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Winn Freeman, Living Life rehabilitation program help addicts gain wisdom
By Abe Hardesty • City People Writer • October 7, 2009
Nine years after Winn Freeman made a drug/alcohol training program his life ministry, the California native continues to get strange looks when he talks about the Wisdom in Living Life program.
“Our focus is not to teach people how to be clean and sober,” Freeman says. “Drugs are the symptoms, not the real problem,” Freeman continues. “We deal with the problem.”
The 54-year-old Freeman, sometimes known in rehabilitation circles as “the drug guy,” deals with the issue each week in classrooms at a training facility near Travelers Rest. He typically spoke to 10-12 students when he began the ministry in 2000; today, a room of more than 100 is common for his “Choosing to be free” program each Thursday.
It is the oldest of three weekly programs offered at the training facility that once housed the Ebenezer Elementary School. He and colleagues teach similar classes Monday and Tuesday evenings.
It is a fitting subject for Freeman, whose life was thrown into chaos as he developed drug dependency as a teenager. “Clean” for 21 years, he now speaks to drug users with authority.
Sometimes it takes a person like me to convince someone that they can get their life back,” says Freeman. “If you want to work on a car, you don’t talk to a painter.”
In terms of drug knowledge, Freeman is a certified mechanic. “A good kid” who found himself in trouble when he began to experiment with alcohol and speed as early as age 11, Freeman dropped out of school and left home at age 15. In the next 17 years, he lived the life that many teenagers dream about – playing guitar in a Bakersfield, California, rock band that traveled from city to city. It was a lifestyle that made illegal drugs easy to find.
Freeman saw his family life and two careers crumble under the weight of alcohol and drug addictions. His younger brother, Aaron, died as the result of a heroin overdose. Freeman “hit bottom” at age 32, when, from the back seat of a police car, Freeman began his recovery with a transformation to the Christian faith. In a nutshell, that’s the foundation of Freeman’s program today. He calls it a “Christian, Bible-based alternative” to more conventional drug treatment programs.
In fact, Freeman never refers to his program as one offering treatments.
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Why Wisdom In Living Life Ministry Is Filling A Need In The Upstate
The statistics don’t lie. Linked below are some key statistics that affect all of us in one way or another. Wisdom In Living Life Ministry is filling a major need that our community so desperately is searching for; solid answers addressing the drug epidemic. We often think of missions as being something that happens in a distant land. The Upstate is our mission field. Preventing youth from ever falling into the snare of addiction is our calling. Helping those trapped by substance abuse is what we do. READ MORE>>>
The Four Cornerstones of Wisdom In Living Life Ministry
Every structure needs to be built on a solid foundation to be a sound structure. In 1 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul speaks of our lives in builders terms. In 1 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul speaks of our lives in builders terms. In 1 Corinthians 3:11 Paul says “For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” We follow that principle in that, to build a healthy and addiction free life, your life must be built on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ.
What Makes Us Unique?
Simply put…
At Wisdom In Living Life Ministry, we educate, equip and empower God’s people to effectively reach those imprisoned by addiction. In doing so, we address the issue for what it is; sin and not a disease. We do not follow the disease-model of most recovery programs. The disease is in our hearts rather than in our bodies. We believe that genuine freedom can only be found in Christ.
What About Greenville, SC?
Many people are unaware of the seriousness of addiction and abuse of alcohol and drugs. This problem is widespread in large communities and small. So, what about Greenville, South Carolina? The facts in this article reveal that, in our own city, addiction is destroying lives and costing untold misery to individuals, their families, and all who know and care about the addict.
CLICK HERE to watch this short video for statistics about Greenville, SC>>>
Download (PDF) Report of Wisdom In Living Life Ministry Beyond Recovery Project—Drug Statistics>>>
10 Years of Ministry
2010 marks the 10th year of ministry for Wisdom In Living Life!
In 1988, Winn Freeman was given a 3% chance of succeeding at anything. He was living in California, a heroin addict and a drunk; headed for jail. Today, Freeman is still in contact with law enforcement, only instead of riding in the back of a patrol car on the way to jail, Freeman has law enforcement on his side. When he walked out of jail, he was walking toward hope, Greenville, college and Wisdom In Living Life Ministry.
Wisdom In Living Life is the organization Freeman founded in 2000.
Coffee Fundraiser
Leopard Forest Coffee Company has partnered with us to bring you award-winning specialty coffee. Every bag you purchase goes back into the ministry of helping families find freedom from addiction in Christ.
