TAYLORVILLE, Ill. (WAND) - Police departments and first responders in central Illinois are often called to the same homes over and over again to revive drug users who have overdoses. But one man is breaking the cycle.

"I ended up blacking out. The hotel manager came to my room, apparently I pushed him and I woke up in a restraint chair in jail," Justin Grant told WAND.

Grant keeps his mugshot photo saved on his phone to remind himself of what it was like to hit rock bottom. He had checked himself into a hotel to detox after relapsing earlier in 2021. But after that attempt ended in an arrest, Grant was able to get out on probation. Unfortunately, he relapsed again shortly after being released.

"The second I started feeling how I used to feel. I made the phone call, (because) I already knew how it was going to go," Grant explained.

The drugs had such a strong hold on Grant's body. He had detoxed multiple times before, and even once through Taylorville's Safe Passage program. But after his most recent relapse, he knew something had to change.

"I wasn't just hurting myself anymore. There were people I was hurting way worse. I can only imagine my mom sitting by her phone, wondering if she's going to get that phone call," Grant added.

He's now six months sober. But it's been a long road.

"I'm 26 years old and I've almost died countless times, and it's not fun," Grant told WAND.

Grant isn't alone. Many addicts relapse multiple times before finally getting clean.

"I've very optimistic because I've seen people try and try until they finally get it. So I tell them, hey, listen, it might take you 10 times in rehab, but the 11th time may be it," Chief Dwayne Wheeler of the Taylorville Police Department told WAND.

Right now, he's working with a young woman whose has overdosed 19 times. But despite call after call to resuscitate her, he's hopeful.

"I'm trying to help this young lady because she will die. There's no question she will die if she keeps doing what she's doing," Wheeler explained.

Through Taylorville's Safe Passage Program, Wheeler has seen other cases of addicts who may seem like a lost cause, but eventually get the help they need.

"I've seen so much good, so much transformation, that I know they can do it," Wheeler explained.

"Don't think you're not worth it or you don't deserve it, because anybody can start over," Grant added.

Click here for more information on Taylorville's Safe Passage program.