Father’s Day may take on a new meaning this year for Jeff Coale — he is overcoming a fight with alcohol and drug addiction — all on his road to a new beginning as a better father.
A resident at New Beginnings Ministries, Inc., Coale voluntarily entered the treatment program in an effort to fight the addictions that ruled his life.
“I have three boys,” Coale said. “They have their own lives for the most part, but I want to be the kind of person they can be proud of and this is helping me do that.”
With addiction putting a strain on his relationship with his family, Coale said the treatment he’s receiving at New Beginnings has begun to ease the tension.
“Since I’ve been here, God has restored my family back to me,” Coale said. “I had thought about leaving at one point, but when I think about what my life would be outside of this place, I know this is where I’m supposed to be.”
Coale, who has a steady job with Turning Leaf Construction, says being productive and helping others has become his new passion in life.
“There are a lot of people here who are in the same place I was,” Coale said. “I have been inspired here and it’s important to me to be able to help other people survive the disease of addiction. I know it can be done — I’m proof of that. There is hope.”
With just a little over a year spent at New Beginnings, Coale said the decision to seek treatment wasn’t his alone.
“Anyone with addictions is going to have issues with family,” Coale said. “My family encouraged me to get treatment. Since I want my sons to be proud of me, it was the best thing for me to do.”
Although two of his three children are practically grown, Coale’s five-year-old son doesn’t get to spend a lot of time with his father.
“I don’t get to see him much,” Coale said. “But, God is a carpenter. I know He’s going to rebuild that bridge.”
New Beginnings Ministries, Inc., an addiction treatment program/facility on Pea Ridge Road, is giving Coale a chance to get his life back — one he says would have ended otherwise.
“This place has turned my life around 180 degrees,” Coale said. “I had fought addiction before and really, I had no where else to go. If it weren’t for this place, I’m sure I would have died.”
Through leading classes and mentoring other residents, Coale said the work has given him a new lease on life.
“I get a daily reprieve when I wake up here,” Coale said. “Now, I can say that I’m at such peace with myself and others. I can string days together in a good mood and that’s a good feeling.”
Coale credits the staff and volunteers at New Beginnings Ministries, Inc., with his chance at a new beginning for his own life and for the life he can have with his children.
“There is hope to beat this thing,” Coale said. “And I’m finding that hope here.”