Reporter: AFTER MEETING

ON A BLIND DATE, JIM AND

ROBBIE QUICKLY FELL IN

LOVE.

I WANTED TO MARRY MY

WIFE, I THINK FROM THE FIRST

DAY I MET HERMENT.

WE'RE TALKING ON THE

PHONE UNTIL 3:00, 4:00 AND

THE MORNING.

YOU KNOW IT IS SPECIAL.

Reporter: THE COUPLE

MARRIED IN 1984, ROBBIE WAS

A CHRISTIAN AND KNEW JIM

DIDN'T SHARE HER FAITH, BUT

SHE DIDN'T KNOW HIS DARKEST

SECRET.

SHE HAD NO IDEA OF DEPTH

OF MY ADDICTION.

Reporter: JIM HAD BEEN

AN ALCOHOLIC AND DRUG ADDICT

SINCE HIS FIRST DRINK AT AGE

15.

ALCOHOL MADE ME FEEL LIKE

THE PERSON I THOUGHT I COULD

BE.

AND THEN I STARTED DOING

DRUGS.

Reporter: JIM HID HIS

HABIT FROM ROBBIE UNTIL THEY

WERE FIVE YEARS AND TWO

CHILDREN INTO THE MARRIAGE.

I DIDN'T REALLY SEE ANY

RED FLAGS OR DISCONNECT

UNTIL THINGS STARTED

HAPPENING.

HE HAD A REALLY GOOD JOB,

AND ALL OF A SUDDEN WE CAN'T

PAY OUR BILLS AND THINGS

WERE MISSING.

AND THERE IS ALWAYS STORIES

AND EXCUSES AS TO WHERE THE

MONEY HAS GONE.

IT TOOK MORE MORE AND

MORE AND MORE, AND IT WAS

$50 A WEEK OF COCAINE TO

$100 A WEEK UNTIL MY WHOLE

PAYCHECK WAS GOING TO THAT.

Reporter: ONE NIGHT

ROBBIE SAW A TELEVISION AD

THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING.

THIS COMMERCIAL CAME ON

ABOUT DRUG ADDICTION.

I KNOW IT WAS THE HOLY

SPIRIT TELLING ME, THAT'S

WHAT'S GOING ON.

THAT'S WHAT YOU NEED TO

CONFRONT JIM ABOUT.

THE WORLD STARTED CRUMBLING

IN.

IT IS DEVASTATING TO KNOW

YOU HAVE MARRIED SOMEONE AND

ARE LIVING WITH SOMEONE, WHO

IS THE FATHER OF YOUR

CHILDREN, WHO YOU LOVE

DEEPLY, BUT YOU CAN'T TRUST

HIM.

Reporter: AFTER ROBBIE

CONFRONTED HIM, JIM STARTED

A.AA.A. PROGRAMS, BUT FOR

YEARS, JIM'S ADDICTIONS HAD

A POWERFUL HOLD ON HIS

LIFE.

I LIED ABOUT EVERYTHING,

WHERE MY MONEY WAS GOING,

WHAT THIS LOAN WAS FOR.

LIE UPON LIE UPON LIE.

IT CAUSED A LOT OF

CONFLICT.

IT CAUSED A LOT OF FIGHTS.

BECAUSE WHEN HE WOULD COME

HOME AND I KNEW HE WAS

DRINKING, AND THEN THERE IS

JUST A LOT OF YELLING AND

SCREAMING AND YOU GO TO BED

MAD.

HE WOULD BE GONE FOR TWO OR

THREE DAYS AT A TIME, AND I

WOULDN'T KNOW WHERE HE WAS

OR WHAT HE WAS DOING.

Reporter: AFTER YEARS

OF DEALING WITH JIM'S

ADDICTION, ROBBIE CONSIDERED

DIVORCE.

I TELL PEOPLE THAT I

DIVORCED HIM IN MY HEAD

ABOUT EVERY DAY.

I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW MANY

TIMES I TOLD HIM, I CAN'T DO

THIS ANYMORE.

I'M DONE.

Reporter: INSTEAD OF

FILING FOR DIVORCE, ROBBIE

DECIDED TO PRAY.

THE THINGS, I WAS PRAYING

SPECIFICALLY FOR, OF COURSE,

WERE FOR JIM'S SOBRIETY.

I PRAYED FOR STRENGTH.

I WAS TIRED.

I WAS WARN OUT.

I WAS, LIKE, GOD, I KNOW

THAT YOUR WILL FOR HIM IS

NOT TO BE AN ALCOHOLIC/DRUG

ADDICT.

I KNOW THAT IS NOT YOUR WILL

FOR HIS LIFE.

I WOULD SAY THAT HONESTLY I

PRAYED FULLY AND INTENSELY

FOR ABOUT 10 YEARS, FOR GOD

TO JUST REALLY BRING BACK

THE MAN I KNEW THAT HE HAD

CREATED.

EVERY TIME I WENT OUT,

AND I WOULD GO AWAY FOR

THREE OR FOUR DAYS BECAUSE I

WOULD BEGIN TO BLACK OUT, I

WOULD BE AFRAID TO COME HOME

BECAUSE I THOUGHT THAT THE

DOORS WOULD BE LOCKED, BUT

THEY NEVER WERE.

