Ryan Perry traces his path from trauma, grief, depression, and painkiller use to opioid addiction, devastating losses, and three overdoses. Recovery began when he stopped waiting to be saved and focused on accountability and one small decision at a time - a lived-experience story for Recovery Month.

Shelly-Anne McKay looked successful while alcohol, drugs, food, work, and achievement helped her survive a nervous system that never felt safe. After 12 recovery attempts, she stopped asking what was wrong with her and began asking what her coping was trying to solve.

John Makohen argues that lived experience is not a soft extra in addiction counseling—it is a skill set. Drawing from homelessness, heroin use, and sex work, he explains how lived experience builds trust, reads risk, and guides clients, while demanding supervision, disclosure training, career paths, and equal pay.