Good Landing Recovery exists to destroy the power of addiction by creating an atmosphere where God can restore families and lives through the body, spirit and soul.
By Angela Veugeler | Photos Courtesy Good Landing Recovery
With close to 20 million Americans struggling with drug or alcohol addiction, and more than 90,000 overdoses in 2020 (up from 70,000 in 2019), there is clearly a major epidemic in our country that continues to grow. According to Medscape, drug overdoses have become the No. 1 cause of injury-related death in the United States. Whether it’s a distant relative, friend, close family member or you, most of us know someone who struggles with addiction and it has affected countless families. From lying and manipulation to denial, isolation, money problems, abuse and legal troubles, addiction has negative effects on not only the one struggling with it, but all those around them.
There are many treatment centers for those willing to get help, but unfortunately most of them are costly and there is a high relapse rate. According to Trey Lewis, Founder and CEO of Good Landing Recovery in Dacula, this isn’t because there aren’t good treatment options available — it comes down to pride. “Pride is the common denominator with a great failure rate. Families often don’t understand what love is supposed to look like when they have a loved one struggling. What they think they are doing in the name of love is enabling them to stay sick.”
Breaking the Chains of Addition
Founded by Trey Lewis and Pastor Bobby Humphrey in 2017, Good Landing’s recovery program uses Christ-centered and biblically based treatments to break the chains of addiction, restore hope, and help clients experience lasting transformation. In just four short years, Good Landing has quickly grown to be the largest independent facility with a single location in the state of Georgia with 140 clients.
Before starting Good Landing, Lewis served in the Air Force and has traveled the country preaching the gospel, leading outreach initiatives and inspiring thousands through leadership conferences. Attending 10 treatment centers by the time he was 25 years old, he knows firsthand how dangerous a life controlled by drugs and alcohol can be. After being set free from this life, he was filled with a passionate calling to tell everyone about the transforming power and love that is found only in Christ.
According to Lewis, “The idea of Good Landing began when Bobby Humphrey called in March of 2017 and asked what I was doing with my life. I looked at it as an insult — I was making over six figures, I was doing good. He said, ‘I believe God has so much more for you.’ At the time, if I didn’t have an obligation on Saturday mornings, I would do ministry, hanging out with guys that were just trying to make it. I always had a sense that it [Good Landing] would work. I knew how my life had been impacted. I wavered in it a little bit but then doubled down and just did it. We got five or seven clients in there and then by May 2018 became licensed and then it just took off.”
“It has been completely different running point on the whole thing. But we saw the response, the lives that were changing. I always knew God had breathed on this and opened this door. We really create a life-giving environment. The culture is so important. I run it more as getting in the trenches. My office is right in the middle of the program, people are in and out of my office all the time. When I got clean, I got discipled and mentored to and we try to reproduce that here. We have incorporated the things that I felt were super important to me that will translate to other people.”
“One of those is rebuilding the body they had treated so poorly during addiction. Clients come in here one day and all they have been doing up until that point is just losing. Today maybe they can only bench press 100 pounds, but next week it will be 125 pounds, they can really progress and see it so fast.”
Good Landing has created an environment for clients that facilitates spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical change. They aim to transform lives through stimulating activities, group accountability, physical exercise, biblical counseling, and above all else, a purposeful relationship with Christ. For more information on Good Landing, visit GoodLandingRecovery.com.
Danielle’s Testimony
Good Landing’s Women’s Program Tech and Admissions Specialist Danielle Brummit shared her comeback story with us.
I grew up in a pastor’s home, my parents were in ministry. It was a unique situation because everyone sees one side of it when you are outside looking in. When I was 7 years old, I found out my mom was struggling with addiction. She had experienced trauma when she was younger and never had the opportunity to deal with it. She got addicted to pain medications after having hand surgery. I remember feeling like my mom would rather fuel her needs than keep me safe. I felt that even though I still didn’t know what this was, my mom loved it more than me. Being a pastor’s wife, my mom began to wear a ‘mask.’ She was expected to be one way and be there for those struggling and in addiction but not be in the same place with them. I saw her be one way at church and then completely fall apart at home. It was very difficult for me to see. I wanted to fix it, but I didn’t know how.
