There is HOPE

By Keaton S.

 

There is HOPE

"Recovery is a process. It takes time. It takes patience. It takes everything you've got." 



Whether a person is new to recovery or a person has tried one or more pathways to recovery, the path to recovery is hard. No one single pathway or recovery option is for everyone. While the path of recovery may be bumpy, there is HOPE!


Everyone’s journey through recovery looks different and with the endless options available to people in all stages of recovery, this can be intimidating. A person doesn’t need to take on this monumental decision alone. Peer Support Specialists offer a  range of activities, services and interactions between people who share similar experiences of being diagnosed with mental health conditions, substance use disorders, or both. By sharing their own lived experience and practical guidance, peer support workers help people to develop their own goals, create strategies for self-­‐empowerment, and take concrete steps towards building fulfilling, self-­‐determined lives for themselves.


What do Peer Supports do?


Some examples of how Peers can help include:

  • Inspire hope that people can and do recover; 

  • Walk with people on their recovery journeys; 

  • Dispel myths about what it means to have a mental health condition or substance use disorder; 

  • Provide self-­‐help education and link people to tools and resources; and 

  • Support people in identifying their goals, hopes, and dreams, and creating a roadmap for getting there.


Peer support workers bring their own personal knowledge of what it is like to live and thrive with mental health conditions and substance use disorders. They support people’s progress towards recovery and self-­‐determined lives by sharing vital information and real examples of the power of recovery. The sense of mutuality created through thoughtful sharing of experience is influential in modeling recovery and offering hope.


Colorado, USA

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