174: How Peer Recovery Support Changed His Course with Justin Larson
b'On this episode of The Addicted Mind Podcast, Duane speaks with Justin Larson, the director of health systems for Thrive Peer Recovery, as he shares his story about his alcoholism and recovery.\\nJustin was diagnosed with depression at the young age of eight. He was feeling fearful and anxious all the time until that time he picked up a drink and it just made all of those go away. At that moment, he fell in love with alcohol. Soon, it became his best friend that later controlled his life.\\xa0\\nDrinking became his number one coping mechanism. For him, it was the missing link to life, having found the one thing that enabled him to cope with life. From about the age of 15 to 32, what started out as this magic elixir that gave him the courage and made him feel whole, slowly turned into a necessity that he couldn\\u2019t go without. Alcohol slowly turned down on him.\\nIt reached a point in Justin\\u2019s life where he ran out of options for dealing with all his pain. He found himself in such a dark place that the only thing he could do was attempt suicide. Fortunately, Justin decided to seek treatment.\\xa0\\nJustin saw the value of peer recovery support because it assured him that he was not alone. Having gone through hell and clawed his way out of it, he wanted to pay it forward by helping others, who are going through the same path, claw their way out of the deep pit, too.\\nIn this episode, you will hear:\\n\\nBeing diagnosed with depression at age 8\\n\\nThe decision to seek treatment\\n\\nThe importance of peer recovery support\\n\\nWhat makes being with a peer unique\\n\\nThe difference between a peer supporter and a counselor or therapist\\n\\nThe role of a peer supporter\\n\\nKey Quotes:\\n[09:37] - "That\'s a dangerous place to be in when I will do anything possible to get that next drink."\\n[11:13] - \\u201cThe alcohol was my best friend since I picked it up at a young age.\\u201d\\n[21:51] - "I went through hell and clawed my way out of it. And I want to be able to lend my hand to others to help them get out of that, too."\\n[23:47] "It\'s a very organic conversation that comes up between a peer and a peer recovery supporter. It\'s that identification piece that the peer can relate to the peer recovery supporter.\\u201d\\n[28:12] - \\u201cIt\'s part of that clinical team. But it\'s a non-clinical role that sometimes fills the void."\\n[31:37] - "There\'s no greater high than helping others."\\n[32:06] - \\u201cHold on, it gets better. I know what you\'re going through. I\'ve been there myself. It seems like there\'s no options, and there\'s no way out."\\n[32:28] - "Please accept the help. Please be willing to make a change. I know it\'s scary. It was for me. But it\'s so worth it."\\nSubscribe and Review\\nHave you subscribed to our podcast? We\\u2019d love for you to subscribe if you haven\\u2019t yet.\\xa0\\nWe\\u2019d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select \\u201cRatings and Reviews\\u201d and \\u201cWrite a Review\\u201d then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.\\nIf you really enjoyed this episode, we\\u2019ve created a PDF that has all of the key information for you from the episode. Just go to the episode page at www.theaddictedmind.com\\xa0to download it.\\nSupporting Resources:\\nThrive Peer Support\\nEpisode Credits\\nIf you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.\\n\\n\\nSupport this podcast at \\u2014 https://redcircle.com/the-addicted-mind-podcast/donations\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices'