Jay McCray, 66 from Harlem, a former addict in recovery speaking at Operation Survival’s opioid awareness event at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum.
Jay stressed the importance of peer counseling from his personal experience, saying that at his toughest moments, professionals don’t do the trick: “Give me an addict to talk to, not a doctor”. He also confirmed what the specialists spoke about in theory by admitting he started using drugs at an early age because “I didn’t like who I was”, after surviving a fire and being left with visual scars, and that addiction is a slow controlled death, “What an overdose really is, is you’re trying to commit suicide to stop the pain.” McCray is now a substance abuse counselor who volunteers at several organizations across the NYC boroughs, using his experience to help others.