RICHMOND, Ky. — Millions of Americans struggle with substance use disorder throughout the country, with thousands across Kentucky. One couple in recovery works tirelessly to help lead others on the same path.

What You Need To Know

  • Mike and Marie St. John are a married couple who are both in recovery

  • They operate St. John Recovery in Richmond, which has two structured recovery houses and a behavioral health clinic

  • Their lives growing up were different, but they each struggled with substance use disorder for several years

  • Once on the path to recovery, they met and, as a team, have used their experiences to help others

Both Mike and Marie St. John have been in recovery for almost 10 years. The couple has come a long way and now they operate St. John Recovery in Richmond, which includes two structured recovery houses and a behavioral health clinic.

“If they want to do something different, and they pass the screening process and they come here, we’ll drug test them, we’ll search them, we’ll go over their history, go over, you know, their legal issues, court dates, fines, medication, mental health. And just kind of love them back to life,” Mike said.

Mike grew up with family members involved in dealing drugs, which meant easy access.

“I started drugs at 21 and just, you know, it’d become every day,” Mike said. “I never thought that one pill would end up to 14 years [of] drug addiction.”

A rare cancer diagnosis in his thirties caused him to lean on drugs more heavily.

As for Marie, she grew up in a loving home, being raised by her grandparents. Life changed for her when she was sexually assaulted at 14, a case that became highly publicized by the community and media.

“Because of that, trying to figure out who I was and where to go with life and all the dreams that I had and things like that were shattered,” Marie said.

She was prescribed medications to deal with depression and anxiety following the assault.

“I liked that feeling so when that wasn’t working anymore, prescribed by the doctors, that’s when I started self-medicating and started the whole life of not feeling,” Marie said. “I wanted to numb out the pain that I had that was, you know, given to me at 14.”

Though the couple’s paths were different, their lives led them to the Hope Center in Lexington. They met in 2016 and were married two years later.

In 2022, they opened Jasmine’s House for Women and Corbin’s House for men, affecting the lives of people seeking recovery. The women’s house is named after Marie’s oldest daughter, and the men’s house is named after the couple’s son.

“I was in a terrible place before, but they love you back to life, I mean that’s the best thing I can say is that they love you back to life and they make you feel like that you’re not alone,” said Ashley Scott, a client at St. John Recovery.

It’s feedback like this that motivates the couple to keep giving back.

“The old me didn’t want to help people,” Marie said. “I was selfish, and it was all about me. Life was all about me. Today it’s not. It’s about helping other people find their way out of the darkness that they’re living in because I know personally that you can come through anything and make it out the other side.”

Marie and Mike are a united front who has created a family for the clients they serve.

St. John Recovery will open a third recovery house soon, bringing the total beds the organization offers to the Richmond community up to 30.

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