By Harper Carlton, Building Kentucky
In October of 2013, Jason Roop decided he was ready to make a change. After struggling with addiction for 17 years, Roop began his recovery at Isaiah House, a nonprofit organization that transforms the lives of Kentuckians with substance abuse disorder by providing comprehensive, evidence-based treatment.
“I had destroyed all self-respect, all dignity was gone, everything I owned was in a trash bag,” Roop told LEX 18. “What led me here was just an entire lifestyle of trying to find that one thing that could bring about self-worth, inner peace and contentment.”
After successfully completing the one-year recovery program, Roop earned his Master’s in divinity and went on to receive his Ph.D. in 2022. Combining his experience and his education, Dr. Roop is launching a program called the Trait-Based Model of Recovery. The program uses trait identification, solution-focused therapy, entrepreneurial opportunities and a leadership academy to identify personality traits and build upon internal strength to establish goals for personal and social enhancement during the recovery process.
“We’ve been told typically that, in addiction, we can only come so far or that we are a damaged product that needs fixed or that we are just a hopeless case and so I can relate to that understanding or that impression or that illusion,” Roop said. “When you only focus on those negatives or those character defects, you’re leaving an entire part of yourself untapped, undeveloped and unexplored.”
The Trait-Based Model of Recovery program began on July 17, 2023, with its first class of 12 people. With the support of his Isaiah House counselors, Roop hopes the sky is the limit for this program.
“We are no longer breaking down addicts and alcoholics, we are building them up,” said Kasey Nunemaker, Isaiah House Campus Administrator. “I’m really excited about what Dr. Roop has researched.”
To learn more about the Trait-Based Model of Recovery, visit www.startfromstrength.org.
To read the original story from LEX 18, visit https://www.lex18.com/community/heroes-among-us/former-addict-launches-program-in-kentucky-to-help-others-find-sobriety.
