At 4 years sober, I thought I understood everything there was to know about substance use. I thought I had the compassion necessary to be of maximum help. I had learned the language of abstinence, where everything between the first high and entering sobriety was dead space. Space where there was no solution, where if a person is harming their body every day, their holistic health couldn’t really be managed. Everything could be addressed once they just stopped.

How a Career in the Behavioral Health Field Helped Launch My Recovery

My first job in sobriety was as a server in a restaurant in Asheville, North Carolina. I was not particularly good at it, nor was I motivated to improve. It was clear that food service wasn’t my calling. After a few weeks, I learned that a local youth wilderness therapy program was hiring field staff and I jumped at the opportunity. When they offered me a position for the summer, they must have been desperately short staffed. I was 23 years old, on an indefinite break from my bachelor’s degree, fresh out of rehab and still living in a halfway house. I did, however, possess one intangible quality that set me apart from the other instructor; I could relate to the clients.

In the heat and sunshine of summer, it can be difficult to navigate socializing and sobriety. With all the barbeques, live music, pride parades, and pool parties, there are many challenges for people in recovery. While it is always an option not to attend some events that may be too triggering, it is equally important to find a way to gather and celebrate life. A helpful tip that people often learn early in recovery is to always have your own transportation and bring your own beverages. Summer, however, allows for physically active gatherings which are less focused on sitting and drinking. Finding these activities can keep your body and mind busy enough to avoid potentially tempting situations. Swimming, fishing, dancing, and cooking are all wonderful ways to enjoy community with a focus on something other than “partying”. Gathering with our recovery communities is a great building block to learn how to socialize without chemical assistance. But most people in recovery have family and friends that are not sober. If events with your loved ones are centered around substance use (alcohol or otherwise), you can always be the one to organize an alternative event to enjoy one another in a different setting. A single support person can be all you need to try something new or dip your toe into what you used to love.

When we talk about recovery, we talk about higher powers, reconciliation, mental health, and even root causes. One thing we often neglect is the importance of bodily health. This is something addicts think about as a negative often times. The phrase I heard myself saying was “Well, I don’t expect to live to 30 anyway”.

But that’s not realistic. Not only statistically, but even if it were true, quality of life is very important, and entirely tied to physical health. The funny part is how easy physical health is. It’s only about 2 things: inputs and outputs. What I put into my body. And what I do with the energy that stuff produces.

Harm Reduction Is More Than Just Narcan

Harm reduction isn’t limited to Narcan—it includes something as simple and powerful as breathing. And by breathing, we don’t just mean in moments of crisis when someone needs another person to breathe for them. We also mean the kind of breath someone takes when they’re pausing, grounding themselves, or just trying to make it through the day.

Harm reduction is broad. It’s peer support and honest conversation, education and connection. It’s test strips, Narcan, gloves, breathing masks, and programs like AA, Al-Anon, NA, YPAA, and Nar-Anon.. It’s also wilderness programs and residential treatment centers. All of these are tools that meet people where they are.