Boston-born hip-hop artist and actor Slaine finds purpose in helping others access mental health care
Sitting in the communal space at Grand Rising Behavioral Health in Norwood, George Carroll shares the story of his journey from addiction to recovery that he describes as one of fear and love. "I think anybody who recovers from addiction at the level I had needs a big dose of both," he explains. "I was afraid I was going to lose my son. I love him more than I love myself. So that gave me the willingness to do the work."
It wasn't easy after decades of dependence on alcohol and drugs. But George was motivated. He now celebrates 11 years sober. "I'm a person in long-term recovery now," he said.
Music and film career
Hip-hop and film audiences know him as Slaine. He began rapping in the 90's and established a music career years before Ben Affleck tapped him to play Bubba Rogowski in "Gone Baby Gone" (2007). A few years later, he was back on screen as Albert "Gloansy" Magloan in "The Town" (2010).
George Carroll, known as Slaine, is a Boston born rapper and actor.
CBS Boston
He released his first solo album in 2011. He says that his music always reflected his experiences. In 2014, newly sober, those experiences-and his lyrics-began to change. George was on the "pink cloud" of recovery and eager to help as many other people as possible. When peers saw that he was sober, they began reaching out to him to ask how he did it. "I started to go and look for options for people to get help," he said. "And over time I realized it's so nuanced and there are so many variables. It's not a one-size-fits-all thing."
George also began to confront the personal issues at the heart of his dependence on alcohol and drugs. Substances, he learned, were just the tip of the iceberg. "For anybody who stays sober long-term, over time you'll eventually have to get to what's underneath the surface," he said.
Opening recovery centers in Massachusetts
For him, there were traumas that he never dealt with, occasional depression, and anxiety. Attending to his own mental health led to a realization that what people needed in recovery was not always easily available. He and a group of investor-friends set out to change that.
In 2022, they opened Charles River Recovery in Weston, an in-patient facility that offers what George felt was missing. He describes it as elite, inclusive clinical care. For insurance purposes, the facility is in-network and accepts Medicaid. "One of the things I'm really passionate about is building teams and brands," he says. "I'm not a doctor. I'm not a therapist. I'm not a clinician. But finding the best people for these roles and kind of putting them together and bringing that to life...that's what makes me wake up every day."
He and the same team of investors have now opened Grand Rising in Norwood, an out-patient center with an emphasis on creative, expressive arts therapy. George often leads group sessions in a room designed for comfort. Artwork, soft colors, natural light and cushy chairs create an atmosphere of calm. There is enough seating to accommodate half and full-day sessions for up to 16 clients.
Connection and compassion
George points to that time together as especially valuable. "I think we find connection and compassion and empathy when we're together in a setting like this," he said.
A client named Robbie agrees. Robbie, who chose not to give his last name, describes a transformation he could not have imagined seven months earlier. Diagnosed with ADHD at 40, he also lived with persistent anxiety. He describes brushing it off with an "old-school mentality" that he did not need therapy. Despite his wife's suggestion that he consider it, he says that he was determined to handle his mental health challenges himself. A few years later, the weight was crushing. "Hundreds of pounds of pressure on your shoulders. It's just uncomfortable-an uncomfortable feeling holding it all in," Robbie said.
His sister, who knows George, encouraged him to call Grand Rising. He reluctantly agreed and, hoping that no one would answer, he called the center on a Saturday. The conversation he had that day set in motion, what he now describes, as a life-changing step toward better health. "It was an awesome conversation," he said.
Since then, he has learned skills to cope with his anxiety and he openly talks about issues in individual and group therapy sessions. An unexpected benefit are his new friendships--people of different ages and backgrounds whose life experiences now enhance his own. "We all try to help each other out," he explains. "Now I have, you know, a friend from a different country that I never would have met." He says that, for the first time in years, he feels that he can breathe. Someday soon he hopes that mental health care will be as common and routine as an annual checkup.
As George leads a tour of the center, pointing out the family room and the clinical spaces, he says that what brings him joy now is seeing people get better. A naturally shy person, he says that connecting with people gives him purpose. His sense of personal satisfaction coincides his professional success.
What's next
Less than a year after his role in "Joker: Folie a Deux," George is in two films set for release in late 2025, "King Ivory" (about the fentanyl trade) and "The Running Man" (a remake of the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger film) with Glen Powell.
His next record, "A New state of Grace" comes out in the fall. Right now, he is living his dream and life is good.
"All that stuff I told myself-that I need a drug or a drink to be this alternate version? It's a lie. I have creativity in me, and I have a lot of focus doing things I love to do," he said. "Now I'm able to wake up every day and be a good father, a good friend, and hopefully a good member of this community."
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