Eugene Barnes: Ballet, Healing & Digging into Recovery

#73: This week we have the privilege to hear from Eugene Barnes (he/him). A Baltimore city native, Eugene is a person in long-term recovery and the Volunteer Coordinator for The Phoenix-DFW. Eugene started dancing at 11 years old and immediately fell in love with ballet. At 17, he accepted his first contract with a ballet company and spent 18 years dancing professionally. From his esteemed career as a professional dancer, to later working at a treatment center and then at The Phoenix, Eugene has adapted to many different spaces throughout his life. Tune into the episode to hear more from Eugene', including:

- How once we start digging into community and embracing a new life, old habits start to "fall off like apples on a tree."
- How his decision on his own to quit smoking after 14 years truly revealed to him the power of addiction.
- For him, the longer he's been in recovery, the shorter his tolerance is for things that no longer serve him, and how liberating this feels.
- Eugene's life as a ballet dancer, and the unique world in which he found himself engulfed by.
- How ballet, the entity that had once saved him, began to no longer serve him and his difficult decision to leave a life on stage.
- The story of how he decided to go to rehab, and how his mom confronted him honestly and with love, rather than judgment.
- His experience in rehab, and how hearing other folk's stories helped him heal and later inspired him to work as an Aftercare Specialist at the treatment center.
- Understanding that no one knows all the answers, and we have to let people in to allow them to contribute to the space alongside us.
- His message to his younger self: remember to love yourself and let go of people, places, and things that cause mental and spiritual harm.

To learn more about Eugene, follow him on Instagram.

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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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Learn more about The Phoenix, sign up for classes, or become a volunteer at https://thephoenix.org/ .

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