Pastor battles the heroin epidemic with prayer

Updated
An Holistic Approach to Battling the Heroin Epidemic
An Holistic Approach to Battling the Heroin Epidemic

As the heroin epidemic sweeps the country one man is looking to heal addicts through the power of church and prayer.

Joe Kiwiatkowsk, a recovery pastor at Restoration Church Twin Village, has made it his mission to bring a spiritual element into addiction treatment. "I sat with families where we've wept, we've cried, we've prayed," Kiwiatkowski told 7 Eyewitness News.

SEE ALSO: 5 substances that are far more addictive than marijuana -- that are legal

"There's a whole big holistic view and I think a vital spoke in that wheel is the church," Kiwiatkowski said.

The pastor believes addiction is not a battle one can fight alone: "The first step in recovery is that you recognize I'm powerless over my situation, second that there is a higher power that can come in and pull me out of it and that's what we really want to we really want to dive into."

His holistic approach includes community meetings and a faith based 12 step program, that he hopes can bring change to those who are battling with addiction.

"I'm impacted by it and I can't let it continue and go by without us stepping in and really getting our hands into this," Kwiatkowski said.

RELATED: Heroin proves a formidable foe in suburban Ohio county

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