05/27/2026
“I was sleeping in a parking garage, in the rain, strung out,” shares R3 Program guest Jake.
“My mom suggested I come to the Eugene Mission,” he said. “It was a weird rock bottom, but I’d had enough.”
Jake had cycled through around 26 treatment centers and tried to get sober countless times.
What was different this time was his conviction that he was done. “I detoxed myself in the Rescue Shelter and then got down to work,” he said.
After more than a year at the Mission, Jake is now finishing his certificate to become a certified drug and alcohol counselor and has plans to continue his schooling to get a degree in psychology.
Jake got hooked on opiates at 16 when he was prescribed a drug by his doctor after a car crash. “Six months later I had a needle in my arm,” he shared. “It cost me everything.”
Jake is building a new life and that includes a deep relationship with his church where he plays bass in the band. “I knew God drew me to that church last Easter Sunday,” he said. “I’ve always had faith and believed, but since I got sober, God just showed me the way.”
He was also invited to play in the worship band at this year‘s Life Change graduation ceremony, which he described as an unbelievable experience.
Congrats Jake! We’re rooting for you. 🙌
