A typical gas station stop in 2016 changed one Lawrence County man's life.

"Well, I was on my way to work one morning and I just had a notion to buy a lottery ticket," recalled Matthew Newsome.

Newsome paid for a $10 ticket to test his luck.

"There's like 15 little boxes you scratch on each ticket and each one just kept saying $2,500, or you know, $2,500 times two," explained Newsome.

Winning $125,000, the prize changed his life in a different way than most.

"I was in disbelief for a minute," said Newsome. "I wasn't as excited as I think a lot of people would be. Don't get me wrong, I was happy, but I wasn't like, jumping up and down," he added.

At this point in his life, his addiction to pain pills was around 20 years strong.

The extra money expanded his wallet and addiction.

"Probably the worst thing that can happen to a person in active addiction," Newsome pointed out.

Then he started buying heroine instead.

"Just drugs, women in hotels, that kind of stuff," recalled Newsome.

Spending all of his winnings within two months.

His story does not end here.

Later that year, Newsome knew he needed to change. After a relapse, he found help at Addiction Recovery Care (

) in Lawrence County.

"I've been clean since then, almost 18 months now," said Newsome, proudly.

Now, he is using his experience to help others.

"I'm a peer support specialist. I work at the Blackberry Transitional Learning Center through ARC," explained Newsome.

Proving to many, it is never too late to drive down the road to recovery.

"I never thought life would be this good," said Newsome.

Newsome told WYMT, many can get help through ARC with little to no wait after reaching out.

If you or a loved one is battling addiction, you can call Addiction Recovery Care at (888) 520-8736. Or, you can visit their

to get help.