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Mental health was something I tried to outrun for years. I could admit to depression and hide self‑harm, but one word felt impossible to say out loud: suicide. Even thinking it felt like choking on the truth I didn’t want to face. For 25 years, I convinced myself my thoughts were “normal,” even as silence and avoidance kept me emotionally stuck. Everything changed the moment I finally said the word. Speaking it out loud meant I couldn’t pretend anymore — and reaching out for help became the first step toward healing. Addiction later became another part of my story, and for a long time I believed it defined me. It didn’t just take my stability and relationships; it stunted my emotional growth. Addiction taught me to escape instead of feel, numb instead of cope. Recovery forced me to face the pain I’d been running from and learn how to process emotions, trauma, and life without a substance. It hasn’t been perfect, but every clean day is a choice to grow. I want anyone struggling to know this: you are not hopeless, and asking for help is not weakness. Sometimes recovery begins with one honest sentence — “I can’t do this alone.” That moment of truth can become the turning point toward healing, emotional maturity, and a future you deserve.

We are blessed to be allowed to bring our podcast into the Jay County Jail to interview those who have experience with addiction and recovery. Join us as we e=hear Brian's experience.

Join us for Ep24 of Jailhouse Recovery as we interview Andy about his experience with addiction and recovery. We were blessed with another opportunity to interview inmates at the Jay County Sheriff's Office.

Join us for Ep23 of Jailhouse Recovery as we interview Leah about her experience with addiction and recovery. We were blessed with another opportunity to interview inmates at the Jay County Sheriff's Office.

Join us for Ep22 of Jailhouse Recovery as we interview Colbi about his experience with addiction and recovery. We were blessed with another opportunity to interview inmates at the Jay County Sheriff's Office.

Join us for Ep21 of Jailhouse Recovery as we interview Zach about his experience with addiction and recovery. We were blessed with the opportunity to interview inmates at the Jay County Sheriff's Office.

Join us for Ep20 of Jailhouse Recovery as we interview Fabian about his experience with addiction and recovery. We were blessed with the opportunity to interview inmates at the Jay County Sheriff's Office.

Join Faith In Your Recovery Podcast as we interview inmates from the Jay County Jail about their experience with addiction and recovery!

Join Faith In Your Recovery Podcast as we interview inmates from the Jay County Jail about their experience with addiction and recovery!

My experience with addiction began in a place I never imagined would take me where it did. After being prescribed opioid pain medication, I developed a dependence that eventually progressed to heroin. At the time, I was working in healthcare and attending nursing school — just six months away from graduating — but addiction slowly took everything I had worked so hard to build. I was arrested and ultimately served four years with the Indiana Department of Correction. During incarceration, I entered a program called Purposeful Incarceration and began the difficult, honest work of rebuilding my life from the inside out. When I came home in 2018, I made a decision: my past would not be the end of my story. Recovery gave me the chance to rebuild relationships, establish a career, become a homeowner, and most importantly, show up fully for my family and my community again. My journey also opened my eyes to how desperately rural communities need more recovery resources, long‑term support, and trauma‑informed environments. Addiction has touched nearly every part of my life — including the loss of my brother and my father — and those painful experiences became part of the driving force behind founding New Roots Recovery Village, Inc. Today, I use both my lived experience and the lessons I learned along the way to advocate for people still fighting their way out. New Roots is being built to give women more than a place to stay. We are creating a structured, nature‑based, trauma‑informed recovery community centered on connection, purpose, peer support, and rebuilding a life worth protecting. I cannot change the chapters behind me, but I can use them to help rewrite someone else’s future. That is what recovery means to me. — Lauren Abshear

Addiction took me places I never imagined I’d go — but it also became the foundation for the purpose I live today. My recovery wasn’t just about putting down a substance. It was about rebuilding my identity, learning to forgive myself, and discovering that the same failures that nearly destroyed me would one day become my greatest testimony. Today, I serve as a Family Nurse Practitioner specializing in addiction medicine, caring for individuals and families fighting the same battles I once fought. Every patient reminds me that recovery isn’t reserved for a select few. It’s possible for anyone willing to take the next right step. My mission goes far beyond writing prescriptions. Through my clinical work, my memoir Heroine: Decide & Conquer, and openly sharing my journey, I work to replace shame with hope and stigma with compassion. I want people to understand that addiction is not the end of their story. Healing is real. Purpose can rise from pain. And your past does not disqualify your future. If sharing my story helps even one person choose life, ask for help, or believe they are worthy of recovery, then every difficult chapter has been redeemed.

