Sitiveni Naivalu's grandfather drank himself to death. His father was a violent drunk. Sitiveni himself started drinking at fourteen in Suva, Fiji. By twenty-eight he was following the same path — two DUIs, a marriage crumbling, and a son who flinched when he raised his voice.
A Reluctant Weekend Away
His wife's cousin invited them to a prayer retreat in the Nausori Highlands. Sitiveni went only because his wife threatened to leave if he refused. He sat in the back row with his arms crossed, counting the hours until he could get back to his bottle.
On the second evening, a pastor spoke about generational patterns — how sin travels through bloodlines until someone stands up and says "enough." Sitiveni felt something crack open inside his chest. He saw his grandfather's face, then his father's, then his own son's — and realized the chain led straight to his boy.
The Breaking Point
He fell out of his chair onto his knees and wept. Not polite tears — ugly, shaking sobs that he couldn't control. He cried out to God to break the chain. To end it with him. To spare his son. Other men gathered around him and prayed, and he felt something lift off his shoulders — a weight he hadn't realized he'd been carrying his entire life.
When he stood up, the craving for alcohol was gone. Not diminished — gone. Like a switch had been flipped in his brain.
A New Family Line
That was four years ago. Sitiveni hasn't touched a drop since. His son, now eight, has never seen his father drunk. His marriage is rebuilt. He leads a recovery group at his church in Suva where he tells other men: "The curse stops with you. God will give you the power to end it — but you have to let Him."
His father, watching the transformation, asked Sitiveni to pray for him. He's been sober for two years now. Three generations of alcoholism — ended by one night of honest prayer.