Alicia Renegar is a Certified Addiction Peer Recovery Coach and SMART Facilitator in Columbus, Indiana. As a gay woman, she faced much adversity and discrimination throughout her life. She shares how she has turned this negativity into strength and is helping others on their path to recovery.
In this podcast, she talks about:
- The challenges and discrimination she faced from administrators and peers during her school years
- How people’s fear of change impacts their decisions and attitudes towards what they perceive as different
- Her parents being very supportive and giving her a solid foundation to be who she is
- The journey to becoming herself
- How her deep-seated trauma pushed through and ultimately led to her addiction
- Volunteering then working for ASAP Hub
- Finding SMART and taking the facilitator training course
- Starting an LGBTQIA+ meeting in Columbus, Indiana
- Why SMART resonates with people
- The proudest moment of her life was becoming a Certified Addiction Peer Recovery Coach
- The obstacles and dangers of being an LGBTQIA+ activist
Additional resources:
Click here to find all of SMART Recovery’s podcasts
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Last April I lost my license drinking and driving… Best thing that happened to me, thankfully I didn’t have an accident… But it’s been a very expensive, eye opening experience. I’m from Ontario and my addiction councilor told me about SMART Recovery and said I should give it a try as AA is not for me. She told me I could join meetings right from my computer… If I figure out where to go. I never want to go back there again. But I do need some moral support and be with other people that are going through the same thing. I feel so alone.
Hello Holly,
Welcome to SMART. We’re glad you’re here.
You can find an online meeting at http://www.smartrecovery.org/community
Someone will also reach out to you directly.