Phil Valentine: CCAR, Putting a Face on Recovery, and Contagious Recovery

#66: This week we welcome Phil Valentine, a person in recovery, cancer survivor, Appalachian trail thru hiker, author, fisherman, and the Executive Director of the Connecticut Community of Addiction Recovery (CCAR). Now 35 years into his recovery, Phil tells us that the best is yet to come, and each day is beyond anything he could imagine in his wildest dreams. Listen to hear our conversation, including:

- The importance of emotional awareness for your recovery, and how we can gain power over our emotions by simply identifying them
- Recovery coaching, and how being able to take on others' emotions is a delicate practice
- How CCAR trains their coaches to actively listen, ask good questions, and treat folks as a resource. CCAR is now in 31 our of 32 emergency departments in Connecticut, and they work in community centers, jails & prisons, and over the phone
- Putting a face on recovery to help folks maintain and sustain recovery
- Be curious, don't condemn: the importance of multiple pathways and having compassion for folks who recover differently from you
- Challenging the use of the term 'peer' in peer recovery coach
- Phil's journey on the Appalachian trail in 2015 after being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, and how it led him to write his book “Continue - Right Click on the AP Trail”
- Recovery is contagious! And we need recovery 'carriers' to demonstrate that recovery is possible and acceptable

To learn more about CCAR, check out https://ccar.us/

Check out Phil's book “Continue - Right Click on the AP Trail” HERE

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If you or a loved one is experiencing a mental health or substance use related crisis, the following resources can provide immediate help.*

If you are experiencing a medical/mental health emergency, dial 911.

• Dial 988 for the SAMSHA Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.  Available 24/7
• Text “HOME” to 741-741 for the NAMI Crisis Text Line.  Available 24/7
• Dial 1-800-622-2255 to connect with a nearby treatment center & community resources through NCADD Hope Line. Available 24/7
• Call/text 1-844-326-5400 for The GSCA CARES Warm Line.  Answered by Certified Addiction Recovery Empowerment Specialists with lived experience of SUD.  Available any day of the year, 8:30am-11pm EST

*Note: The resources listed are provided for informational purposes only.  This list is not comprehensive and does not constitute an endorsement by The Phoenix or the Rise Recover Live Podcast.
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