Jason Walters Testimonial

Hi my name is Jason Walters. I am 37 years old. I was born and raised in Corbin, Kentucky. I had a slightly dysfunctional, but great childhood. My father was an alcoholic, but very loving. My mother did her part and some of his to make our household as close to normal as possible. I went to Whitley County schools and I loved to play football.

While in middle school, I started hanging out with older crowds and experimenting with marijuana and alcohol. By my freshman year I had abandoned the thought of playing football altogether! I started experimenting with mostly pain pills. I went through High School maintaining my grades to keep my mother satisfied and I kept it in the dark about how crazy my life really had become. My senior year I tore a ligament in my knee. I had my first knee surgery in March of the following year and had prescriptions for two different pain meds. After healing and not to mention, worsening my addiction, I was on a downward spiral. At the end of that year I was in a car accident and had tore the same ligament again! As you can imagine, my addiction intensified even further with more surgery and more pain meds prescribed.

By this time I was doing everything in my power to keep my family from knowing how bad my addiction had really become. So 1 week before my 21st Birthday, I got a phone call from my niece, sobbing and asking to talk to my mom! Whatever it was she wouIdnt tell me. Later I found out that my dad had shot and killed himself. On my 21st birthday I had buried my dad 3 days prior and really had no answers to why? The more I used, the less it hurt.

About 6 1/2 years rolled by and my only concerns were a pain pill and making my mom think otherwise! Then my mother fell ill. After trying dialysis, my family and I took her home to let her live out the rest of her days on this earth- the way she wanted. The morning of August 3rd I awoke to the words, “Mom is gone”!

Any reason on this earth, other than my 11 month old son, that I had to straighten my life up was now gone! I was completely lost. By the grace of God a woman came into my life that is now my wife. She stuck by my side, even though she knew what I was doing. It was obvious she saw something in me that I didn’t at the time. Although I was going to a pain clinic to support my habit, she always told me that she would be right beside me when I was ready to get clean. On April 1st (2014) I got a trafficking charge and was sentenced to 9 years, probated for 5 years. Meaning, if I messed up within 5 years I would have to do 9 years in prison. That wasn’t even enough to make me straighten up! I some how manipulated my way through 13 months of reporting monthly before finally being thrown into jail. I spent 6 months in jail and the Probation office gave me the option to go to a 6 month rehabilitation center.

While waiting on a bed, a woman from the Public Defenders office had found me a bed at Isaiah House. I accepted with a little hesitation, after all their program was 8 months.

So I showed up at the front door of this place (Isaiah House) expecting the worse. I wasn’t here more than a couple hours and I shook the hand of every man in this house! People went out of their way to make me feel comfortable and I am grateful to those men for making me feel welcome. This place has changed my life in so many ways. They do more than give you clean time away from drugs and alcohol! They slowly walk you into living a life without drugs. They teach you how to live again and how to stay sober one day at a time. The house band Rise Up paid in full for me to have dentures with money that they had worked hard to raise! Never in my life have I ever been in a place where so many people are finding their way and still willing to help out in any way they can! I am so very grateful for the Isaiah House. My life will never be the same! My family now has a man that they deserve! Thank you!- Jason Walters.