When I was 16 years old, I was going to a youth leaders’ home to hang out. She had some things missing in her life, but felt accepted by us, and began to allow us to throw parties at her house and use substances in her home. She introduced me to methamphetamine. I still had that insecurity, and when I took it, I felt stronger and braver than I actually was. I was able to be someone that I wasn’t. That began a downward spiral for me, and I started to wear the same ‘mask’ my mom wore.
I would be at church and try to be what everyone expected me to be and then leave there and use illegal substances. That brought about a lot of shame and guilt. I knew what was right, but I began to spiral out of control. I started dealing with a lot of major depression and anxiety.
When I was 24 years old, I got into a major car accident while I was sober. A semi ran a red light and hit my driver’s door going 70mph. It completely crushed my car and gave me a major back injury. My disc completely disintegrated. I was very stubborn and refused to have back surgery for a year. During this time, I became dependent on pain pills. When I finally had the surgery, I became even more dependent on pain pills until I got to the point where I couldn’t continue working.
At the time of the accident, I was a Kindergarten teacher (I thought I could quit using drugs and change my life if I had a good job). God used that accident to get me out of teaching. After the accident, I started doing administrative stuff for my dad. I wouldn’t show up to work, had an apartment with toxic people, and was in a toxic relationship. I wasn’t living anymore. I was just trying to survive. I was in and out of the hospital because I wasn’t eating. I would get fluids and go right back to using. My mom had gone through treatment so I had heard about it, but I had isolated myself from everyone that I might turn to for help.
In July of 2019, there was a lady named MJ from Georgia who came up as one of the top ‘people you may know’ on my Facebook account, even though we had no mutual friends. To this day I am still not sure what made me reach out to her, but I did. We began communicating and I ended up opening up to her about my struggles. She came to Tampa to see me. When I picked her up from the airport she just started crying. When I realized she saw how bad I was it scared me. I had never been around someone who was going to do something about helping me. I pushed her away. I left her at an Airbnb. I didn’t want help; I was terrified of being exposed. I wore this ‘mask’ for years. I was so scared of what people thought about me. I had seen the way people treated my mom and I was scared of that as well.
There was about a two-week window where she had left and then came back to Georgia. In just those two weeks, things had gotten a lot worse. I assumed MJ would leave me alone, but she didn’t. She introduced me to Trey Lewis. Trey called me; he was great, like talking to a friend. I came to Good Landing in July 2019. I knew I was going to die if I didn’t but was not 100% set on getting clean. I brought the ‘mask’ that I wore for many years, the people pleasing, to rehab with me. I left in November 2019, went back to Tampa for a few months and had the worst relapse of my whole life. I introduced myself back to the world of addiction. I picked up right where I left off, but my body wasn’t used to that; it completely ruined me. I quickly returned to Georgia. I decided I was going to live in the area but not go back to treatment. I moved to Duluth, got an apartment and continued using.
In April 2020, I reached out to Trey. My addiction was worse than it had ever been, my weight was lower than it had been, but I was terrified. I sent Trey a message and said, ‘Hey Trey, I’m struggling.’ I didn’t even expect to get a response. He quickly replied, ‘Do you want to come home?’ In this treatment center where I had made a fool of myself, the owner asked if I wanted to come home. They love you like Jesus loves you. They show you Jesus by accepting you like you are, no matter how much of a fool you have been. On April 25, 2020, I came back. I met with Trey and realized if I was really going to do this, I was going to do everything different than I did the first time. That’s what I did. I put my head down and worked through trauma with my therapist. My biggest fear was that people weren’t going to accept me if I was real, but that is why they accepted me. I realized the rules were here to help me grow. When I came back, they had open arms. They didn’t remind me of the horrible things I had done in the past, they wanted to help with my comeback story, and help me win.
Now I am a house manager and I help with admissions. I get to see girls come in wearing the ‘mask.’ It is really healing to be what Good Landing has been to me to other people. I feel like I am directly in the center of God’s will here. It has been life changing and great. The big difference I have seen here is the love Good Landing has for people; they are willing to work with you and love you no matter where you are in your addiction. In here, it’s all about connecting, which is 100% because it is Christ centered. We are like a big family. That was the difference for me, I needed to be shown Jesus. I had heard about it my whole life, but I was never shown Christ like I was shown Christ here. They say, ‘I love you and I’m going to be here with you.’ That’s exactly what Christ’s love is, and I needed that. I know 100% the reason why I am sober today is because of my relationship with the Lord. Every day I get up and I don’t choose drugs anymore, I choose the Lord and in that I have true identity.”
