top of page
John Makohen
Writer
author
More actions
Join date: Dec 30, 2025
About
John is a certified recovery coach and peer advocate, and uses his personal experiences in recovery and professional skills to empower and support people on their recovery journey. He has over 16 years of experience in substance abuse counseling, recovery coaching, and harm reduction. In addition to his clinical work, John is passionate about education and content creation in the field of addiction recovery. He is the co-founder and COO of Educational Enhancement, an online addiction counseling education and training program that offers 350-hour CASAC training and CASAC renewal hours.
Overview
First Name
John Makohen
Posts (17)
Aug 6, 2026 ∙ 6 min
The Future of Substance Use Harm Reduction
John Makohen combines lived experience and counseling expertise to argue that harm reduction is survival, not surrender. Naloxone, fentanyl test strips, medications, and overdose prevention centers keep people alive, reduce harm, and connect them with care.
10
0
Jul 25, 2026 ∙ 5 min
Lived Experience Is the Credential Nobody Gives You a Certificate For In Substance Use Counseling
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.
31
0
Jun 13, 2026 ∙ 5 min
Substance Use Disorder Runs in Families (Genetics). Here's What Turns Risk Into Reality
John Makohen emphasizes the importance of family history of substance use disorder without viewing genetics as fate. Citing research on genetic liability across substances, he explains how inherited vulnerability interacts with trauma, stress, sleep issues, pain, access, and social factors and describes practical ways to build healthier responses to daily stress triggers.
23
0
bottom of page