Articles by Hope Is Alive

Jasco Lights the Way to Addiction Recovery

Hope is Alive

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Jasco Lights the Way to Addiction Recovery

What does a home electronics company have to do with sobriety?

Established as a family-owned and operated company in 1975, Jasco Products is now an industry leader in home electronics. After decades of growth, Jasco’s leadership felt convicted to start returning 50 percent of all net proceeds to charity, ministry, and philanthropy. Today, they give to Hope is Alive.

“Our leadership believed that Jasco is God’s company, and they want to utilize the resources and blessings God has given them to make a difference in the world,” said Jeff Cato, Jasco VP of Marketing & E-Commerce. “It’s all about multiplying the business and its impact in the community.”

Jasco formed a team tasked with finding community organizations and charities in alignment with their company values and mission.

“Our recovery home program helps people from day one. And one thing a lot of people don’t know is that 100% of our residents hear the Gospel while they’re in our homes,” said Ari Patchen, HIA Director of Community Development.

This spiritual emphasis resonated with Jasco, and the company entered a partnership with HIA in 2016.

“Jasco employees began to get involved with HIA at our events and our Sunday night meetings; we’ve even had some guys come to our resident Bible studies,” Ari said.

Jasco employees noticed the importance of community and the quality of HIA’s recovery program. At the same time, HIA staff began hosting outreach lunches at Jasco to help support those on their staff who might be struggling with addiction or know someone who is.

“We saw the fruit of this ministry immediately,” Jeff recalled. “We partner with ministries that we know are transforming people’s lives, and there’s no question that’s happening at HIA.”

Beyond Jasco’s irrationally generous donations, they have deliberately used their products to help the lives of HIA residents in recovery, all the way down to the exteriors of HIA houses.

Jasco recently launched a new permanent outdoor lighting product for the under-eaves of houses. Cato proposed the idea to donate and install these lights on HIA homes in Oklahoma City. It might seem like exterior lighting doesn’t have much to do with recovery, but it’s the small details that make a big impact on the journey to sobriety.

“It’s that old adage,” Jeff explained.“You want your house to be a home. This is just one more way we can make HIA homes even nicer. That’s how we make a difference.”

Ari, blown away by the intentionality from Jasco, said, “We put a lot of effort into creating a safe and secure setting for people to heal — anything to help ensure those homes are welcoming and warm.”

When purpose is prioritized over profit, incredible things happen. This collaboration is a powerful reminder that the result is brighter lives, inside and out.

“If you want to partner with an organization that’s a good steward, that’s radically changing lives, restoring families, and truly making a difference, then you don’t have to look any further than Hope is Alive,” Jeff said. “No question.”

Find out how your company can partner with HIA by contacting us today!

Understanding Codependency

Understanding Codependency

What is Codependency?

Codependency is a response to addiction — but even more than that, it’s a response to trauma. It often shows up in relationships with loved ones struggling with substance use or other problems.

Melody Beattie, author of Codependent No More, defines it this way: “Someone who has let another person's behavior affect him or her, and who is obsessed with controlling that person's behavior.”

What You Should Know About Codependency:

Codependency feels shameful
It’s an unhealthy focus on other people’s problems, feelings, and needs
Codependents are often sensitive to criticism and tend to wall off their own feelings
They rarely ask for what they need — and often give even when it hurts
The good news? You can change your codependent patterns

Common Characteristics of Codependency:

You get into relationships with addicts or people who have major issues
You excessively help others at your own expense
You neglect your own needs
You struggle to ask for help
You feel responsible for others' choices
You often hide anger or disappointment to avoid conflict
You give advice freely, but don’t say what you really mean
You focus on perfection, not progress

Five Core Symptoms of Codependency:

1. Difficulty with Self-Esteem
You may think you’re worthless — or, swing the other way and believe you're better than others. Either extreme is unhealthy.

2. Difficulty Setting Functional Boundaries
Your boundaries may be unclear, nonexistent, or rigid and walled off.

3. Difficulty Owning Your Own Reality
You may not know who you are — what you think, how you feel, or what you want.

4. Difficulty Meeting Your Own Needs
You may:

Wait for others to take care of you.
Avoid asking for help.
Be unaware of your own needs.
Confuse wants with needs.

