Rev. John Gargis, a founder of the new Celebrate Recovery in North Knoxville.

KNOXVILLE — The highly successful addiction recovery program, Celebrate Recovery, will begin in the North Knoxville area next month.

The United States is experiencing some of the highest levels of drug addiction than at any time in its history. In 2010 there was an estimated 22.6 million Americans over the age of 12 that were current or former illicit drug users within the last month of when the survey was given; this equates to about 8.9 percent of the population aged 12 or older. Since 1990, the number of individuals who take prescription drugs illegally is believed to have risen by over 500 percent.

One of the founders of the new Celebrate Recovery in North Knoxville is Rev. John Gargis, himself a recovering alcoholic for over 13 years. He is the pastor of Lincoln Park United Methodist Church. John has over 12 years experience as a leader in the Recovery Community with leadership positions in numerous addiction recovery programs in the East Tennessee region. He has been a co-facilitator at the West Knoxville Celebrate Recovery, group leader at Cornerstone of Recovery in Maryville and liaison at Brookhaven Retreat. He has also worked extensively with the homeless as an employee and volunteer at Knox Area Rescue Mission where he saw again the devastating effects addiction has on individuals and families.

Rev. Gargis says, "Everyone can benefit from attending North Knox Celebrate Recovery. We all know people or family members affected by some form of struggle and/or addiction. It is truly an uncaring destroyer and has wide-ranging effects upon everyone, not just the addict. What North Knox Celebrate Recovery offers is hope and healing. Hope that any person, whether addict or those affected by an addict can not only get by... but truly get their life back."

A special "Sneak Preview" event will be held on July 29th starting at 7:00 pm at the old Smithwood School located at 3203 Tazewell Pike in North Knoxville. Their first event will also be held at the same location starting on Tuesday, August 5th at 6:00 PM.

The unique "heart" of the North Knoxville Celebrate Recovery is to invite all the churches in the area to come alongside this new ministry. Over 21 churches representing more than 6 denominations attended a recent Clergy gathering held to encourage their participation. People of all backgrounds and denominations, who desire to support those affected by addiction and want to learn more about the true healing found in this proven Christ-centered / Biblically-based program are invited to attend.

The campaign theme for the opening of the North Knoxville Recovery program is "Get Your Life Back?" Gargis says, "You know, after being involved for over 12 years in the addiction community, the thing I kept hearing over and over from people desperate for healing were things like, 'I wish I could go back to the way it was before all this happened,' and, 'I just wish I could get my old life back.' While we can't erase the hurt and the pain caused by addiction, what we can do is what God does for us, which is offer a chance for hope, healing and forgiveness. Our God is the God of second chances and North Knox Celebrate Recovery is where anyone, no matter their background, can find a safe place to discover this truth and find the support needed for true recovery."

You can find more information and register to receive updates at www.northknoxcr.org.