RICK AMATO SEEMS LIKE AN ORDINARY MAN. AN ORDINARY MAN THAT OVERCAME INSURMOUNTABLE ODDS TO ACCOMPLISH HISTORIC DEEDS. AS A FORMER EVANGELIST, HIS MISSIONARY WORK IN RUSSIA, CUBA, CHINA, AND MANY OTHER NATIONS IS LEGENDARY AMONG EVANGELICALS. HE HAS SPOKEN IN OVER 1400 CHURCHES OF ALL DENOMINATIONS AND PACKED STADIUMS AND THEATERS–LIKE THE VIRGINIA BEACH AMPHITHEATER, WHERE ON AN EASTER SUNDAY, 17,000 PEOPLE HEARD HIM THE DAY AFTER THE FAMOUS ROCK GROUP AEROSMITH PERFORMED. AMATO LIKES TO POINT OUT, “WE HAD MORE THAN THEM …BUT OUR GIG WAS FREE!”

RICK AMATO HAS SPOKEN TO MORE PEOPLE THROUGH MEDIA AND FACE TO FACE ABOUT ADDICTION THAN ANY OTHER LIVING PERSON IN HISTORY. THE DYNAMIC FEELING A PERSON GETS WHEN HE IS SPEAKING IS “NOW HERE’S A PERSON WHO KNOWS WHAT HE IS TALKING ABOUT….A MAN WITH REAL ANSWERS.” AMATO’S WORLD-RENOWN EXPERTISE CAME AT NO SMALL COST. PEOPLE WHO HAVE HEARD HIM DESCRIBE HIS PASSION AND HUMOROUS KNOWLEDGE ABOUT ADDICTION LIKE THIS: “IT’S AS IRRESISTIBLE AS IT IS CONFRONTATIONAL.”

WHEN ASKED HOW MUCH OF HIS CUTTING-EDGE KNOWLEDGE AND INSATIABLE APPETITE FOR KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE SUBJECT CAME FROM HIS MASTER’S DEGREE IN ADDICTION PSYCHOLOGY, AMATO SAID, “THE IMPETUS BEHIND THE LITTLE I KNOW, AND I DO KNOW A LITTLE, IS FROM THE OVERWHELMING PERSONAL SUFFERING I ENDURED IN ACTIVE ADDICTION. I’M REALLY JUST ONE BEGGAR TELLING ANOTHER BEGGAR WHERE HE FOUND SOME BREAD.” AND AMATO HAS TOLD A LOT OF BEGGARS.

RECENTLY, AT THE FIRST TOWN HALL ON THE OPIOID CRISIS, AMATO SPOKE BEFORE 9000 UNIVERSITY STUDENTS PRECEDING THE ADDRESS ON THE SUBJECT BY THE FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES, MELANIA TRUMP. HE HAS ADDRESSED OVER ONE MILLION TEENAGERS GLOBALLY ON THE SUBJECT INCLUDING HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF AMERICAN PUBLIC SCHOOL KIDS ON HIS FAMOUS MESSAGE, THE POWER OF A CHOICE.