Chris Follet hit rock bottom in the living room of his apartment with the couch draped in plastic and a loaded gun under his jaw. He had been battling an alcohol and drug addiction for most of his life, and with no sign of a reprieve, he was convinced suicide was his only option.
Follet was among the many residents living in need of treatment for drug or alcohol abuse problems in Montgomery County. He said divine intervention led him to call his mother minutes before pulling the trigger—a conversation that saved Follet’s life as well as that of numerous other addicts.
In November 2011, Follet opened the Innerfaith Disciple House in Conroe to help men suffering from alcohol and drug addiction. The six-month program helps men 18 years old and older overcome addiction through intensive labor and a commitment to religion.
Follet modeled his program after the regimen he followed at Oak Ridge Disciple House in Florence, Texas.
“We have helped over 250 men at this point,” Follet said. “There has been at least 300 men who have come, but not all [of] them graduated.”
The nonprofit also offers a transitional house to graduates who do not have homes to return to and need a place to live while they search for employment and housing.
“It is a strict program,” Follet said. “We have an extremely strict schedule, and it’s not for everyone. It’s for a man [who] has been completely broken like I was—sitting in the living room with a pistol in my mouth, men who are willing to do what it takes.”
Throughout the almost 15-hour day, the group participates in several Christian-based activities. Pastors and other faith leaders in the community visit the campus throughout the week, teaching the men about the Christian faith and their relationships with God.
In between prayer and personal reflection time, the men help out in the community through volunteer service work.
No visitors or outside communication is allowed during the first 30 days of the program. After that period, participants can invite healthy friends and family to the designated weekly visitors event.
Those with more intense addictions, such as opium or methamphetamine, are required to undergo a supervised detoxification at a local hospital. Innerfaith Disciple House does not have medical personnel on-site, making the withdrawal process a safety concern, Follet said.
At the end of the program, the house hosts a funeral with the men and their loved ones as a part of their graduations from the program. Graduates are given a headstone in an on-campus graveyard engraved with their names and the roots of their addictions.
“That is a part of our graduation,” Follet said. “It is symbolic of them burying their old lifestyle. The headstone represents who they were when they got to the program, so we bury them in the ‘old man graveyard’ so they are never to be dug up again.”
