Pryor Group Helps Recovering Drug Addicts Across The Country

A group of men in Pryor are working to make a difference in the lives of drug addicts across the country.

So far, the Reckless Saints have helped more than 1,400 people get into treatment facilities and move forward with their lives.

Reckless Saints picks up addicts from jail or wherever they live, gets them into treatment centers, encourages them along the way and even helps get them jobs after they finish the program.

They say 90 percent of people who have stuck with them through this program, have stayed clean.

"I mean if it worked for me, It can work for anybody," said J. Sitsler.

In 2007, Sitsler was caught on camera robbing a Bank of America in Catoosa.

Sitsler served five years in federal prison for that crime, but says every crime he's committed since then has been fueled by his addiction to drugs.

“In the process, I left a massive wake of destruction, everything I’ve ever done, pushed every friend, every family member away,” said Sitsler.

Sitsler has been in several different short-term rehab facilities, but they've never worked for him.

He says when the judge had nearly given up on him, Reckless Saints stepped in and asked if they could help.

Then the judge asked him why he thought it would be different this time.

“I told him every crime I’ve ever committed has been motivated by drugs so I need some kind of treatment away from home and they got me in,” said Sitsler.

Reckless Saints is a group of men that goes around sharing their stories of addiction with others in hopes of getting them help.

Their program runs on donations through Reckless Apparel and Reckless Workforce because most addicts can't afford to get treatment.

“I would take them to a treatment center and they would say if you have $1,500 we can let the guy in and I was like he doesn’t have $8 you know if he did, it would be up his arm,” said Founder of Reckless Saints, Jordan Parker.

Parker had 21 surgeries by the time he was 18 years old and had to go to a long-term treatment facility to get help for his addiction to opioids.

“We’re not trying to re-invent the wheel here. there’s already a program in every state that works but people won’t use them,” said Parker.

Parker says one of the differences between Reckless' program and the short-term facilities is the follow through.

They say these programs will help you detox, but they won't help you after you get out the door.

“In Oklahoma, we’re throwing money at 30-day programs that have no follow through, no follow up with the addict, have no systems in place to readjust to society and so the success rate is less than 4 percent and it eats up $700 million of our budget,” said Parker.

Because learning the value of hard work, can ultimately save your life.

“I think that if you’re going to overcome the drug epidemic, you're going to have to work for it and it’s not going to be easy,” said Parker.

If you would like to donate or know an addict that could benefit from this program, visit the Reckless Saints website here.