Our 47th spotlight in the FACES OF HOPE: WE DO RECOVER series will focus on Frank McBroom’s story, “Caution: God’s Not Done With Me Yet!”
My name is Frank McBroom and I’m an addict. At one time this was not my favorite thing to say about myself, but I’m not that person anymore. Let me explain. I was born to an abusive mother who told me many times that she never wanted me.
Her actions spoke this louder than her words many times, and I have the scares to prove it. On one occasion, she used a metal hanger on my back to let me know how much she hated me. The following day at school, we had to go to the gym to be checked for Scoliosis of the spine and I refused to take my shirt off. After some convincing, I finally did. The school officials saw the marks and immediately had me taken from my mom. I didn’t see her again until I was in court telling the judge all of the sexual, physical and emotional abuse I had taken. It was there that my mother stood up, pointed at me and said that she was going to kill me one day. I’ve never saw her again.
I spent the next 2 years going from foster home to foster home finally being put on an AFB for protected custody. I met my adoptive parents Nov of 78’ and have been a McBroom ever since.
I should mention that somewhere in the 2 years of fostering, I began to hate God. All these people were telling me how much God loved me, and I’m sitting back thinking, yeah right! Where was He when I was being beaten so bad I couldn’t stand up or being used as a sex toy for 6 or 8 adults? Sorry, not buying what you’re selling. I played the good Christian boy for a few years as a McBroom because it was the easiest thing to do. My adoptive parents were and still are dairy farmers so I learned about hard worked early on.
I couldn’t wait to grow up and be on my own, so after graduation I did just that. I was supposed to go into the Air Force but decided that was not going to be any fun so I went to college. I had my first beer at a college party and never looked back. I proceeded to drink as much and as often as I could. I can’t put into words what it did for me. It made me a new person, and I liked it. Growing up I was a scared little boy who grew into a scared and angry young man. My dad repeatedly told me I need to get a hold of the “HULK” growing inside of me but I didn’t listen. While in college I took another person’s head and beat it against a brick wall to the point of almost killing him, and I had no remorse.
The cycle had made a complete circle. All that I promised myself I would never do, I began doing and worse, I liked it. I finished college and proceeded to go into the fast-food restaurant business and became quite successful at it. I became Assistant Manager within 6 months and became a General Manager within a year. It actually became quite normal and natural for me. I had control of something and it wasn’t falling apart around me.
During this time I got 2 drunk driving arrests within 5 days of each other. The second was charged as a first offense because they didn’t know about the “real” first one. Drunk driving was going to be my crime because I didn’t care about you and I certainly didn’t care about me. I have 5 DUI’s to my credit, and no I’m not boasting, just thankful today that I never hurt anyone.
Fast forward to January 2005 where I met the love of my life, my wife. I was living in Portland, Oregon at the time and moved to Kentucky to be with her. I was sober and actually had no intention of ever drinking again. My addiction had other plans. I was successfully hiding my anger and nobody knew about it, until in a drunk moment, I pushed my wife away from me and she fell down. I later did it 3 more times, all while being drunk.
Let me say, my drinking is not an excuse for pushing my wife, never! I could no longer hide my anger if I was drinking. My obsession with hating God became very real at this time and I drank more and more all the time. I was trying to drink myself to death. After 10 years of dealing with me and my drinking, my wife left me and said quite frankly, I’m done with you!!!! “Until you fill that void with something other than alcohol, you’ll never be sober!”
I found myself in a Red Roof hotel and Googled “faith based treatment centers.”
The very first one that came up was the “ARC” and I called right away. Mind you, I had already been to probably 6 or more treatment centers so I was a little reluctant to go. I went to Belle Grove Springs in Wallingford, Kentucky. On one occasion, the house went to a recovery meeting in Grayson Kentucky called ReWired. I was in the back row and I looked up at the lights in the ceiling and there was one that was out. Finally, I said, “God, if you’re real and you really love me, then you’re going to have to show me”!
The following Monday, a wonderful lady was telling us guys her story about being abused and how God had restored her to the woman she was today. I raised my hand to ask her a question, “Have you ever hated God?” She said yes, and my walls came tumbling down and I wept for an hour. The Holy Spirit came down on me like a ton of bricks and removed my anger instantly. I started feeling an amazing peace inside of me and still to this day I cannot put it into words. My life continues to get better every day with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as the center of my life. My wife took me back, not because of what I said or did, but because of what God did.
I’m not perfect and I still screw up, but I don’t drink over my mistakes, I pray over them and give them to God! Thank you Matt Brown and the Faces of Hope for allowing me to share my testimony. God Bless. Frank McBroom
If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, please call Addiction Recovery Care at 606.638.0938 or visit them on the web at www.arccenters.com.
There is hope. There is help.