COLONIE, N.Y. -- Chris Ritz started using drugs when he was 13 years old. He first tried marijuana, and for Ritz it served as an escape from his childhood issues.

“I ended up rebelling from my family," Ritz said. "I went against what they had best sought out for me.”

He says it led him down a rough road and almost didn't finish high school. After graduation, Ritz says he tried heroin for the first time. It quickly landed him in handcuffs twice. 

“My addiction got to the point where, even being on probation, I couldn’t stop,” Ritz said.

After violating his probation, Ritz was sent to the Albany County Jail. While behind bars, he was placed in the sheriff's Heroin Addiction Recovery Program wing, where his life began to change.

“That’s where I learned how to talk about stuff that was bothering me," Ritz said. "Talked about issues, and really it helped a lot.”

Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple created SHARP in 2015. It was at a time when the jail saw an influx of addicts.

"We really got to try something," Apple said. "We got to try to change this, and we were having so many overdoses and everything else.”

The program allows those seeking to get clean a chance to work with counselors, while staying with peers going through the same process. Sheriff Apple says on average, participants stay 64 days with many seeking additional treatment after being released. 

“I few people have come back afterward and thanked us and said 'hey, you saved our lives,' " Apple said.

Sheriff Apple says the program has a recidivism rate of about 14 percent as of March 13. Close to 300 people have been through it, including Ritz.

“It definitely gives you an aspect of your life where you can talk about something that really matters or how you’re feeling,” Ritz said.

He ended up serving eight and a half months in the program. After getting out of jail, Ritz continued his recovery at a halfway house. Today, he's been clean for about a year.

"It's not easy every day, but you get through it," Ritz said. "You got to do it like one day at a time."

Last month, Ritz came back to visit the program, catching up and thanking those who have helped him. He was even offered a job at the jail, working in the kitchen and preparing meals.

Last week, Ritz was also invited by Apple to travel to the Capitol, to advocate for more funding. 

“It just goes to show you," Apple said, "It’s a battle, it’s a long road, it’s a road worth trying, and Chris is a living example of it.”