Jay Russell

Jay is a disabled combat Veteran, who served in the Gulf War. For over a decade, Jay has been helping Veterans with substance use and other mental health disorders at American Addiction Centers (AAC).

Jay brings a unique perspective to AAC. He comes from a long line of military service members—he is a third-generation Veteran—many of whom struggled with substance misuse and addiction. In fact, Jay grappled with his own mental health issues until he finally got help for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which included eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy, commonly referred to as EMDR therapy.

Since then, Jay has worked to pay it forward and his passion lies in helping those in need. So when he is not working, Jay volunteers with his local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) chapter and helps families with interventions. He also loves to cook and works as a private chef.

Jay holds a bachelor of science in business administration and an associates degree in Arabic language and culture from the Presidio of Monterey.