5. Difficulty with Moderation

Codependents often swing from one extreme to another — too involved or totally detached, overly happy or deeply miserable. To them, "just enough" never feels like enough.

Next week, we’ll explore practical ways to break free from the cycle of codependency. It may feel uncomfortable at times, but the freedom that follows is worth it. This week, take time to reflect and journal about where you're currently struggling with codependency and what might be holding you back from letting it go.

“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10 (ESV)

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For more information, visit:

FindingHope.Today

HopeAfterLoss.Today

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Hope is Alive Hosts 2025 Alumni and Staff Christmas Party

Go in Peace: Hope for Advent | Bible Reading Plan

Support for Loved Ones of Addicts and Alcoholics

Support for Loved Ones of Addicts and Alcoholics

“Sometimes we need someone to simply be there. Not to fix anything, or to do anything in particular, but just to let us feel that we are cared for and supported.”‍

Read that again.

There’s so much truth in that one sentence.

As members of Finding Hope, others in the group need us to simply be there. We’re not here to fix each other’s situations — but to remind one another that we’re not alone. That we are cared for. That we are supported.

But don’t forget — you need support too.

You were never meant to carry everything on your own.

Consider these questions:

Who makes you laugh?
Who encourages you?
Who prays with you?
Who supports you?
Who listens to you?
Who helps you?

You don’t have to have it all figured out. You’ll have days when you feel completely down — and that’s okay.

Galatians 6:2 reminds us, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

So, what does that really mean?

“Paul is giving instructions to the Galatian Christians about how to live with each other as Spirit-powered people in Christ.

We carry other burdens, and sometimes we go through seasons where those burdens are too much for us to haul around. God's Spirit certainly gives us the power to deal with these issues, but another way God intends to provide for those in Christ is by giving us the ability to help each other.

One way we can fail in this area is by refusing to allow anyone to see the burdens we are carrying. We can mistakenly think that being a Christian means we should be self-reliant in every way, all the time. In a few verses, Paul will write that we do need to carry the weight of our responsibilities in Christ. But Christians are also meant to help each other with the loads we carry when they become overwhelming.

How does helping to carry each other's loads fulfill the law of Christ? Paul earlier quoted Jesus in saying that the entire law is fulfilled in one word: love (Galatians 5:14). “Love is the law of Christ.” (source: Bibref.com)

So today, if you need someone to listen, to pray, to laugh with you, or just sit beside you, reach out.

And if someone comes to mind who might need that same support, don’t ignore it. Reach out to them today.

Remember: You are not alone.

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For more information, visit:

FindingHope.Today

HopeAfterLoss.Today

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Recovery is Possible: The Story of Danny Ellerd

Breaking Free From Labels & Finding Identity in Christ | Bible Reading Plan

Set Apart: How God’s Blessing Over Hope is Alive Makes Us Different

Set Apart: How God’s Blessing Over Hope is Alive Makes Us Different

What does winning look like in addiction recovery? At Hope is Alive, success is measured in radically transformed lives.

Our philosophy reaches far beyond monthly or yearly sobriety milestones. Faith-based recovery programs are often met with skepticism, but HIA continuously produces real and significant outcomes.

Just like anyone and anywhere, those in HIA have their flaws, crises, and complaints. However, the default is grace, not condemnation.

Faith-Based and Christ-Centered

It all comes back to a simple — but not easy — piece of our Resident Culture Code: “Jesus is always the answer.”

Ally Lang, Hope is Alive co-founder and co-CEO, realizes not everyone is eager to open a Bible and start praying. However, that doesn’t change our foundation.

“We don’t force anything. We just tell them, ‘Hey, we’re going to talk about Jesus as the answer.’ And it’s funny what that does,” she said, referring to the transformations HIA has witnessed among people.

“I’ve seen God’s blessing on Hope is Alive through the individual miracles that have happened within our residents’ lives,” Ally said.

And while church attendance is mandatory for program residents, sitting in a pew isn’t the same as allowing the Holy Spirit to change and redeem you.

“It’s really tough to infuse God in secular things, but we have chosen to do that,” Ally said. “We believe the ultimate healer is Jesus, and that He is the answer to everything.”

No one in the program is required to be a Christian or prove their faith. And yet, to date, approximately 400 HIA residents have chosen to publicly display their new life in Christ through baptism.

