Long time pals Greg and Alvin discuss how the beginning of the recovery process is vital for addicts to make decisions. During early recovery, addicts heads can be cloudy and they often need to be guided on what steps to take next. Sometimes they even help discerning a good decision from a bad one. This is where Alvin steps in to share his experience and hopefully positively affect a newly recovering addict

Lionel first got sober at 27 and relapsed after nine years in AA. He had a house, car, and good job but lost it all due to substance abuse. Greg and Lionel talk about his time at Crossroads East and how he is now a licenced substance abuse counselor. Listen to Lionel share his story of loss and triumph in and out of AA.

Kym is a group facilitator and peer at Crossroads Extension. She hit her bottom after living under a stairwell at her place of work; Now, she and her boyfriend are thinking about buying a house. Greg and Kym talk about the humor in addiction and recovery, albeit sometimes dark. Kym took comedy and acting classes and often performs stand up. She will be performing stand up at the HA convention on Saturday, July 15th.

Christin is an old Crossroads employee with 5 years sober. She currently works at Art of Our Soul which is an art studio that focuses on healing trauma through painting and listening to music. Christin has experienced trauma herself, stemming from her childhood. Greg and Christin talk about how childhood trauma can carry over to the behaviors and chaos in our adult lives, including addiction.

Our new Executive Director Chris Riley and Greg talk about a brief history of Crossroads. Chris is a veteran who picked up a drinking habit in the military. He went to Crossroads in 2005 when it was a halfway house and has been sober since. Chris beat homelessness, drug addiction, and alcoholism all thanks to Crossroads.

Crossroads executive director, Lee Pioske, retires on June 1st. This is a very special episode and Lee's last one as a Crossroads employee. Greg and Lee talk about his time at Crossroads, the upcoming changes, and the overall landscape of addiction and recovery. Thank you for the 25 years of service Lee!!

Wes Tharp has been with Crossroads for 5 years and is the maintenance warehouse manager. He came from a family of addicts and was in and out of prison from 19-27. After getting shot and living at a homeless shelter, he found the recovery community. Greg and Wes discuss Crossroads’ peer driven treatment and the benefits of emulating the recovery of someone that has what you want. Wes found a home and a career at Crossroads.

Daniel Banuelos is a Crossroads Community Outpatient navigator. He provides case management for clients, supplying them with resources, life skills, mental health support, and more. Daniel came full circle because it was an outpatient navigator from Crossroads that helped him get back on his feet. Daniel is an ex-gang member, who started with drugs and alcohol at a very early age. Listen to Daniel’s incredible story on how he turned his life around with the help from Crossroads.

Bobby Elvira and Greg talk about how wonderful our kitchen training program can be for clients transitioning from aftercare. Bobby is a military veteran who was kicked out for partying. He then spent numerous months homeless and addicted to drugs and alcohol. When he finally hit his bottom, he decided to "let go and let God." He had a spiritual experience at Crossroads, which changed his outlook of life and recovery.

Josh Snyder and Greg sit down to talk about the “beauty of desperation” and how service to others can get you out of your head. Josh has been in recovery 8 years and has had various clinical jobs around Crossroads, where he continues to be of service to others. They also talk about how the recovery community and rehabs are saturated with drug addicts, and how it was uncomfortable to navigate that world as an alcoholic. Making sure he doesn’t succumb to the better than or terminally unique mentalities.