Lesson 43 Explore 4: The Bible Changes Lives

YEAR BORN: 1975
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: SLOVENIA
HISTORY: BINGE DRINKER

MY PAST: I was born in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. I had a pleasant childhood until the age of four. Then my father committed suicide. After this tragedy, my mother had to work hard to put bread on the table for two growing boys, my older brother and me.

At the age of 15, I moved in with my grandmother. I enjoyed living with her, as many of my friends lived in her neighborhood. I also had greater freedom than I did when living at home. At the age of 16, I started associating with people who went drinking on the weekends. I let my hair grow long, started dressing rebelliously, and later took up smoking.

Although I experimented with various drugs, I stuck with drinking, as I found it to be the most enjoyable. Soon I had gone from drinking a few glasses of wine to more than a bottle at a time. I became an expert at hiding just how drunk I really was. Often, it was only the smell of alcohol on my breath that indicated I had been drinking. Even then, no one had any idea that I had perhaps downed several liters of wine or beer-and mixed with vodka at that!

Many times, I was the one who helped my friends stay on their feet after a night at the disco, even though, in all likelihood, I had consumed twice as much alcohol as they had. One day, I overheard one of my friends say that I was a bottomless barrel-a derogatory expression in Slovenian for someone who can outdrink others. That comment really hurt me.

I started to think about what I was doing with my life. I was overcome by feelings of worthlessness. It seemed that nothing I did in life had any meaning.

HOW THE BIBLE CHANGED MY LIFE: About this time, I noticed that one of my classmates had changed; his disposition had become milder. Curious about his transformation, I invited him out to a café. During our conversation, he explained that he had begun to study the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses. He shared some of the things he was learning, all of which were completely new to me, as I had not had any kind of religious upbringing. I began attending meetings of the Witnesses and studying the Bible with them.

Studying the Bible opened my eyes to many powerful, motivating truths. For example, I learned that we are living in what the Bible calls “the last days.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

I also learned that God will soon remove bad people from the earth and grant good people the opportunity to enjoy everlasting life in Paradise. (Psalm 37:29)

I felt a strong desire to clean up my life so that I could be among those good people.

I began telling my friends about the Bible truths that I was learning. Most ridiculed me for what I shared with them, but this turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Their reaction helped me to see that they were not true friends. I came to realize that my drinking problem was closely related to my choice of associates. All week long, they looked forward to the weekend so that they could get drunk again.

I broke off those friendships and replaced them with upbuilding association with Jehovah’s Witnesses. Being in their company was a source of great encouragement-these were people who sincerely loved God and who really tried to live by his standards. Gradually, I was able to give up my habit of binge drinking.

HOW I HAVE BENEFITED: I’m grateful to Jehovah that I no longer need alcohol to feel happy. I really don’t know where I would have ended up had I continued in my former ways. But I am convinced that my life is better now.

For the past seven years, I have been privileged to serve at the branch office of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Slovenia. Knowing Jehovah and serving him has given my life true meaning.