‘I’m not a criminal, I’m just a drug addict’: Man’s search for a fresh start

Christopher Eichelberger is hard to miss. Covered in tattoos, with a head full of dreadlocks and an affinity for brightly colored clothes, he will be the first to admit he will be the first to admit he is a different person today than when he was trapped in a cycle of addiction and crime. 

At age 13, Eichelberger began taking pain pills and soon he followed his parents path into heroin addiction. 

ā€œI felt like we were closer,ā€ he said of his parents. ā€œSo I continued doing it for that reason. And then it became something I enjoyed.ā€ 

He came to Williamsport for a fresh start. 

After being released from his first stint in prison, Eichelberger tried to break his addiction. He made it two months before falling back into his old habits. 

ā€œā€œSome of it was because I went back to my old place with old friends and bad influences,ā€ he said. ā€œI needed a fresh start ā€¦ so I tried this place.ā€

He went to prison for a second time and after completing this sentence the now 27-year-old Eichelberger knew it was time to turn his life around and that he couldnā€™t do it on his own. 

The Bethesda House in Williamsport first opened for male residents on Oct. 6, 2021 as a program of the Transitional Living Centers. It is a contracted state facility similar to a pre-release center, or a ā€œjail without bars,ā€ said Cleveland Way, program director at Bethesda house. 

The Transitional Living Centers offer home plan options for incarcerated men and women to make a positive and productive transition back into society, according to Nicole Miller, the centerā€™s executive director. She added that the case managers will help reentrants with their goals of eliminating substance abuse, enhancing their mental health, finding employment, managing their finances and more. 

ā€œComing here, we can help them make that adjustment and give them the right resources and the right contacts to give them a running start to success,ā€ Way said. 

The Bethesda house has 34 beds and has been at capacity since opening in October. The program provides a home plan option in North Central Pennsylvania that has been mission in the region, Way said. 

Eichelberger spent four months in the program and recently graduated. He now has a place of his own and is working hard to find a job. 

ā€œMy dad used to tell me ā€˜If you look for resources, youā€™re going to find them because they are all out there, you just gotta look.ā€™ So, I looked and ā€¦ Iā€™d say itā€™s the best choice I made.ā€ 

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  • Anne Reiner

    Anne Reiner has been a journalist for over eight years. She lives in Lycoming County and founded On the PULSE to create a new and engaging way to bring local news to the region of Northcentral, Pennsylvania.

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Anne Reiner

Anne Reiner has been a journalist for over eight years. She lives in Lycoming County and founded On the PULSE to create a new and engaging way to bring local news to the region of Northcentral, Pennsylvania.

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