Archive for January, 2023

Meet Jose!

Our Peer Leads are dedicated to supporting recovery journeys, all while balancing busy personal schedules and commitments!

January’s Peer Lead spotlight, Jose, has been involved with Recovery Beyond since 2018.

Jose elaborates on why he has remained a supporter of Recovery Beyond for so many years, “I truly believe in this group and the purpose behind it. The community and the relationships that have been built. It gives you the feeling that we are not alone and that is very comforting.”

We are thankful for Jose’s warm personality and his ability to make anyone feel comfortable. Keep reading to learn more about Jose’s story.

Read more from our conversation with Jose

What motivates you? 

Breaking chains is my motivation!

Teaching people to break those cycles and free themselves from the captivity and suffering of substance abuse. Growing up I lived in a household where drug and alcohol abuse, domestic violence were very “normal”.

My motivation is to completely shatter and obliterate the notion that that is a normal way of life. To show by example and to teach my kids and others that it is in fact not normal and that there is so much more in life to truly live for and strive for. To provide that safe place where they can actually be kids and allow themselves to truly live out their childhood and nurture all that comes with that.

Breaking those cycles is my motivation!

Anything you’d like to share about your recovery story or yourself? 

Too much to write here! I’ll try and keep it short. It’s been quite the journey, humbling, challenging, heartbreaking and so uplifting.

A true roller coaster of emotions to say the least BUT I stand behind this saying, the best gift I have ever given myself in my journey through recovery is the ability to feel.

The raw emotion of every moment as it comes, to live in those moments as hard or as beautiful as they may be, that right there is the sweet spot. Honoring them for what they are and growing with those moments. Life on life’s terms.

How do you balance your busy personal life?

LOTS AND LOTS of prayer!

No joke, being centered in my Higher Power, my Savior; Yeshua has kept me grounded and balanced through it all. I cannot begin to tell you the many ways God has shown up in my life and there are many times that I reach a breaking point.

I have to stay connected to Him because I’ve tried to live life without Him and well, we know how that turned out!

What have been your favorite Recovery Beyond activities?

It’s hard to choose one event, the hikes have always been the center of the deepest conversations and connections I’ve experienced with Recovery Beyond, the bike rides were so much fun too because I LOVE biking, the river float for Scott’s birthday! That one was so much fun too!

Every time I attend an event there is excitement to see my people and after every event there is so much contentment and satisfaction, reflection and perspective from others’ points of view too.

I am so blessed to be a part of this group!!

———-

Jose is part of our Peer Advisory Board. You can read more about him on our Team page.

My name is Kamaria Benge and I am happy to be a Peer Lead because I get to help others learn how to live life again.

In my recovery, I did all the right things. I managed a Recovery House, went to meetings, saw my counselor regularly, met with a peer counselor, and even became a peer counselor myself.

I loved the empowerment I got from being responsible again and was enthralled to have my daughter back in my life and have my family start to trust me again, but I was still missing something.

Then my coworker invited me to Recovery Beyond event. All of a sudden I knew what I was missing – experiencing life while connecting with others!

I got to go kayaking for the first time, and it was amazing! I tried boxing, and it was a blast. Just recently I tried bouldering. I thought I wouldn’t be able to climb the walls or wouldn’t like it, but it was so much fun!

Having someone there to support you when you get scared or self-doubt yourself makes it better and having someone to share in the experience is priceless!

I want to share the experience with the world, especially those who are familiar with the negatives in this world, like me.

I have overcome homelessness, substance use, and having no faith or hope. And now I have my own place, a car, my daughter, and best of all, hope, faith, and love 🙂

About the image: Myself, my daughter, and my husband on the Recovery Day at the Mariners. This was the day I got to watch my daughter go from hating going to the game and being grumpy, to smiling, having fun, and begging to go back again. That right there is why I joined RB.. to see that memorable moment reach more people.