“We’ve baptized so many people, and that is different from other recovery programs,” Ally said. “We’re not afraid to step into any mess or situation and say, ‘There’s a way out, and we’ll do it with you.’ We would never take faith out of our program.”

Not Wanting, But Still Doing

Even with God at the center of everything, HIA leadership knows firsthand the difficulty in kicking such a deeply ingrained habit. But not everyone understands addiction’s stronghold. Wives can’t comprehend why their husbands won’t stop drinking. Dads don’t believe their sons who say they can’t stop shooting heroin.

It’s often confusing and difficult to grasp the physiological components of addiction and how it rewires the brain and body.

HIA defines addiction as: “A biological, psychological, social, or spiritual disease that is, by nature, chronic, progressive, and fatal, ending in jails, institutions, death, or recovery.”

That definition narrows the line between “addict” and “everyone else.”

“People understand picking up work as a substitute for self-esteem,” Ally explained. “People understand their crutch on food as a barrier to having to actually feel their emotions. And if you can walk somebody through and help them understand, ‘Oh wait, I’m one step away from this myself,’ then they have more empathy for addicts.”

The apostle Paul speaks about the inescapable sin nature in every person: “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” (Romans 7:15) Sin nature only furthers the destruction and entanglement of addiction.

Instead of acknowledging this inherent nature, many recovery programs focus on genetic components, generational cycles, or childhood trauma. HIA, on the other hand, encourages residents to dig deeper. Rather than shifting the blame onto others, residents assume responsibility for their own actions as they discover the reasons behind their coping mechanisms.

Beneath the Surface

Hope is Alive started with co-founder and co-CEO Lance Lang’s desire to live in a like-minded, sober community, but his wife, Ally, really got into the weeds and turned it into a structured system. It transitioned from men attending 12-step meetings and living together to prioritizing working “process addictions” and holistic life change.

Process addictions, also known as emotional addictions, include codependency, shopping, gambling, eating disorders, sex and love addiction, and more. HIA residents peel back layer after layer of memory and trauma, discovering the subconscious motivations behind their behaviors and thought processes. They’re then provided with tools to change their behaviors.

“We consider substance abuse just a qualifier to get someone in the door,” Ally said. “Substance abuse is really not the problem. When I came on board, I wrote our program, and the belief system changed to working through process addictions. That’s kind of what sets Hope is Alive apart.”

It wasn’t easy to convince people that recovery is about much more than sobriety.

“I had to fight tooth and nail,” Ally remembered. “All these addicts were like, ‘No way. It’s just stop using and stop drinking.’ But when we implemented working through process addictions, we started to see all the spiritual bondage on our people. We’ve evolved by watching and holistically treating our people in the ways they need it.

“We say, ‘Hey, there’s nothing wrong with you, so come be a part of our community of similar individuals who are moving in the direction you want to go.’ Along the way, let’s unpack anything that might stand in the way of long-term recovery. And most sober living homes don’t even have a program to compare it to.”

Holy Work: Inside the Program

So what does the program look like in practice? Made up of 65 objectives broken down into three phrases, the tasks and goals are far more than a checklist.

Phase One is about creating a foundation. Some men and women are newly sober, coming straight from rehab, while more than half (55%) are fresh out of jail or prison. HIA gives an opportunity to start a new life to individuals who often have no good place to go. Residents begin by working the well-known 12-step program with a sponsor and attending regular group meetings. The social aspect of peer support is one of the factors linked most closely to lifelong sobriety.

Residents are also expected to maintain a job and/or be enrolled full-time in school or vocational training. They pay an affordable monthly rent and rotate household chores. The spiritual facet of the program includes reading the Gospel and regularly attending a local church.

“They have an in-house buddy for the first couple of weeks who shows them, ‘This is how everything works,’” Ally said. “They take them under their wing and introduce them to a biblical community. That’s important, because they’re going to build lifelong relationships around recovery, whereas before they had lifelong relationships around using and drinking.”

In Phase Two, residents are equipped with the tools needed for a lifetime of sobriety by working through process addictions and learning healthy coping mechanisms. They gain financial independence by using tools like Financial Peace University and establish their own community through mentors and church family.

Finally, in Phase Three, participants focus on giving back through servant leadership. As they near graduation, residents will serve in their church and also lead their peers within the homes. Grant Green, HIA Senior Director of Programs, graduated from HIA in 2021, and he’s seen the value of ministering to others.

