Addiction and Grace

An MTS student's story of recovery and rebirth

“From early on, I learned to lead a double life.” These are the words of Vladimir Maiorov. Although he came from a healthy family, the prevalence of street drugs in his hometown of Ulyanovsk in central Russia was too much to escape. He began using heroin at age 14 and by 18, he was selling drugs to keep up with the cost of his habit.Gradually, his addiction began to take a stronger and more binding hold on his life.“I needed heroin simply as a means of existence…like air, food or clothing,” he explains.

His family recognized his addiction and enlisted the help of doctors, psychologists, fortune-tellers and shaman healers. Despite their concern, Vladimir was not ready or willing to change. “I had lost all hope of recovery,” he remembers. “Heroin had destroyed my life and robbed me of family, freedom, health and hope. I was just waiting to die. I attempted suicide several times.”

He then met a man who told him about Jesus and recommended he go to a Christian rehabilitation center. Knowing he had hit rock bottom, he agreed to go. At the center, he was surrounded by genuine, caring people who shared the influence of God in their own lives. After living in a world of deception, violence and anger, Vladimir was moved by the sincerity of their testimonies. He then saw clearly the depth of his addiction, “It was a horror to look at the years I’d wasted. All the grief and sorrow,” he says. After ten years of addiction, Vladimir turned to Christ in a prayer of repentance.

“I no longer want to take drugs,” he explains. “I began to live in some kind of new nature which I had never experienced before. I want to love, help and care for people.”

At Moscow Theological Seminary, Vladimir is preparing to do just that. In the social rehabilitation program, he’s preparing to serve addicts as the director of a Christian rehabilitation center. This ministry is crucial in Russia where drug and alcohol dependence have reached crisis levels. Vladimir has hope for the future, “Previously, my biggest dream was to give up drugs. But today, having freedom from the bonds of addiction, I have new dreams. I am a student at Moscow Theological Seminary—this is another miracle Jesus has done for me.”

Thank you for your support of our students, including Vladimir.