The Brightside: Life Chat Podcast
DELMARVA – One man on his road to recovery from addiction has found a new platform to aid in that effort.
Derek Powell says that to be part of the solution will require some transparency and connectivity.
“Some people are in the dark about what the whole situation involves, some people don’t understand the struggles that we go through just to stay clean on a daily basis.”
Derek shares with us his experience of relapsing more than once and how his work to stay sober has been a challenge throughout his life. His motivation to find a different avenue to stay clean and help others pushed him to create a growing podcast called Life Chat, where he focuses on bringing awareness to addiction, trauma, and homelessness.
“My ultimate goal is to help somebody including myself but also to be informative – have fun with it – pass information along and just help somebody else along the way.”
Every week, Derek connects with other recovering addicts and community members to have those difficult conversations that he says can be hard to do in large group settings, such as AA meetings. He says those conversations have changed his entire perspective regarding recovery, and he believes this can help others change theirs too.
“I feel like I’m taking the initiative and trying to be the voice for people that are in a situation they don’t understand.”
He says the whole purpose isn’t to gain nationwide attention, it’s about using social media as a catalyst for change.
“My success is dealing with my community, people I can relate to, people that can relate to me, and we just move forward that way.”
The growing support from the community, whether or not personally affected by addiction, is showing just how much of an impact he’s making. Derek says that impact is breaking down the negative stigma addiction has while creating a safe space for people to share their experiences with others on the same journey.
“We’re all human, we’re all people, we all live day to day. That’s all we have is one day, I don’t want anybody to become overwhelmed especially in the recovery process.”
Although the road to recovery is never over, Derek tells us this podcast may just be what he and so many others need to know that they can find their way eventually.
“I’m not sure if I would want to change anything because everything I’ve been through and all my experiences helped build me up into the person that I am now. I’m still here, still got another chance to get it right, I still have a chance to move forward.”
Derek was proud to share that he is about six months sober and says this podcast has changed his approach to recovery and has made him feel like he’s not alone. He hopes with the continued success of the podcast he can make more community connections, work with organizations, and grow on different platforms.
You can check out his podcast on Youtube and Facebook, with new episodes airing every Wednesday evening from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
