NORTHAMPTON, Mass. - Empower Health Group owner Matthew O'Malley says helping people with substance use disorder is a calling for him.

But prior to giving back to others, he as well as close family members struggled with addiction.

"It was something I always struggled with," O'Malley said.  "When I was 14 years old, I ended up losing my mother to her mental health and substance use and that really rocked me emotionally, spiritually, mentally."

Starting in his mid-teens, O'Malley fell into opioid and heroin addiction lasting a decade.

His actions lead to him being involved in multiple car accidents and even jail time.

Spending years in and out of treatment centers, O'Malley soon came to a turning point in his recovery.

"I tapped into an area of my brain that didn't allow the substance to work the way it usually works so when I got high and I felt my mother and I felt emotions and everything I was looking to run away from," he said. "I said 'There's no other option, I have to be two feet into recovery.'"

O'Malley's been sober since...

A native of South Boston, O'Malley operates around half a dozen rehab centers across the commonwealth and recently moved to Western Mass. where earlier this year he opened another office in Northampton.

He said several employees at Empower Health Group also have a history of substance use disorder.

He said it allows for his team to relate more to their patients, but it does come with it own unique challenges.

"When you deny someone their pain, you deny them the opportunity for growth," he said. "So it can become defeating at times because you almost want to make peoples' decisions for them and you want to help them avoid making the mistakes that they do."

O'Malley moved to Western Mass because he saw a need for mental health support in the area and to raise a family with his two daughters Aleah, Fayelyn, and fiancé Ariana.

A life he thought at one point was out of reach, O'Malley says he wants those battling addiction to know it is possible to achieve sobriety and build a loving community.

"These are the gifts of recovery," he said.  "These are the gifts of getting well and everybody is eligible for it. It's just- you gotta ask for help. You gotta do the work and everybody can have the same exact thing I have."