‘Trusting and obeying God is my No. 1 priority’

Jared is heading to college in the fall to pursue a degree in drug and alcohol counseling. He’s hoping to use his own experience to help guide others who are struggling.

When Jared was 6 years old, his parents divorced. Soon after, he moved to a new city with his mother and younger brother. Raised in church and heavily involved from a young age, he accepted Jesus early in life. Yet growing up without a father left an impact he would not fully understand until later.

“Not having a father figure growing up was different. My mom tried to fill that role, but it wasn’t the same,” Jared said. “It made me feel confused about a lot of things. I didn’t know a lot of stuff because I didn’t have a male influence in my life and I had no one to ask.”

Jared attended a private Christian school until he learned the local public high school offered computer programming classes. After transferring, he found himself surrounded by a different crowd. Following the death of his grandmother, he tried marijuana for the first time at 17 and soon began drinking. What started as experimentation became the beginning of a gradual decline.

After graduation, Jared worked in security and later construction. At a party, someone offered him cocaine, promising it would help him stay awake during his night shifts. He began using it regularly. Between his demanding schedule and growing addiction, Jared slowly drifted away from church.

While working long hours in construction, Jared developed chronic back pain and began taking opioids. Before long, his addiction escalated. “I didn’t even realize what was happening,” Jared recalled. “One day I was sick, I thought I just had the flu. But later, as I was taking more and more, my buddy told me I was getting addicted, that that’s why I was getting sick.”

By then, addiction had taken hold. Jared moved from opioids to heroin as a cheaper alternative. He began manufacturing cannabis oil in his backyard. After a fire broke out, police arrested Jared and he was sentenced to five years of probation. After violating probation terms, he was arrested and sentenced to prison. “What a major change it was from walking with God, to recreational drug use and occasional drinking, to heroin and prison,” Jared said.

After years of addiction, relapse, and incarceration, Jared reached a breaking point. “I was in a jail cell, and I broke down,” he said. “I reached out to God telling Him I needed some help… and here I am.”

Today, Jared credits the program with transforming his life. “It’s been amazing. It’s changed my life 100 percent. I’m so blessed by the other men here and the staff. It’s a new look on life.”

As he continues his recovery journey, Jared is learning patience, transparency, and the importance of a strong support system. This August, hoping to use his experience to help others, he will begin college to pursue a degree in drug and alcohol counseling. “But trusting and obeying God is my number one priority now,” he said.