“As alcoholics and addicts, we’re very selfish and self-centered,” Grant said. “When we do just hang around a little bit, we start to see, ‘Oh, when I help someone out, that kind of feels good.’ Now, I’m more open to a spiritual experience with God when I’m not just thinking about Grant all the time.”

Most men and women live in HIA homes for an average of 18 months — significantly longer than most sober-living homes, with stays ranging from 30 to 90 days. The longer a person remains sober, the higher their rate of success.

Sobriety Standards

Along with the requirements of the program are guidelines that protect residents and define the culture of Hope is Alive. Some of these rules include not being in a romantic relationship for the first year of living in a house, as well as staying sober.

“Typically, the number one thing that causes relapse in both addicts and alcoholics is a relationship,” Ally said. “The willingness to not be in a relationship for the first year of sobriety is pivotal to being able to work on yourself and not just replacing it with another addiction.”

There are over 200 medications banned from HIA homes as well. Staff are considerate of mental health and other health conditions, but they are intentional about their philosophy.

“It’s pretty radical, but we consider sobriety to include no mind-altering substances,” Ally said. “That means any sort of medication that would potentially change the way you feel.”

Agreeing to these stipulations involves submitting to a new way of life, which is not often easy.

“For most people coming into the program, it’s daunting because we don’t like authority and we don’t like rules,” Grant explained. “Structure isn’t something most drug addicts and alcoholics are used to, but this thing works because it’s exactly what we need.”

But the program isn’t all work and no play. In fact, the Resident Culture Code includes a key ideal of HIA: “Fun is required.” From ski trips to prom nights, HIA leadership intentionally celebrates sobriety and encourages residents to be proud of their new lives.

“People consider sobriety a death sentence for fun,” Ally said. “And we say, ‘No, actually it can be better. You can do it with your friends, you can be healthy, and you can call your family to tell them about it afterward.’”

The Family Connection

Phone calls to mom and dad are encouraged because the HIA family is not limited to only those in recovery from substances. HIA also ministers to families through Finding Hope, a support group for loved ones of addicts and alcoholics.

“Most of the time, they’re working through the same things as the addicts they love, because process addictions are passed down as well,” Ally said. “For example, maybe we learned to be a people-pleaser from our parents.”

Finding Hope is open to any loved ones of addicts, not just to people who know an HIA resident. In fact, sometimes a family member getting support through Finding Hope motivates an addict to get help.

“There are so many times where a loved one will go to a Finding Hope class for years,” Ally said. “They get healthy, learn things, and get tools in their tool belt, and then their loved one will get sober. We always try to connect parents and loved ones to the support classes, which is really their own sober-living recovery program to work.”

Family members are also allowed to come to intake, when a resident first moves in and agrees to work the program. They’re welcome to bring meals and visit their loved one.

“The addict’s family is involved in the recovery process as much as they want to be,” Ally said.

The Best Is Yet To Come

Any HIA alumnus will tell you that graduating from the program was only the beginning. But they also know their best days are ahead of them. Today, alumni have jobs ranging from real estate to ministry to entrepreneur. Many have earned college degrees, some have begun work with other recovery organizations, and others have chosen to pour back into HIA by joining the team full time.

Monthly meetings, group chats, and an open invitation to HIA meetings and events keep them in touch, especially since they consider themselves family. It also gives them an opportunity to encourage those still in the program — because they’ve walked in their shoes. Some alumni have even married each other (after graduation, of course).

“I feel like I’m the chief wedding and baby shower host,” Ally joked. “And that’s just life now, because we do all the moments together.”

Those big and small moments together have added up into (almost) unbelievable transformations. Men put behind selfish tendencies and put their families first. Women become mothers they never thought they could be. Sons and daughters start to respect their parents, and years or even decades of broken relationships are mended. And Ally Lang recognizes the driving force causing this radical life change.

“We’ve put all of our weight behind whatever God has called us to do,” Ally said, “because without God’s hand of blessing, Hope is Alive doesn’t exist.”

Hope for Mothers of Addicts

Hope for Mothers of Addicts

This is for the moms who might need a little hope.

We are a powerful bunch. Moms. We love deeply and move 90mph on most days, keeping all the balls in the air. We have hopes and dreams for our kids as they grow, and rarely stop to consider that it might not work out.

