By A No Longer Bound Resident The fallout from the hectic holiday season is starting to settle — and thus begins the busiest time of year in recovery. As we welcome the many new faces onto No Longer Bound’s campus, it takes me back to the beginning of my recovery journey last summer, forcing me to reflect on the challenges I faced. After arriving at No Longer Bound (once the brain fog started to clear and I was able to establish a routine) the first concept that stuck with me was the concept of “surrender.” It made logical sense to let go of my old ways of thinking, implementing that para ..read more

On Friday, January 5, 2024, No Longer Bound celebrated founder Mike Harden’s induction into the Georgia Veterans Military Hall of Fame with a special award ceremony led by U.S. Representative Rich McCormick. The program was attended by dozens of No Longer Bound alumni as well as local veterans, community supporters and the current residents of No Longer Bound. Also in attendance was LTC Michael Mizel, President of Johns Creek Veterans Association who sponsored Harden’s nomination. According to Mizel, Harden is the only inductee into the Hall of Fame to ever receive an unanimous vote from the s ..read more

On Saturday, November 4, 2023, No Longer Bound’s founder Mike Harden was inducted into the Georgia Military Veteran’s Hall of Fame for his service to the community. The press release for the event said, “Immortalizing Great Americans, One At A Time!” It’s hard to look around No Longer Bound’s campus today — with all our beautiful buildings and dedicated staff — and imagine what Mike fought through in his early years of saving men from addiction. It had to be a lonely battle. There are many stories of him not having enough money to keep the lights on or not having enough food to feed the m ..read more

Dear Friends, I am still in awe of how you responded to my goal of raising $15,000! Thank you for taking the time to give, share my story with others, and even sending encouragement during my 100-mile ultra-marathon. Heading into the day of the run, I was so close to reaching the goal! And it was exciting and encouraging to see the goal accomplished just a few hours before I began the run. Knowing that enough money was raised for a man in need to enter No Longer Bound provided such a deep gratitude in my heart — it’s hard to explain. No Longer Bound will forever have a special place in my hear ..read more

A funny thing happened in our on-campus gym the other day. A song came on, and my friend commented that he loved it but couldn’t remember the name. I loved the song too and couldn’t place the name. Then it hit me like a brick. Not only did I remember the artist and title, but I also remembered that I worked on that song and won a Grammy for my contribution. What an eye-opening moment. Why do I remember all my losses in pristine detail but rarely my wins? Why do negatives take up so much of my energy instead of positives? Am I that big of a pessimist? Maybe not. “Negativity bias” is our tendenc ..read more

Who am I? That was the question I asked myself the first time I went into recovery. Two years later (now at No Longer Bound) I’m asking the same question. What’s the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results. Am I insane? That should have been the question I asked. All the traits I thought made up my character were gone. Good father. Friend. Calm. Balanced. Kind. Creative Funny … all gone. Addiction has changed me, robbing me of the person I thought I was. I couldn’t even look in the mirror at the height of my addiction, afraid of what I would see ..read more

On Friday, October 31, Lori and John Thompson made their first drive from Oakridge, Tennessee to Cumming, Georgia. It was Halloween, but Lori wasn’t admiring the stunning colors of fall nor was she thinking of trick-or-treaters. Only three days earlier, her 21-year-old son Will had submitted his letter of application to No Longer Bound. Wednesday he completed a phone interview, and Thursday the Admission Team called to say, “No promises. We’ll do another interview when you get here.” Everything was happening fast. Will didn’t want to keep using drugs, but he also didn’t want to give up a year ..read more

The post No Longer Bound’s 30 Year Homecoming Celebration appeared first on No Longer Bound ..read more

“To all who mourn, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes . . . In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory.” (Isaiah 61:3) Mike Harden was 17 years old when he joined the Marines. He spent 11 months, 28 days, 8 hours and 31 minutes in Vietnam, before accepting an assignment in Washington D.C. as a Presidential Guard for President Richard Nixon. Despite this prestigious appointment, his life was spiraling out of control. Introduced to drugs and alcohol in Vietnam, he had come home addicted. “My drug of choice was ‘Yes!’” he sai ..read more

https://nolongerbound.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/DonMidway-42522-2.25-PM.mp3 On Sunday, April 24, 2022, Midway UMC invited the men from No Longer Bound to lead their opening prayers, calls to worship and a few men shared their testimonies from addiction to Christ. Click the link above to hear Don’s story. The post Don’s Sermon at Midway United Methodist Church appeared first on No Longer Bound ..read more