When Tiffany Irvin lost her five children to child protective services, she was at the height of her addiction to opioids. It took her two years to get them back, an agonizing period made longer she says by not having any support to get sober.

Irvin is now seven years into her recovery and leads a team of “peer recovery coaches” who have also overcome their own addictions and now help others looking for recovery. Unlike traditional treatment programs that stress abstinence, Irvin’s team at Minnesota Recovery Connection helps people achieve a recovery they define for themselves.

With no easy and effective treatment for substance use disorder, policy makers are increasingly looking beyond abstinence-focused programs to confront a disease that afflicts millions of Americans.

This week, Irvin shares her own story and explains how peer recovery coaches “honor all pathways to recovery.”