[Podcast] Becoming a Shadow of Myself

Johnny Allison’s substance use started as a way to cope with the trauma of war and chaos of military life. His recovery started as a way to become the soldier and person he knew he was and could be. Today, he is a Veteran, SMART Facilitator, and the Lead of the SMART UK Veterans Program.

In this podcast, Johnny talks about:

• What motivated him to join the British Army
• The ties between his boxing career and serving in the military
• Why his substance use started and not understanding what was happening
• How the COVID isolation affected his mental health and well being
• How he was becoming a shadow of himself
• His drive and commitment to finally getting help
• Finding SMART and how it helped him manage his thoughts, feelings, and behaviors
• Why he wanted to become a facilitator
• Creating the 1^st Annual International Veterans and First Responders Webinar
• The best things about attending a Veterans meeting

Additional resources:

• SMART USA Veterans & First Responders
• SMART Toolbox

• Apple iTunes
• Google Play
• Spotify
• iHeartRadio
• RadioPublic
• The SMART Recovery YouTube channel

Click here to find all of SMART Recovery’s podcasts

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SMART Recovery welcomes comments on our blog posts—we enjoy hearing from you! In the interest of maintaining a respectful and safe community atmosphere, we ask that you adhere to the following guidelines when making or responding to others’ comments, regardless of your point of view. Thank you.

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If you are interested in addiction recovery support, we encourage you to visit the SMART Recovery website.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

If you or someone you love is in great distress and considering self-harm, please call 911 for immediate help, or reach out to 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline @ 988, https://988lifeline.org/

We look forward to you joining the conversation!

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