MARION COUNTY — Its an eye-opening statistic — According to a new UCLA study, roughly 22 high school aged kids died each week from overdoses in 2022.
The study also ruled Marion County as an overdose hot spot.
The disturbing trend is what helped kick start one local man's mission to help those fighting the urge to use.
In a home off Stop 11 and Arlington on Indy's South side you'll find "Acts of Service Sober Living."
It's a home that gives men in recovery a safe space to live and learn the fundamentals of society again.
Many of these men are fresh out of jail and rehab.
"This is a place to help these guys get back on their feet. We were blessed with an opportunity to follow our passion," Bradley Scott who created the house said.
Scott is going through recovery himself, so he knows the challenges the men living at the home are facing.
The three bedroom home has bunks in nearly every room, providing a space for the men to live normally.
On the walls are words of encouragement and motivational phrases to keep them going.
It's the fight to stay sober that the men work together to hold each other accountable.
"I ended up losing everything. People are dying. The drugs are not how they used to be anymore. It's a lot stronger now. People are stepping on the drugs anymore and it's not good to be on drugs," one man said.
Many of the men have been face to face with death and know the harsh realities an addiction can hold on someone.
"I've buried 15 friends in the last year alone," Tyler Followell said.
Followell lives at the home and has been sober from alcohol for 100 days.
The people living in the home hope the next generation will learn from their stories, and choose a different path in life.
"It's not the cool thing. It's disheartening to see young people fall into that and fall into the trap and the lie," Scott said.