It happened to me. A single mom with a bright, beautiful, challenging son. And when the signs of his impending addiction began creeping into his daily life, I went into full-tilt mama-bear mode. I screamed, I yelled, I laid down the law to no avail. In the end, I just became tired, oh so tired, as I lay in the bottom of the river of denial. Wishing, hoping it was a mistake — that it was different, and that he was different.

But, I have since learned the power of this cunning and baffling disease that takes no prisoners, moms included. Addiction takes an emotion as pure as love and turns it on you like a knife. "You say you love me? Watch this!" as the money evaporates, as family treasures mysteriously disappear, as strangers show up at your door with sweet smiles of innocence and vacant eyes whispering in the back room during their five-minute visit.

And you know you are smart, that you are a good parent, but the crazies wash over you, and you begin to sink deeper and deeper into the river of denial. “Not my kid,” you say. “It's just a phase.” Then the darkness of reality begins to take over, and when you are alone, you crater. He could die. He could go to prison and want to die.

So you lie in the fetal position and cry, all the while asking, "How did we get here? What did I do wrong? It must be my fault." Then you rally, because you are a mama bear and your kid is at stake. So you make a plan. New friends, new geography, a meeting here, a counselor there — and the money flows out like water.

All the while, you grieve. You grieve the loss of the kid you had. He is gone forever. The addiction took him away. So you try to love and like and even know the kid that is left. And you send denial packing — it's useless — and embrace the awareness of what is left. You put down your weapons of anger, bitterness, and resentment. They have left huge battle scars on your heart. You ask for forgiveness from God, yourself, and your kid.

Then the healing begins. It begins with you, the mama bear. You put on your oxygen mask first, whispering prayers of redemption to heal your child, to heal you. You ask for a simple night’s sleep, for your job to be stable, for the few people who know your story and stick around anyway to never leave or forsake you. You take baby steps toward trust. You make plans for the day, not the year.

And you hope. You start to let go of the fear, to trust God, to trust yourself. And you learn that, although it may seem horrible, it rarely ever is if you have hope. And you stay in the shadows of others who have hope. The spirit of hope is powerful but not cunning, inspiring but not baffling. That is the difference. Hope brings us to our knees for all the good things we pray for. To never, never, never give up on ourselves or those precious babies we call our sons and daughters.

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For more information, visit:

FindingHope.Today

HopeAfterLoss.Today

What is Hope?

What is hope?

The last sentence in the Finding Hope motto is “There is HOPE!” But what IS hope? Or at least, what is the KIND of hope we need?

I believe there are two types of hope: Worldly hope and Godly hope.

When I think of worldly hope, it is a hope with a question mark. Hope? But when I think of Godly hope, it is a hope with an exclamation mark. HOPE! Which hope are you clinging to?

Worldly hope is…

based on uncertainty—on our desires, dreams, and ambitions.
dependent on circumstances or human effort. It says, “I hope this happens,” or “I hope things work out.”
at its core, fragile. It can be shaken when life doesn’t go as planned or when obstacles arise.
like chasing the wind: temporary, uncertain, and often disappointing.

The more we rely on worldly hope, the more we find ourselves vulnerable to fear, anxiety, and frustration.

But Godly HOPE is neither wishful thinking nor based on the unpredictability of life.

Our Finding Hope key verse is Romans 15:13, and it says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Godly HOPE is not based on our circumstances but on who God is. (God of hope)
Godly HOPE is rooted in faith — faith in God’s unchanging character. (Trust in Him.) We must have faith like a tiny mustard seed. Matthew 17:20–21, Jesus answered, “Because your faith is too small. I tell you the truth, if your faith is as big as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. All things will be possible for you.”
Godly HOPE is not shaken by the trials of life but grows stronger through them. (hope by the POWER of the Holy Spirit) James 1:2–3 The last sentence in the Finding Hope motto is “There is HOPE!” But what IS hope? Or at least, what is the KIND of hope we need? , whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”

Finally, as Hebrews 6:19 reminds us, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.”

Godly HOPE is not limited to what we can see or accomplish on our own; it keeps us steady in the storms of life. It looks beyond the present and rests in the assurance that God is in control, even when we cannot see the outcome.

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For more information, visit:

FindingHope.Today

HopeAfterLoss.Today