Guest Chante Colvin (NCPSS) joins host Jared Miler (CASUDC) to share her incredible recovery journey. Chante starts by clarifying that today she places her mental health above everything else! She shares how she grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah with her biological parents who both struggled with untreated mental health challenges & how she didn't know anything different. Chante reflects on how her substance use went from occasional/recreational to daily/dependent after the deaths of her father & her significant other of eight years. She bravely shares how her substance use eventually led to homelessness, being physically assaulted, sex work, overdoses, & incarceration. Chante was given the opportunity to attend treatment in Southern Utah. She shares how she has been able to turn her life around. Today, she works at High Desert Counseling as a National Certified Peer Support Specialist. She is over client relations & trains case managers/peer support specialists. In 2022, she was asked to be one of the speakers at the "Not For Sale" event put on by Soup2Hope to help sex workers know there are resources & a way out. Chante expressed that not enough people talk about this part of addiction because of the shame associated with it. She shared, "I realized that I could not hate myself & live a life in recovery at the same time". This is a very powerful, courageous, & raw episode of how Chante Colvin was able to transform herself, we hope you enjoy it! *If you know anyone who could benefit from the content of this podcast please share it with them, that is what it is all about.