Bangkok - New beginning for Ant

By the HELP drug rehab center in Thailand.
Ant has gone through lots of trouble. He lived in our rehab center for five months, but then left and had a relapse. Now he is back again and we are really glad about it. His ‘old’ lifestyle might have killed him in the end.
This is his story:

I can hardly recall any memories of my father. He left us when I was five. My mom told me that he is a heroin addict. He used to beat her and my little brother often, my little brother eventually died due to the injuries. When my mom remarried I felt offended. This new husband got all the attention I was supposed to get! My mom realized that I was hurting and began to spoil me. However, my demands kept growing constantly.
As a young adult I only did what I wanted. I took tobacco, hashish, booze, spent nights in discos. At the age of seventeen I was involved in a brawl in which someone was shot. I escaped and stayed with relatives in the countryside until the case was cleared. This was also the end of my schooling and I slipped down further.
My family was convinced that strict religion would help me to become a better person. Over a period of 15 years I made several attempts to change for the better in Buddhist monasteries.
Each time I left a monastery it got worse. I was in prison four times, and I also went in and out of hospitals and drug rehabs. One day I had a controversy with my mom and resorted to my grandma’s place in order to find help. Since my grandma was a born again Christian she told me about Jesus and I opened my heart. My grandma took me to the rehab of HELP.
When I arrived at the rehab center I felt quite uneasy thinking of the upcoming agonies of a cold turkey. To my surprise I had hardly any pain and made quick progress. In spite of my relapse I see changes in my life: I have calmed down and become much more patient.
If I have problems with something, I’ll try to talk things over. In the past I couldn’t face conflicts and used to run away, but Jesus changed me. Now there is joy in my life and I feel confident about the future!
Ant