Someone to listen [BLOG]
Written by Brian Kennedy. Brian is a peer recovery coach with Taylor County Family Resources. He has two years’ experience in this role. Kennedy’s ultimate goal is to get his addicted contemporaries in the stage of recovery! He also is aspiring to educate those younger than himself about the dangers and consequences of succumbing to addiction. Kennedy’s biggest achievement, if you ask him, is getting a particular couple into treatment and seeing them thrive after. Brian has gotten over 500 people into treatment but is humble about his talent to be relatable. He strives to be accountable and genuine with his experiences to help others. Kennedy loves outdoor activities like ginseng and morel harvesting, hunting (with a camera) and fishing. His north star is working on moving forward and helping others to do the same.
People sometimes just need someone to listen to them
I sit here with my gun in my lap.
My brain is a scramble of random thoughts: should I end it? Should I end it?
I don’t know why I didn’t end it. But I didn’t.
When I think about it now, I remember it like it was last night. It was when I hit bottom. It was at that moment I made the decision to live…and get sober. I was so tired…of everything.
My kids then came into my mind. I didn’t want them to be without me. I wanted to live…have a life!
Ever feel like that? Like, you don’t know which way to go or which way to turn. Whom to turn to? I didn’t either. I started talking to people.
The day after I talked myself out of ending it was a beginning. I thought I would go to an NA meeting. I sought out where to go. AA was the only thing available to me. I went to a couple meetings. They didn’t want to hear about my troubles.
I went to the only NA meeting that I could find and I listened to a guy that was talking about his kids and that he felt like he was on the verge of a relapse. The leaders of the NA group told him that those issues were not NA related. WHAT?! This guy started walking out the door and I went to find him. I couldn’t see him so I walked back into that meeting. After I told the group that they were all a piece of shit (pardon my plain speaking) I proceeded to tell them that he was being triggered to use and how was that NOT an issue for NA. I asked them how they would feel if he OD’d tonight? I was livid and pissed. The guy sat there with tears in his eyes and these guys couldn’t see that he needed their support??
After I said my peace, I went out and scoured the parking lot and found him.
He became the co-leader for my group Taylor County Struggles.
People sometimes just need someone to listen to them. Someone to share some misery and take some of the load for them.