Addiction recovery work is deeply personal for Michael Crouch.
“Four years ago, I lost my brother to a heroin overdose, and I felt like the Lord was putting it on my heart to do more for my community,’ Crouch said. “After I lost my brother, I knew I could do more.”
Crouch is a pastor at Life’s Journey Church in Lebanon and has 12 years of sobriety himself. When his brother died in March 2022, he began Life’s Journey Recovery Center in the church’s basement as a support system for others in Boone County.
“I’ve been in Lebanon for 49 years,” he said. “I’ve seen the drugs come in, I’ve seen the buildings go up. I’ve seen lives change. I went to high school here, elementary school, middle school and lost a lot of people to overdoses throughout the years. So my heart is for the ones that have suffered some of the same struggles and trauma that I’ve suffered.”
The center now hosts multiple recovery meetings each week including Alcoholics Anonymous at noon Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Crystal Meth Anonymous Wednesdays at 7 p.m. and Narcotics Anonymous Fridays at 7 p.m.
There are also group sessions with an All Recovery Group on at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, and one of their largest programs, Changing Lanes with upwards of 30 people. The faith-based trauma recovery meetings are 6-8:30 p.m. Thursdays.
Beyond meetings, the recovery center also operates a food pantry and clothing closet while helping people navigate barriers during recovery.
“One of the things that I learned in recovery for myself was that there’s a lot of barriers,” Crouch said. “There’s things that happen when you’re trying to recover that kind of just get you to a breaking point and you give up.”
The organization has expanded to Crawfordsville, and Crouch will debut the new property he refers to as “Lost No More” with a recovery retreat.
The recovery center didn’t have the money for the seven-acre plot for “Lost No More,” so Crouch and his wife bought it themselves last fall to expand resources that help people fight addiction.
Crouch said the organization creates sober social opportunities through outings and recreational activities to show people they can have fun without drugs and alcohol.
“They are facing struggles every day, a lot of rejection, it’s difficult to get a job, difficult to find a place where they feel safe,” Crouch said. “We want to take some of the pressure off of people, because in early recovery, you can get very overwhelmed.”
The new property is near Shades and Turkey Run State Parks and Sugar Creek and is being developed as a recovery oasis.
“We’ve got the well running, so we have water, and we have electricity,” Crouch said. “We’re in the process of building a covered stage that will serve as a platform for the band as well as testimonies.”
An Outdoor Experience and Resource Fair will be 1-4 p.m. May 30, but people are welcome to stay and camp for the weekend.
This month’s event will also feature food, games and fundraising activities for the recovery center, and Crouch said fajitas are on the menu.
Crouch emphasized that while faith remains central to his personal mission, recovery support comes first.
“Whatever works for you to recover, that’s what I want you to do,” he said. “Life’s Journey Recovery Center will be alongside you no matter what your pathway to recovery is … It’s very hard to overcome trauma and addiction,” he said. “But we’re doing it, so let’s do it together.”
Crouch said moving forward they plan to have a fire night meeting on the last Friday of every month. It’s nearly an hour from Lebanon, so he said they are limited in how often they can hold events. But they will host weekend retreats throughout the year. Anyone who’s suffered from addiction is welcome to attend.
“Lost No More” is situated near 8811 W. State Road 234 in Crawfordsville, and there will be signs directing attendees to the site.
For more information about the recovery retreat or Life’s Journey Recovery Center, visit ljrc.info.
