How I Found My Path and Purpose
My name is Jose and I’m a person in recovery from addiction - or the accepted phrase today is Substance Use Disorder (SUD). If you're anyone like me, you might have been faced with the same dilemma - does my addiction and subsequent recovery define me? Twelve step fellowships, like Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous, asks us “Who is an addict/alcoholic?” in their literature and culture. I - like many - struggled with this question. Yes, I am a person in recovery, but I can’t let this definition dictate my liberation from addiction. So, rather than ask who am I, I question and meditate on what my purpose in life is.
Why am I here? Why did I initiate recovery? And what do I do from here?
I’ve spent a lot of time wrestling with these questions and searching for myself. For so long, I had no clue on how to live life outside of using and misusing drugs and alcohol. I had no clue on how to live life. Prior to recovery, my work experience and social life was centered around substances and addiction, a life I refuse to go back to. For the sake of my recovery, I had to let go of my old life, old so-called friends and routines. Letting go wasn’t as hard as I thought it to be, my fortitude drives my will to succeed and overcome the fear I had of the unknown.
I also realized that I was letting my idea of being a person with a history of SUD overshadow my potential for being who I am today. There’s a saying in AA that goes “You can only keep what you have by giving it away.” For a long time, I didn’t understand what this meant. What is it that I need to give away? Who do I give it to? Today I understand, my lived experience, strength and hope as a person in recovery is what I can offer.
Being a person in recovery and a professional in this field means so much to me today. I am currently working as a Counselor Intern for CURA, Inc., an agency for treating folks with Substance Use Disorder. In my role as a counselor, I finally found what I’ve been searching for. Everyday, I’m able to give back what was given to me, which was hope and understanding of addiction and recovery.
I love my job as a counselor, yet I wanted to continue helping people once they completed treatment. I felt like we were failing these people once they completed their inpatient stay. I wanted to help people continue to sustain their recovery, so I decided to become a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist (CPRS) or a recovery coach. As a CPRS, I can continue to help people who are in recovery utilizing tools I have learned from Mainstream Recovery. I’m able to provide support, encouragement, guidance and resources to my peers. I get to be part of a person’s recovery journey as an advocate. I can show a person how to live life and use their voice in a strength-based and empowering way. As a person in recovery, life is not easy and support can sometimes be lacking; oftentimes, a person thinks that giving up is so much easier than undertaking recovery alone. As a CPRS, I’m here to fight the battle with people utilizing what I have learned from Mainstream Recovery, like the dimensions of wellness, recovery planning, recovery capital, motivational interviewing, and so much more.
There’s nothing like having a strong support system that understands a person’s needs and is capable of helping them achieve their goals at their own pace. Mainstream Recovery has taught me there are many pathways for recovery and options are not limited to treatment centers and anonymous programs; there are a multitude of different recovery pathways that can fit a person’s needs, wants, ideas, culture and personality. As a CPRS, I found that I can help people with all different backgrounds and support them how they need to.
The only way to keep what you have is by giving it away.
I finally understand. We do recover and recovery is possible, and I want to help others pave their own recovery pathway.
About The Author
Jose Gonzalez is a person in recovery since 2017, a counselor intern at CURA, Inc. and is currently finishing up his hours to be a CPRS. He is a Peer Recovery Coach Intern with the PEERS program at Mainstream Recovery. Jose is currently studying for a career in Substance Use Disorder and mental health counseling. As part of his internship, he will be providing recovery services to participants of the NJ Recovery Court in Passaic County. In his free time, he enjoys traveling and taking scenic pictures of the world - especially Italy, Spain and Puerto Rico. He adores his nieces and nephews and his dream is to one day provide recovery support nationwide.