Adrian was raised one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, born into the cult. His father even believed himself to be one of the 144,000 chosen to go to heaven. You’ll see through this interview that Adrian was one of those people that had humanity that even the cult couldn’t break. That sensitivity though, the heartbreak of shunning not just once but twice, led to his becoming a heroin addict at a young age. One moment though helped him to break free of it all and to realize that he was responsible for the path his life would take and that nobody he had relied on growing up would help, that the only person he ultimately had was himself, and that he had enough value to be worth living a good life for.
You can view more of Adrian’s work on Instagram at xadriantrevorx
The song that Adrian chose to represent his journey is Stop the Fuckin’ Car by Circa Survive.
He was helped by the book Crisis of Conscience by Raymond Franz and he also mentioned the exjw reddit group.
Want to participate in the Shunned Recovery Project that I mentioned? Dates and information can be found HERE.
Are you struggling in some area of life? Feeling stuck? Need an accountability partner or some encouragement? Need to talk to someone that understands cult life? Reach out and let’s talk. I have affordable programs to help as a certified life coach. Click HERE for more information.
Would you like to be party to my birthday party? Send a card, letter, anything but JW literature to:
Mike Shemwell
P.O. Box 2641
Clarksville, IN
47131
USA
Thank you!
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Music by Fair Voyeur entitled “No Hell Yet”.
I too was disfeloshipped from JW’s and have no regrets. I enjoyed listening to your interview Adrian. You’ve come a long way and you should be so proud of yourself for holding things together and giving up the drugs. It’s normal to be inquisitive about the opposite sex growing up. Our bodies are changing constantly, hitting us with all sorts of emotions and feelings. It’s not wrong to have these feelings, like I said it’s normal, it doesn’t make you a weirdo or a bad person either. The elders put so much pressure on the young ones not to think immoral thoughts, branding them and putting so many restrictions on them. Is it any wonder they f*** up? In my opinion it’s some of the elders that have a problem, especially when they grill you and ask for sexual details!!! Pffffft! Life is hard enough NOT being a JW lol. It’s nice you still have the support of your siblings. Embrace that, continue to bond and grow in your relationship together as life is too short. Thank you again for taking the time to tell us your story Adrian. I wish you all the best on your journey through life and always remember be PROUD of who you are. x
Thank you so much!