MY WIFE CONTINUED TO ACCEPT

ME AND TAKE ME BACK.

Reporter: ROBBIE PRAYED

FOR YEARS, AND JIM

EVENTUALLY AGREED TO GO TO

CHURCH WITH HER.

I KNEW IF HE WAS IN

CHURCH, HE WAS GETTING FED.

GOD WAS YOU GOING TO USE

WHAT HE WAS HEARING AND

FEELING AND EXPERIENCING.

I ALWAYS KNEW THERE WAS A

GOD, BUT I NEVER FELT WORTHY

OF HIM TO PAY ATTENTION TO

ME.

WE HAD A PRAISE AND WORSHIP

ON SUNDAY NIGHTS, WHERE YOU

WOULD STAND UP AND PRAISE

GOD FOR WHAT HE HAS DONE IN

YOUR LIFE.

I STOOD UP AND SAID, I'M AN

ALCOHOLIC AND I CAN'T STOP.

AND THAT CHURCH, THEY JUST

GATHERED AROUND ME.

I STARTED TO FEEL GOD'S

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE THEN

BECAUSE I FELT IT THROUGH

HIS PEOPLE.

Reporter: JIM DEDICATED

HIS LIFE TO CHRIST, AND GOT

HELP FROM HIS CHURCH FOR HIS

ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE.

IT WAS THREE OR FOUR

YEARS WHERE PEOPLE HELPED ME

ALONG.

THEY DIDN'T JUDGE ME BECAUSE

OF MY ALCOHOLISM.

THEY HELPED ME THROUGH IT.

Reporter: EVEN WITH HIS

NEW FAITH, JIM CONTINUED TO

BATTLE HIS ADDICTIONS UNTIL

2006.

BUT EVERYTHING CHAIMPLEGD

CHANGED ONE RAINY WINTER

DAY.

THAT DAY I MADE THE

CHOICE.

I HID IN THE CLOSET BECAUSE

I DIDN'T WANT TO FACE THE

REALITY OF WHAT THIS WAS

DOING TO MY FAMILY ANYMORE.

I SAID, I CAN'T DO THIS

ANYMORE.

Reporter: JIM TURNED TO

THE BIBLE FOR HOPE.

I WENT TO 1 JOHN 2-3

ABOUT SIN, AND I SAID, GOD,

I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE.

AND HE SAID, I KNOW YOU

CAN'T.

BUT I CAN TAKE IT FROM YOU.

Reporter: JIM SAYS GOD

COMPLETELY DELIVERED HIM

FROM HIS ADDICTIONS THAT

DAY.

I THINK I KNEW IT WAS

IMMEDIATELY GONE BECAUSE THE

WEIGHT HAD LIFTED FROM ME.

IT WAS AMAZING.

AGAIN, IT WAS THAT POINT OF

THE NEXT DAY, I DIDN'T HAVE

TO DRIVE BY THE LIQUOR STORE

FIVE OR SIX TIMES.

I DIDN'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT

AM I GOING DO CALL MY

COCAINE DEALER.

IT WASN'T THERE ANYMORE.

Reporter: ROBBIE SAID

IT TOOK SOME TIME FOR GOD TO

RESTORE THE TRUST IN THEIR

MARRIAGE, BUT SHE SAW A TRUE

CHANGE IN HER HUSBAND.

IT GOT TO THE POINT WHERE

HE WAS COMING HOME FROM WORK

ON TIME.

HE BECAME PART OF THE

FAMILY.

HE BECAME ENGAGED IN WHAT WE

WERE DOING.

THE MARRIAGE BECAME FUN

AGAIN.

WE ARE SPENDING TIME

TOGETHER AND SHARING OUR

LIVES TOGETHER.

Reporter: TODAY, ALMOST

A DECADE LATER, THE COUPLE

IS CLOSER THAN EVER, AND JIM

NEVER TURNED BACK TO HIS OLD

LIFESTYLE.

THEY RUN THEIR OWN MINISTRY

CALLED D.U.I. MINISTRY.

THEY BOTH SAY THEY CAN SEE

THE POWER OF PRAYER IN THEIR

MARRIAGE.

IF GOD HAD NOT

INTERVENED, I WOULD EITHER

BE DIVORCED, DEAD, OR IN

JAIL.

GOD AND MY WIFE WAS THE ONLY

REASON THAT HELD ANY OF THIS

TOGETHER.

IT WAS HER DEVOTION TO GOD

THAT HELPED US TOGETHER.

EVEN IF YOU'RE MARRIED TO

SOMEONE WHO IS NOT A

CHRISTIAN, IF YOU DO WHAT IS

RIGHT, GOD WILL SAVE YOUR

MARRIAGE.

WHAT I WOULD SAY TO THE

WOMEN WHO ARE IN THAT

SITUATION, OR ANY SITUATION

THAT REMOTELY LOOKS LIKE

THAT, DON'T GIVE UP.

GOD HOLDS YOU IN THE PALM OF

HIS HAND.

REACH OUT.

GOD IS FAITHFUL.

WE'VE GOT TO PERSEVERE, NOT

GIVE UP.