Chloe was on a dark path, feeling hopelessly lost and turning to drugs to escape. See what happened when she came to Teen Challenge QLD, where she “had a change of heart.”

With the help of our generous supporters, we have seen thousands of comeback stories written. We are determined to eradicate the cycle of addiction and create a generation of overcomers. Here are just a few of the inspiring stories of transformation we’ve witnessed of young people who have recovered from addictions, and also from family members who have been with their loved ones on their journey.

“I came to Teen Challenge very lost. But through the program I learnt to trust myself again and I gained back the trust of those around me”.

I’m not sure where I’d be today without the help of Teen Challenge. At Teen Challenge love is demonstrated in action. Vulnerability is lived and breathed. Stigma is demolished.

"I was born in a little country town. My mum and dad lost a baby after my birth and separated soon after. I remember my mum dropping me off at my Nan and Pop’s and then she just didn't come back. I was only two. I always felt like I was an inconvenience."

Andrew grew up in a stable family. As a boy he dreamt of joining the Air Force so that he could be become an aeronautics expert. He was a sporty kid and very bright. But he had ADHD and when he was at school this condition wasn’t consistently recognised.

Matt didn’t realise it then, but the grief of losing his father had left a deep wound, and trouble came to find him.
By 19, addiction was creating havoc in his life.

I got involved in drugs and alcohol as a teenager and my life was soon being controlled by my addictions. Things had got really bad for me and I was working but homeless. "I called my Dad and he said, "Son do you want to change your life? Only you can do it". He found out about New Hope House and I said I would give it a go. I was out of options.

I grew up in regional QLD and came from a strong family with good values, and faith was a big part of my family's life. When I was 10, we moved house, so I had to move schools, and I found this difficult.

At 12 years old I had my first taste of drugs and alcohol and my life quickly spiralled out of control. I had so many close calls and eventually I came to the end of hope but a friend suggested I try Teen Challenge. I spent a year in the program and my life has gone from strength to strength. If you are thinking you need rehab. Just do it, your life is worth much more than you think. I’ve lived it, I’ve gone through it, it works.

"Before I went to Teen Challenge, my life was a catastrophe. I had been using substances to cope for 20 years. My life was one of drugs, death and destruction. Every day was the same; I would wake in the morning without joy and without purpose."

Drug dealing and stealing to support my addictions. Fighting constantly to prove myself. My mates committing suicide. Deaths from overdoses and accidents. Using drugs to numb my life.
That was all I knew.

I began smoking marijuana and drinking alcohol at 15 years old. I also developed an addiction to Valium. I came into the program in my early 20’s; I was so tired of life, I was in strife with the law and wanted a different life.

"When I first came to Teen Challenge, I only weighed over 42kg; I was sick. I was at death's door, and I had to be hospitalised. My life was hanging in the balance. It was the worst experience of my life."

"Being in the program is hard, but it’s been worth it. I felt so much shame and over time I realized just what I had lost and the cost to my family."

"Before New Hope House I was a like a lost vessel in the middle of the big blue ocean, with a broken compass, no guidance and a weak spirit, I kept running into sin."

"I came from an ordinary home in many ways. My parents loved me, but there were problems in the marriage, and they broke up when I was young. I lived in a regional town in Australia that didn’t have a lot going for it. Many of my friend’s parents drank in excess and took drugs.
I began experimenting with other substances. I felt more confident when I took drugs and there were a lot of parties to go to. Before too long I was introduced to heroin."

“I grew up in a regular family, but at 10, I developed an eating disorder, I started binge drinking at 15 and took drugs for the first time at Schoolies. I went to the New Life Centre (NLC) after I had become a mother. I didn’t want to be there but was facing criminal charges, and I thought rehab would look good in court. I now am so glad I did the whole year of rehab. I rebuilt my life on a firm foundation and now have a hope for my future."

"Before coming to New Hope House I didn’t know what I was going to do with my life. I have reconnected with God and found myself."

"When I first came to New Hope House (NHH), I was in a very dark place. I’m now in a better place with hope for the future."

"I was 18 and in the grip of heroin addiction when I first came across Teen Challenge. I had been battling an escalating drug addiction for 3 years. I didn’t want to go to rehab but my time in Teen Challenge changed and saved my life."

"I don’t know where I would be if it wasn’t here. If I wasn’t here I’m afraid to say that I’d probably be either in jail or dead. But the blessing is this place is here and it’s because of the people that volunteer or help fund this place that it’s still able to run, that it’s still able to be that light on a hill for people that are so desperate for hope."

"I got to a turning point in my life when I was sleeping on a concrete floor at the back of an abandoned house and I thought I’m sick of doing this and so I thought I might give Teen Challenge a go. Since coming here Teen Challenge has done heaps for me, they’ve helped me so much. They’ve helped me to work on myself, the case workers have been great, they’ve given me a lot of time and put a lot of effort into my recovery."

”I lost 16 years to addiction and I came to Teen Challenge QLD broken. Because of my time in Teen Challenge QLD I am now whole. I have found peace."

“I came to Teen Challenge broken and exhausted. My life strewn with the consequences of hard living. After my time at Teen Challenge, my life went from strength to strength."

"Before I came to Teen Challenge my life was a mess. When I was 13 I developed depression which turned into self-harming, an eating disorder, drinking and dabbling in drugs by age 14. At 16 I was at my worse. Mum had lost all hope, she didn’t know what to do anymore. This is when my mum found Teen Challenge QLD."

"I found a brotherhood here. For the first time in my life, I felt like all my troubles were lifting. I felt a peace in my heart that I'd never felt before. I was loved and accepted. My life changed from the inside out."