When Jake Korthals sits across from someone in early recovery, he sees himself, literally. “I was in that seat,” he says.
A father of two and a peer recovery coach at Henry Ford Eastwood Recovery Center in Southfield, Jake helps others navigate a path he once thought was impossible. Though he grew up in middle-class metro Detroit with a supportive family, addiction shaped his early life.
Jake shared his own experience with substance use, what it means to support someone through recovery and how he brings hope to others — especially parents — still in the struggle.
Q: How did your own experience with addiction begin?
A: I was raised by my grandparents because both my parents struggled with addiction. I had one brother who did everything right and one who got into drugs and trouble. I looked up to my brothers. I was always trying to find someone to lead the way for me.
When I was 15, my older brother went off to college, and I started hanging out more with the brother who was using. That’s how I got introduced to alcohol, marijuana and eventually heroin.
I didn’t even know it was heroin the first time. But from that moment, I thought, “I’m going to do this every day.” It made all the parts of myself I didn’t like disappear.
Q: How did addiction affect your life at that point?
A: It got bad fast. I was arrested at 17 and charged with armed robbery. I ended up in prison for nearly five years. I got out just before COVID hit. The world shut down, and I relapsed. I became homeless.
Q: What changed when you got to Eastwood?
A: For the first time, I saw people who looked like me, talked like me, and they were sober and actually enjoying life. I always thought sober and fun couldn’t go together. But I saw it was possible. They didn’t wear scrubs and hold clipboards. They just believed in me, even when I didn’t.
We don’t realize how much we need someone to believe in us. When we’ve broken our family’s trust so many times, they hope we get better but deep down, do they really believe we will? Here, everyone believed. That changed everything.
Q: What difference did your peer recovery coach make?
A: It was huge. He looked like me, talked like me, acted like me. He was sober but he also looked like he was enjoying life. That was a breakthrough for me. He had something I wanted.
Q: How do you help others as a peer recovery coach?
A: When someone comes in who has been written off like I was, I know they have a chance.
I help remove barriers, like getting an ID. People don’t realize how critical that is. Without an ID, you can’t get a job. No job, no rent. No rent, you’re homeless. And that’s where relapse happens.
But mostly, I just sit with them. Sometimes all someone needs is for another person to say, “I’ve been exactly where you are.” That’s what my coach did for me, and now I do that for others.
When I was in treatment, I would have been voted least likely to succeed. I broke every rule.
Now I truly believe in my heart of hearts, when I see somebody that’s really been written off, I love those guys. I was one of them. And I made it.
Q: What would you tell families who are watching someone they love struggle with addiction?
A: It’s harder to be the family member than the person in active addiction. You feel helpless. You want to help them, save them, but there’s absolutely nothing you can do. Just don’t give up hope. Even if it feels like there’s nothing you can do — just having that sliver of belief, that maybe someday they’ll come around — can make all the difference.
Q: What does life look like for you now?
A: My life is calm now. I have two daughters, and I love the little things like taking them to school. I used to think I’d never be a real father. But here I am. That middle ground, where life isn’t too high or too low, that’s where I live now. And I’m grateful for it every day.
If you or someone you love is struggling, reach out. For local support, call the OCHN Access line at 248-464-6363.
This content is sponsored by Oakland Community Health Network.
OCHN manages and funds a service provider network for approximately 30,000 Oakland County residents at more than 400 service sites across the county. People who receive public behavioral health services through OCHN’s provider network include those who have an intellectual or developmental disability, mental health concerns or substance use disorder. Most of these individuals have Medicaid insurance coverage.
OCHN’s goal is to ensure these individuals are aware of and have access to services and support that will improve their health and quality of life, as well as ensure their engagement in full community participation. Its mission to “inspire hope, empower people, and strengthen communities” reflects an unyielding belief in a “Valuable System for Valued People.”
Programs and supports provided by OCHN’s service network are available at oaklandchn.org.
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