In the latest issue of the Phoenix Spirit, a publication focused on well-being, is a story about Randy Anderson, a man who went “From Addict to Mentor.”
The Path to Sobriety
Anderson was deep into drug use and drug sales at the time of his arrest. Years of prison followed. But it wasn’t until he met with a particularly “hard-nosed” counselor that he finally found a path to sobriety and advocacy for others like him.
Anderson is perhaps most passionate about training other recovering users like himself to be peer counselors. Offering peer counseling services, he believes, is one of the simplest, least expensive, and most accessible ways to address drug addiction. He even helped get state legislation passed to fund peer counseling services in some treatment settings.
Though recent studies seem to show most people with addiction, that doesn’t mean that is easy. But that’s where peer counselors, also called Peer Recovery Specialists, like Randy Anderson now is, can help.
“We want to find out what you think is best for you and to pull that out of you,” says Anderson. “I just want people to be successful. I don’t want people to suffer. I want people to get the help, no matter what that looks like for them.”
Peer Recovery Specialists
Canvas Health offers Peer Recovery Specialists and has found similar stories of success made through this service, like a female client who utilized all available services and had notable success in treatment, including continued care throughout the transition process into MCF-Shakopee. As a result of our collaborative treatment, and her commitment to change, and continued advocacy from a Peer Recovery Specialist, she was afforded opportunities leading to a reduced sentence (nearly 4 years) and entrance into the MCF Challenge Incarceration Program which can help the client rejoin her young daughter.
Sobriety has been even more challenging for people during the pandemic. Canvas Health continues to offer counseling and treatment for clients in person and via telehealth for our community.
Learn more about Canvas Health’s substance abuse program and make an appointment for a chemical health assessment or chemical health treatment.