A New Thanksgiving: Charlie’s Story
Seattle's Union Gospel Mission - October 15 2026
You gave Charlie a new life with new Thanksgiving traditions!
Most children have fond memories of family holidays. Charlie looks back on his childhood Thanksgivings and remembers the drinking and rowdy relatives. He remembers the gatherings always went hand-in-hand with far too much alcohol.
“I grew up with alcoholics. My family, uncles, and aunts were all drinkers. I just followed suit.”
As a teen, Charlie soon learned that he could drink, a lot. In Charlie’s family, that was a source of pride and a pattern that Charlie continued into adulthood. “I drank in my 20s and 30s. By the time I got to my 40s, I had to drink. My body didn’t function without it.”
Charlie learned to manage his life with alcohol, surviving paycheck to paycheck. For a while, Charlie could hold down a job. But each boss came to realize Charlie was drunk on the job. That’s when Charlie would get fired. Hired somewhere else. Only to get fired again.
Charlie saw no way out of this cruel cycle. So he yielded to a life that revolved around addiction. “I had become resigned to just spend every day drinking. From the time I woke up, to the time I went to sleep. I was in despair and lacked any hope.”
One day, Charlie found himself sitting in the alleyway outside of Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission. A kind, caring person knelt down and asked Charlie if he needed help. Charlie sensed a higher power guiding him to the only place where he could find help. Real help.
A NEW LIFE AT THE MISSION
Charlie wasn’t quite sure what he was getting himself into. But the very next day, he chose to join the Men’s Recovery Program. It was the first step on his path to a new life!
Soon after, Charlie spent Thanksgiving in recovery at the Mission. It was a day that looked completely different from his past holidays.
“Most holidays, I nearly drank myself to death. Thanksgivings at the Mission, we’d have a nice dinner. Play games. There’s a real sense of camaraderie.”
For Charlie, that Thanksgiving was the mark of a new tradition. A new way of functioning while clean and sober. A new life of connecting with others heart-to-heart and soul-to-soul.
CREATING TRADITIONS
Charlie graduated from the Men’s Recovery Program. Then he felt called to help other men at the Mission overcome addiction to find freedom too. Today, Charlie can hardly believe how different his Thanksgivings look.
“At the Mission, men are in recovery together, so there’s a lot of closeness. It’s just a sense of being connected, in camaraderie, and there for each other.”
With new traditions in place, Charlie is waking up with healing in his heart and gratitude in his soul. “I believe God has a plan for me. And that my life will unfold in a purposeful way!”
Thank you for helping Charlie find a new life. You can help other neighbors find a new life and a new way of functioning, where they’re clean, sober, and connected to community too!
