Sharing Your Recovery Story

There is someone out there who needs to hear your story. Be the person you wish you had when you were in their situation.

The ways of telling your recovery story are as various as the stories themselves. The message can be conveyed through the lyrics of a song as easily as through a podcast. The people watching your flip-card tale in a Facebook post will be touched in the same way as someone hearing you bare your soul in a TikTok video. As you know, being in substance use recovery is difficult. Knowing others have been in your shoes is an important part of enduring and being successful. Knowing that it is possible to go from addiction to recovery and enjoy a sober, happy life is a light at the end of the tunnel for so many just starting their journey. Mark’s key responsibilities include handling day-to-day maintenance matters and oversees our Environment of Care management plan in conjunction with Joint Commission and DCF regulations.

The Benefits of Sharing Your Recovery Story

Us humans are skeptical, and we want proof that someone else has been able to make it to the other side of their struggle successfully. Whether you’re in recovery or not, never be afraid or ashamed to share your experience, strength and hope with someone because it just might give them hope and potentially change their life. Like I said above, the philosophy of Alcoholics Anonymous is pure genius. Because I’ve seen the philosophy work an endless amount of times in scenarios that have nothing to do with alcoholism or drug addiction. I’ve had many people in my life discuss life issues with me such as the loss of a loved one, loss of a job, financial troubles and every other type of problem you can imagine. Without even mentioning my alcohol or drug addiction, sharing my experience, strength and hope about the situation often allows us to connect on the subject. I didn’t have those people and maybe you didn’t either.

Being truthful about your post-addiction experiences may help others who are also struggling with things like depression, anxiety, or who are struggling to re-define their new reality in sobriety. Take a second and think about the person you sharing your story in recovery were when you first walked through the doors of a rehab facility. If you were like most individuals in early recovery, you were probably anxious about what treatment would hold for you and the kind of person you would be when you left.

Be Proud: Share Your Story in Recovery

In 2008, he was recognized by the Praed Foundation as a national “Systems Champion” for implementing a statewide children’s assessment for DCS. He also received the Friend of Children Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010 from Tennessee Voices for Children after seven years on their board. Randal was also recognized in both 2000 and in 2015 as Professional of the Year by the Middle Tennessee chapter of the National Association for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors . Randal Lea, our Chief Community Recovery Officer is a licensed addictions counselor with 30 years of clinical and administrative experience. Your gift to Cumberland Heights through our annual and capital initiates gives immediate support to patients and their families.

• They will walk away lamenting their own similar stories, rather than embracing the joy they have discovered in sobriety.
• Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
• It’s impossible to tell your story without including this moment of clarity.
• Getting into the nitty gritty of our stories is hard when we have to highlight the stuff we did for addiction.
• Sharing your story with others makes your recovery more real.

Her experience includes accounting and finance training. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. In the event of a medical emergency, call a doctor or 911 immediately. This website does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, physicians, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned on the Site. Reliance on any information provided by this website is solely at your own risk.

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If your family played a role in getting you into treatment, make sure to share that. Some people recovering from addiction may have only initially entered treatment at the urging of their family members or friends. If you want to share all those details with another sober living resident, they may be better suited for a one-on-one conversation. Ideally, the amount of time you spend sharing your recovery story should not last longer than 20 to 25 minutes, if you’re sharing at a 12-Step meeting. The action of telling your story can help others that are struggling with substance abuse or mental health-related issues. A person may be feeling anxious about entering into treatment and knowing what to expect for the road ahead, but your story can bring them peace. They will be reminded that they are not alone and can make it through recovery to find a happy life in sobriety.

• You may have spent years deceiving and causing stress, so don’t expect to rebuild relationships overnight.
• You may or may not wish to share more than your choice not to drink at this time.
• In addition to working for Cumberland Heights, Dr. Sledge is an assistant professor at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine.
• This could include the name of the drugs you were using, the behaviors you were engaging in, and the consequences you faced.
• Offer some recommendations based on your own success while keeping in mind that everyone’s recovery is different.