Growing up, Jason’s life looked stable—his father was a county commissioner and his mother was a faithful churchgoer. But by the age of 10, his world had turned upside down. The family lost everything, and Jason went from living in a nice home to the projects. By 13, he was smoking and drinking, convinced “that’s how life was supposed to be.”
From Stability to Struggle
As an adult, Jason tried to build a life—marriage, a child, a home—but the pressures of responsibility collided with unresolved pain from his past. “I was carrying all this baggage with me and I just exploded,” he recalls. That explosion led him back into heavy drug use and dealing. Arrests followed, and the second time, there was no getting out of it. “They said, we’re going to send you to prison. That was the first time I lost everything.”
There were moments of light—like the Sunday his son asked about being saved and Jason walked him to the altar to pray. “I remember being so proud. I remember crying, thinking, man, this is what I’m supposed to be doing.” But even that same day, addiction’s grip was unrelenting—Jason overdosed in the bathroom.
Rock Bottom and a Cry for Help
The spiral deepened until he was homeless for nearly two years on the streets of Birmingham. “I was sick of looking at myself in the mirror. I cried to God. I begged him to take every bit of that pain away.”
God answered in an unexpected way. Jason was picked up by a St. Clair County officer who remembered him from years before—and the officer wanted to pray for him. “It felt like the ending credits to this long, sad story,” Jason says. “I felt this great amount of pressure taken off my chest. I felt relieved. I felt like it was different.”
Redemption and a New Purpose
Jason’s life began to change from that moment forward. He didn’t try to do it “Jason’s way” anymore. Instead, he embraced God’s way—immersing himself in 7 Springs’ recovery program, sharing his story and helping others out of the same pit he once called home.
“I almost gave up hope,” he says. “If I had given up hope, I wouldn’t be here today. I’d be dead. There’s no doubt in my mind about that.” Today, Jason is sober and working hard to be the example his kids deserve.
“When they see me, I want them to say, ‘That’s my dad.’ I want them to be proud. And I will fight the rest of my life to have that.”
If you or someone you love is caught in the cycle of addiction, you don’t have to fight alone. At 7 Springs Ministries, we believe no story is too broken for God to redeem. Like Jason, you can find hope, healing and a new direction for your life. Contact us today to take the first step toward freedom.
