Yeah. Yeah. So we have an application process. We want, um, you to apply online, which is on the Atlanta Mission website. And then we also want to, um, determine is this program a really good fit for you? Mm-hmm. And. Are you a good fit for this program? 

Adreinne: And so we do a phone interview that covers a lot of information about your current need and your legal history and maybe physical and mental health history to just understand you and what your needs are to make those decisions. If you are determined that yes, you're a good fit for the Potter's House, come on, um, we will schedule an intake, an onsite intake, and go from there. 

Rachel: It sounds like we do a lot to, um, really help give the tools Yes. To do long-term sustainable recovery. Yes. That's amazing.  

Jonathan: Yeah. It's awesome.  

Adreinne: It's a lot that's happening within those 11 months.  

Rachel: Yeah. Like a lot is happening. It's amazing. I, I think that that's, it's so great. I hope that, um. What you explained kind of shines some more light on Yeah. 

Rachel: Exactly. What we're doing and how we're not just helping in their recovery within our four walls. Mm-hmm. But how are we helping them sustain that recovery outside of Atlanta mission?  

Yeah.  

Rachel: Well, we hope you guys enjoyed this conversation with Adrian. I know I got. So much out of how, uh, we work at the Potter's House, the, the process of what it's like to be in there, to go through it. 

Rachel: I think the thing that really stuck out to me is the aspect of community. We talked about that when you're in your addiction, when you're in that bottom, you're in isolation. Mm-hmm. And you're not, um, around anyone. You're not engaged in community and how the instant you walk onto our campus. You're in the brotherhood. 

Jonathan: You're in the brotherhood. And I, I think it's so hard, I have never gone through addiction, but I know I've had issues in my life that I've tried to figure out myself.  

Rachel: Yeah.  

Jonathan: Without telling anyone. And often the first step towards freedom or healing is to say, Hey, I, I actually need help and I need other people to come around me and lift me up. 

Jonathan: Um. And then it just, it just takes off from there.  

Rachel: For any of you out there that may be struggling with addiction or have someone in your family or someone close to you who's struggling with addiction, we hope you know that there's hope out there. To our listeners, thank you. We hope to catch you next time. 

Rachel: Please follow us on all of our social channels so you don't miss an episode of Unseen Atlanta.  

Tensley: Thank you so much for listening and engaging with these challenging yet vital conversations about mental health addiction. Homelessness and trauma in our city facing these issues head on is how we ignite real transformation in Atlanta. 

Tensley: Thank you to our seasoned sponsor, the Scott Pryor Law Group. The transformation you've heard wouldn't be possible without incredible partners like the Scott Pryor Law Group, personal injury and accident attorneys, their compassion and dedication to our community. Fuel stories of transformation just like these, if you are injured in a semi-truck or car accident. 

Tensley: Call the Scott Pryor Law Group. As a US Marine, we fight and win for you. Our clients are family for life. We handle all types of injuries. You focus on healing and we handle the rest. Now, if today's episode inspired you to take the next step, we would love to invite you to join the work that God is doing here. 

Tensley: There are two really impactful ways for you to get involved. First, you can give financially to help us continue the work you heard about today. Second, you can volunteer your time by serving at one of our campuses. You can find all the ways to give and get involved@atlantamission.org. Thank you again for being part of this journey. 

Tensley: Please join us next time as we uncover more powerful stories of hope and transformation.