On the first Tuesday of every month, Tara Rivera, treatment advisor for Recovery Centers of America, representing our Massachusetts facilities RCA at Danvers and RCA at Westminster, co-hosts the Recovery Centers of America Radio Hour on Boston’s WKPZ the K-Zone 105.3FM and 1280AM.
As April is Alcohol Awareness Month, the April 5, 2021 segment touched on startling statistics around alcoholism and how RCA can help people struggling with alcohol use disorder. Joining Tara in the discussion was Pastor Jason Krail (“Pastor Jay”), who also shared his inspirational story of overcoming addiction.
The following summarizes Jason’s story. Listen to the full recording here.
Growing up in a violent, broken home, in and out of foster care throughout his childhood, Pastor Jay would later find himself living as a homeless junkie, sleeping in abandoned buildings in Philadelphia’s Kensington section, home to the East Coast’s largest open-air drug market.
A convicted felon, having already served multiple stints in prison and on the run from the law, Pastor Jay awoke one day and decided to reach out for help.
Calling his family after years apart, his mother refused to talk to him, saying “she was prepared to bury him.” But it was his stepfather, offering him love and support, who gave him the hope and strength he needed in that moment to carry on.
Turning himself in to prison, he found a bible as he sat dope sick in a holding cell. Opening a random page, he happened upon Isaiah 4:10:
So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand
This came as a revelation, setting him on his path to recovery and a life of service to others.
Today, Pastor Jay lives with his loving wife and two children and works as a recovery advocate for RCA, living “for the light in other peoples’ lives.”
If you or a loved one is struggling with drugs or alcohol, call Recovery Centers of America now 1-800-RECOVERY.