Julian K.
State Peer Recovery Specialist
Hello, fellow peers! How amazing is this? I'm sure a lot of us still remember a time when seeking help for mental health was terrifying and lonely and oftentimes limited. Now, here we gather on a website with all…
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About Julian
Born in Chicago, but I've been an upstate New Yorker since age 11, starting in the tiny town of Norwich then Binghamton and finally finding my home in Buffalo. I enjoy reading comics and novels, creative writing, tent camping, strategy games, and going to the movie theater with friends. Most of all, I enjoy spending time with my family. My wife is my best friend and the love of my life and last November she gave birth to our daughter, Lizzie. We also have a black lab named Donut and an American shorthair named Xena (although we all call her Kiki.) I have always been an extrovert and social chameleon but over time I've come to love quieter environments and activities, things I can appreciate now that I've learned to like myself and enjoy being alone with only my own thoughts to keep company. I am an avid reader and I love following the development of new techniques and treatments being utilized in the recovery world.
My Recovery Story
The first time I attempted sobriety I was 23 and using opiates daily. I was also drinking and experimenting with anything I could get my hands on but I believed the opiates to be the real issue so after a detox visit and introduction to AA and NA I was able to kick the narcotics in 2012. That began a long period of putting clean time together before returning to functional alcohol use which led to dysfunctional use and then back to detox for some more clean time. It wasn't until I moved to Buffalo and experienced alcohol withdrawal so severe it nearly killed me (twice) that I finally could admit the drinking was something I would never be able to control or eliminate alone. I went to rehab in February of 2020 and moved into an Oxford House in May. I spent 3 years in that Oxford House where I became acquainted with SMART Recovery and SOS and met the people who would be instrumental in my recovery. During that time I got to work on the hardest challenge of my life: learning to love myself. I had grown a pretty intense dislike of myself which buried me in decades of built up resentment and regret. By utilizing CBT and REBT therapy, a network of support groups and individuals, and the slow, methodical practice of forgiveness I was able to build a foundation of recovery which has maintained until this day. I still utilize my ABC, I practice gratitude daily and my network of recovery has only grown. Within the past year my life has changed in more ways than I thought possible. Since this time last year I got married, my daughter was born, I left my career as a Retail Manager to pursue my life purpose of Peer Support and I moved into a house with my wife, daughter, and long-suffering mother. I still have difficult days like anyone but I also have peer support of my own and more love in my life than I have ever imagined.
My Motivation To Help
My mom has been telling me I have a gift for listening for as long as I can remember. People have always found it easy (sometimes alarmingly so) to share their stories with me and unburden their minds. My thought was to use that gift and my love of writing to be a journalist, the next Hunter S. Thompson, and I spent nearly two misguided decades trying to live that lie. Today I am living a new dream, one with beloved wife and incredible daughter, because I had people willing to share with me what had been shared with them. When I got sober the last time I was able to find quick employment at a retail super-store and over the course of 3 years managed to promote to assistant store manager. Although I found a lot of money in that position I could never quite find happiness or fulfillment. My wife noticed before I did but it soon became clear to us both I'd never be able to stay at a job which cared about profit more than people. When I became CRPA certified and started working with people like myself again I knew there was no way I could ever do anything else. I hope to continue my education and become better able to give back what I received and I will keep listening and learning for the rest of my life. I closely follow all new research on SUD and recovery because as a constantly changing and growing field of study there is always something new to learn. I believe it is vital that anyone in the pre-contemplation and contemplation stages have access to all the options as well as the most up-to-date knowledge regarding treatment.
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