'There is a way out:' Mike St. John encourages recovery in MCDC

Sep. 8—Michael St. John, or Mike, was born in Corbin, Kentucky, but spent much of his youth in Richmond.

Twenty years ago, St. John said he was like many others who found themselves in Richmond — going to bars on First Street, jumping from party to party, after driving up from out-of-town.

"It was a weekend-thing, a fitting-in-thing, and partying-thing," St. John explained.

At a former nightclub in the city, he met a girl and had his first taste of taking illegal substances. He was 21-years-old at the time.

That's when the "partying-thing" then turned into something darker.

After that first brush with drugs, St. John said he went down a dark road of addiction and hopelessness.

He started stealing, manipulating, and couch-surfing to support his drug habit; all while trying desperately to keep a hold on his business, a home, and everything he worked so hard for.

"I knew I had a problem, but I didn't think I was an addict," St. John admitted.

It wasn't until his suicide attempt that he realized something needed to change. St. John said luckily his mother interfered.

After his attempt, St. John entered the Hope Center's emergency services and slept on a mat where he prayed to God and stated he was ready to change his life and was willing to work with His plan.

So far, St. John has kept to that plan.

He has been sober since June 1, 2016.

When St. John returned to live in Madison County a year ago with his wife and two young children, he knew he wanted to help send a message to people suffering from addiction and substance abuse disorder.

"At the time, it didn't register to me that 20-years-ago, I was running these streets, drinking, drugging, and causing chaos," he said. "I asked God to please put me in a place where I could send a message."

After a deputy and Richmond police officer heard St. John speak in his podcast, St. John Live, his prayers were answered.

He was contacted through social media about his message, and St. John asked the deputy what it would take for him to speak at the Madison County Detention Center.

Now, St. John is teaming up with others inside the Madison County Detention Center to help those incarcerated with substance abuse disorder through the "Road 2 Recovery" program.

According to Jailer Steve Tussey, 80% of current inmates at the jail are there for drug-related charges. With St. John's help, the jail and its staff hope to get inmates into treatment and long-term recovery.

St. John volunteers at the detention center each week and speaks in the recreation room to inmates who wish to listen and talk about his recovery journey and how they, too, can be one step closer to an addiction-free lifestyle.

Jailer Tussey said this program was one he wanted to see implemented since he took office.

"I'm super excited about it," he said. "Mike is the perfect fit for the inmates as he's been there and done that, and his message is very sincere....These programs will give the inmates much-needed hope and direction to be more successful when released and will ultimately reduce our recidivism rate."

In just four months, St. John has helped four inmates get into treatment centers and on a path to recovery.

"It is amazing to see the light come on in those inmates' eyes just because they know we are there because we care," St. John said. "I don't care about what you have done to get here; I care about what they want to do when they leave."

St. John said inmates need a plan of action, a place to go, and a safe place to get advice.

He gives inmates his personal phone number in an effort to get them to treatment as soon as possible.

"My purpose is to go in there and say, 'I am with you,'" he said. "...I am just a messenger who has turned his mess into a message."

While his message and support to recover is helpful, St. John said the community and officials need to support inmates by providing methods to treatment, resources, meetings, and — most importantly — a sober living facility.

"We all know how to steal, cheat and get high," he began, "but we need the information and the classes to break down that this is a disease of the mind — a substance abuse disorder."

While he said it was specifically the 12-step program that led him to sobriety, St. John said he supports anyone's efforts, no matter the method they choose to follow.

"We need to break the stigma," he said finitely. "That being said, those inmates are not bad people — most of them are sick trying to get well, and it takes us as a community that we can turn to and who are willing to help and say, 'There is a way out.'"

In addition to the volunteer services of St. John, the Madison County Detention Center was awarded a grant from the University of Kentucky for an on-site peer counselor for release services and Narcan distribution.

According to an article from the University of Kentucky, the college's $87 million HEALing Communities Study has partnered with Voices of Hope and the Madison County Detention Center to increase access to medication for opioid use disorder for people who are being released from the jail.

MCDC, under the leadership of Tussey, detains about 5,600 people per year, according to the article. However, Madison County is one of the 16 Kentucky counties participating in the HEALing Communities Study, which aims to reduce opioid overdose deaths by 40% in participating communities that represent more than a third of Kentucky's population.

Voices of Hope is an organization that helps people in recovery stay in recovery by providing no-cost recovery support services, conducting research, and educating and advocating for the community they serve, the article shared.

The organization's overarching goal is to enhance the quantity and quality of support available to people seeking and experiencing long-term recovery from alcohol and other substance use disorders.

Under the new partnership, HEAL grant funds are used to place a Voices of Hope peer support specialist full-time in the jail to offer education and services to every person who is being released, including opioid overdose education, a free naloxone (Narcan) unit, assistance for people who are interested in being screened/assessed and connected to medication for OUD and help in addressing barriers to treatment, such as insurance issues or lack of transportation.

For anyone struggling with addiction in Madison County who wishes to speak with St. John, he can be reached at 859-300-1503. For more information on the Madison County Detention Center, visit their website.

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