This episode of Faith in Your Recovery features Scott Penticuf, a man candidly sharing his decades-long battle with alcoholism, the losses he endured, and the hope he’s found through faith and support at the Christian Center. Scott’s story begins with a difficult childhood in a broken family, where alcohol entered his life at age 10 and became a destructive force. Over the years, his addiction caused tangible losses, including fractured family relationships, multiple homes, and time spent incarcerated. Despite repeated setbacks, Scott’s commitment to sobriety intensified after his most recent release from prison, and his faith in God and the support structure of the Christian Center have empowered him to rebuild his life piece by piece. His journey highlights the power of accountability, perseverance, and spiritual reliance in overcoming addiction. He expresses a heartfelt desire to reconnect with his adult children and to serve others through simple acts like volunteering and, uniquely, driving a Sunday School bus for kids. His story conveys a message of hope—that it is never too late to seek recovery and renewal through faith and community. Highlights 🙌 Early exposure to alcohol at age 10 initiated decades of struggle with addiction. 🏠 Alcoholism resulted in shattered dreams, lost homes, broken family ties, and repeated incarceration. 🙏 Faith and the Christian Center’s support provided an essential turning point toward lasting sobriety. 💬 Honest self-accountability and willingness to share his story demonstrate personal growth and healing. ❤️ Despite past wounds, Scott holds onto hope to restore relationships with his grown children. 🚍 Unique future aspiration: to drive a Sunday School bus, serving his faith community. 🌟 Emphasis on the message: It’s never too late to change and seek help with God’s guidance. Additional Reflections Scott’s story also sheds light on the systemic gaps that addicts often encounter—such as lack of meaningful support after jail releases—and the transformative role of communities and faith-based programs that fill those gaps. It challenges stigma around shelters and recovery centers by showing them as places of hope and personal renaissance, not just last resorts. Moreover, the discussion emphasizes the importance of perseverance despite setbacks, reinforcing that recovery is a continual "battle" but one with attainable victory. His advice to others, stressing “it’s never too late,” combined with practical encouragement to find the right support group or faith path, offers a realistic and compassionate roadmap for those struggling. His candid description of addiction’s mental and emotional tolls, coupled with the ultimate message of hope, makes this conversation a compelling testament to human resilience empowered by faith. This episode is a heartfelt testament to transformation through struggle, faith, and community support, serving as both a beacon of hope for those battling addiction and a reminder of the enduring power of love, redemption, and purpose.

In today’s episode, I share my journey through trauma, addiction, obesity, and ultimately redemption through Jesus. If you or someone you love is battling addiction, this story will give you hope, strength, and a reminder that God still restores what feels broken. I was raised by ministers, but my life took a turn I never expected. In 1994, I was stabbed 13 times, and the trauma left me battling severe PTSD. For years, I drank to escape the pain, and my life spiraled until I reached nearly 400 pounds. But God wasn’t finished with me. Becoming a dad changed everything. I fought my way back and eventually lost 175 pounds. Five years ago, I moved to a small town where God placed a pastor in my life who became my best friend — and ultimately led me back to Jesus. Two years ago, I met the love of my life at church — a strong, faith filled woman of God who has been sober for 16 years. Today, with me now 4 years sober, we’re creating a gentle children’s book series to help kids and families who love someone struggling with addiction. My mission is simple: To bring hope, healing, and Jesus into the homes of families battling addiction — and to remind kids that they are loved, seen, and never alone. 👇 If this story encouraged you, please like, comment, and subscribe. 👇 Learn more about our children’s book series for families facing addiction.

I survived fourteen overdoses, a fentanyl addiction, and the darkest years of my life — and now I’m turning my pain into purpose. I grew up with addiction in my home, but I never imagined substance use disorder would become part of my own story. After years of untreated mental health struggles and the trauma of my 17 year old daughter nearly being murdered, I fell into a nearly six year fentanyl addiction. I used intravenously, overdosed around fourteen times, and was Narcaned more times than I can count. Eventually, the anger and exhaustion hit me so hard that I finally realized I wanted help — and I wanted to live. Recovery took multiple detoxes, rehab stays, and legal consequences. But one obstacle followed me every time: finding someone to care for my dog while I was in treatment. I couldn’t focus on healing because I was terrified of losing her. That struggle became my mission. Today, I’m rebuilding my life and launching Pawsitive Recovery Pet Care Inc., a nonprofit that keeps people’s pets safe while they receive life saving treatment for substance use and mental health. No one should have to choose between getting help and protecting their fur baby. This is my testimony — my survival story — and the heart behind the nonprofit that grew out of my darkest moments. Recovery is real. Hope is real. And your story isn’t over.

I should’ve died an addict… but Jesus met me in a jail cell and gave me a life I never thought I’d have. For more than 30 years, addiction owned every part of my life. Meth, heroin, and fentanyl dragged me into places I never thought I’d go — homelessness, jail cells, overdoses, and a level of loneliness that convinced me I was beyond saving. Every promise I made to quit was broken. I truly believed I would die an addict. Everything changed on March 11, 2021, inside a holding cell at the Rankin County Jail. In my darkest moment, Jesus Christ met me and completely transformed my life. God didn’t help me manage addiction — He delivered me from it. Today, through Black Sheep Recovery Warfare, I share my story to remind people that no one is too far gone. If He could save me after three decades of addiction, He can save anyone willing to surrender.