FROM CRISIS TO CAREER: RANDALL CRAFT’S STORY

From Crisis to Career: Randall Craft’s Story

With half of its 400+ employees in recovery from substance use disorder, Addiction Recovery Care (ARC) is leading the way in all of Appalachia when it comes to combining drug treatment vocational training resulting in second chance employment. One third of ARC employees are graduates of an ARC treatment program. ARC believes that the solution to the nation’s workforce issues is lying dormant in the lives of those who are struggling with addiction or alcoholism.

Randall Craft spent nearly 13 years in addiction.  Addiction took Randall and some of those closest to places he wishes they’d never been.  He’s been in prison.  He lost his sister to an overdose.  His father, who Randall says taught him to hustle, was recently killed while walking home from jail following a short stay for misdemeanor charges.  While Randall was in prison, he witnessed horrible things that he’d prefer not to talk about. 

Craft, a native of Magoffin County, says that while he was in active addiction: “I prayed to God to take my life each and every day. I had lost my girl, my kids, and my soul. I had lost it all. I felt like I wasn’t alive, but only existing in a world full of sorrows.”  At his low point, Randall felt he had lost all purpose in life.  “I thought that I was bound to live in a jail-cell for the rest of my life…I didn’t even know what it was like to be responsible, because my whole life I had been the opposite. My life was nothing to me, and I felt as though I was taking up oxygen for others.” 

In spite of all that was dragging him down, Randall has now been clean for nearly 3 years.  What made this change possible?  He doesn’t hesitate: God!  “Today I am free, and I never thought I could break the chains that addiction had on my life for so many years. These past 2 and half years have been like walking out of a black and white movie and into a technicolor sphere of possibilities. I truly believe that nothing I have accomplished would have been possible if I was not a person in recovery, who only found life because I surrendered it all to God and let Him take complete control of my life.”

Randall began treatment with Addiction Recovery Care in 2016, initially at Belle Grove Springs, a men’s treatment center in Fleming County operated by ARC, and eventually at their Mount Sterling IOP (Intensive Outpatient) program as an abstinence-based client.  It was during his stay at Belle Grove Springs that Randall says he truly found God.  He thanks him now for not answering his prayers about wanting to die, because today Randall has a life of abundance.  He’s now both a Pastoral Counselor and a KY certified Peer Support Specialist.  He spends his days counseling others on addiction and recovery.   He’s been employed full time by ARC since December 28, 2016, when he took a job at the same center that changed his life.  Treatment led to a job, which led to a promotion, which led to Addiction Recovery Care’s first Emerging Leaders/Rising Stars Leadership Class.

Craft believes the things that “disqualified” him from many jobs in his previous life make him uniquely qualified to work in drug treatment.  He says he once struggled to even get a job at McDonald’s because of criminal history; today, ARC views him as one of the company’s rising stars.  His advice to others who might be struggling in making progress with their recovery: “Put God first and go get the life you want. If you have great people around you, they will take you higher than your dream will. Leaders are never self-made. Those closest to you determine your level of success, so choosing the right companions as partners in pursuit of your vision is an important decision. My advice is to surround yourself with talented people who will challenge you, help you grow and inspire you to maximize your potential. Never give up hope on anything, always aspire to reach for your dreams, and always remain humble. Through all of this, I have found that the only battle I was ever truly fighting was the battle against myself. “

Randall’s come a long way, and he’s not done yet.  Today, he has a beautiful wife, five young kids, is taking college classes, and is saving up to buy a home.  His goals for the future include graduating from Morehead State with a Bachelor’s Degree from the social work program.  Craft also continues to advance in his faith and his study of the Bible and has aspirations of someday becoming a Director over one of the ARC Centers.  He is truly a model of the Addiction Recovery Care motto: From Crisis to Career.  ( #FromCrisistoCareer )

Addiction Recovery Care is a substance use disorder treatment company based in Louisa. It has outpatient and in-patient facilities around Kentucky. It prides itself on helping clients achieve recovery and taking them “from crisis to career!”

If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, please call Addiction Recovery Care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 606.638.0938 or visit them on the web at www.arccenters.com.

There is hope. There is help.