Good Neighbor Podcast: Tri-Cities
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Good Neighbor Podcast: Tri-Cities
EP#39: Transforming Lives Through Recovery: Jeremiah Lovelady's Story with the Tennessee Lifeline Peer Project
What makes Jeremiah Lovelady with The Tennessee Lifeline Peer Project a good neighbor?
Have you ever wondered how a simple shift in support systems can transform lives entangled in the throes of substance use and mental health struggles? Jeremiah Lovelady, the Region 1 Peer Recovery Coordinator with the Tennessee Lifeline Peer Project, joins us to share his powerful journey from battling his own demons to becoming a beacon of hope for others. Get to know the heart and soul behind the Tennessee Lifeline Peer Project, an initiative that’s been reducing stigma and opening doors to treatment since 2014. Jeremiah's story takes us through his personal recovery journey, his impactful transition from treatment facility director to peer recovery coordinator, and the vital faith-based outreach programs that are changing lives.
Beyond the professional achievements, Jeremiah lets us into his world of personal growth and resilience. Discover how outdoor adventures like hiking, camping, and mountain rides with his family help him reconnect with nature and a higher power, serving as a source of strength and rejuvenation. He speaks candidly about overcoming significant personal hardships, including substance use and mental health battles, and how finding the right support systems transformed his struggles into a mission of hope and purpose. This episode isn’t just a narrative of recovery; it’s a testament that help is available and that with the right support, recovery is not just possible but common. Join us for an inspiring conversation that underscores the transformative power of community and support.
To learn more about The Tennessee Lifeline Peer Project go to:
https://www.tn.gov/behavioral-health/mental-health-services/peers.html
The Tennessee Lifeline Peer Project
(423) 302-7723
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Skip Monning.
Speaker 2:All right, welcome everybody to the Good Neighbor Podcast. We are very fortunate today to have a very special guest, mr Jeremiah Lovelady, with Mr Jeremiah Lovelady, who is the Region 1 Peer Recovery Coordinator with the Tennessee Lifeline Peer Project. Jeremiah, welcome to the show, thank you. Thank you for having me. Well, we're thrilled to have you and if our listeners are like me, I'm sure they're excited to learn all about you and the Peer Project. So if you don't mind, just tell us a little bit about your organization.
Speaker 3:Sure. So the Tennessee Lifeline Peer Project it come about in 2014. A group of individuals got together and decided they would like to do something to reduce stigma related to substance use and then also increase availability to substance use treatment and just substance use support, community support and kind of kill the stigma attached to that. And so that's how Tennessee Lifeline Project come about, gotcha and go ahead. What no, you go ahead.
Speaker 3:I was going to say in the Lifeline Project it started out as just that and there was a group of about six people. It's grown into a group of about 27. And it's branched out into. We have the Lifeline Project, we have the Hybrid Lifeline Project, which is for the more rural distressed counties, and then we also now have a faith-based initiative, and the faith-based initiative works with the churches in the community to help. You know, with the support of there's a lot of support that comes in from the churches and that they don't always know how to utilize that or where to where to help. And so we have the faith based initiative also that helps very good, very good.
Speaker 2:So how did you get involved in the peer project?
Speaker 3:Funny story. I am in recovery myself. I'm in long-term recovery. August of this year was 10 years from substance use and mental health and and the guy the first guy I'd ever heard share his story. He was a lifeliner and he had come to a local treatment center that I was at and he shared his story as part of the Lifeline project. And when I heard his story I just kind of attached to him and started following him, started hanging out with him. He become one of my biggest supporters in recovery and fast forward. Eight years later he's moved on to bigger and better things. And he called me up and said hey, I think you'd be great for this, and and and there it was. I just I got involved and I haven't looked back. It's been wonderful.
Speaker 2:Wow, so it just, it just walked right into your life.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it was pretty cool. I was actually a director at another treatment facility in the area and this is this is always where my heart's been, because this is on the ground in the community's work. And as a director of the treatment facility I was behind the computer a lot, doing a whole lot of spreadsheets and making numbers work and it wasn't feeling very fulfilling. And this opportunity come along and it just seemed like it was placed there and so I jumped right on it.
Speaker 2:Awesome. So in the recovery field, recovery services field, are there any myths or misconceptions in that industry that you could think of?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think you know a couple of misconceptions. The biggest one is is that people don't get better. You hear it a lot. You hear once an addict always an addict, or once an alcoholic always an addict, someone with substance use problems. They don't change and I can tell you from experience that that's not the truth. As a matter of fact, more people recover than they don't. The key ingredient is that, in that is having a strong support system and knowing that there's options available, that there are treatment options and that there are many treatment options and that there are people that are willing to help them get there, I think the misconception is is that there's nothing we can do. There are lost causes. You know we can't help, we don't know what to do to help, and so we think that we don't get better, and the fact of the matter is more get better than not.
Speaker 2:Amen, that's a big one. So let's change gears a little bit. Outside of work or doing all the great work you do with the peer project, what do you do personally for fun?
Speaker 3:I am a I am a nature guy, and I have a 13 year old daughter who is also a nature person, and I have a 21 year old son, who are also is also loves to get out and ride through the mountains. We have, you know, four wheel drive vehicles that we like to ride through the mountains in, and then and then, me and my daughter and my fiance, we love to hike and camp, so we do a lot of hiking. Any excuse I can get to be out in nature and step away for a little while. That's my recharge, that's where I regenerate, that's where I find connection, you know, to a higher power or whatever you choose to call it, and and so that's that's my fun time and that's my recharge time, and I really enjoy it.
Speaker 2:I concur, same here. I like to trout fish a lot. I love to hike in the mountains too. Love to camp. My wife hates to camp.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'm not lucky that they that, that my family enjoys it, because I don't know where I would be if they didn't. So it works out well.
Speaker 2:Maybe like me, in a tent by yourself? Yeah, probably, probably, probably so. Can you describe again you personally, but a hardship or a life challenge that you personally overcame and how it made you stronger after it was all over and better for it?
Speaker 3:Yeah, the obvious answer is is my own struggles with substance use and mental health issues, and I was one of those people that had fell victim to the stigma. I assumed for myself that there was no hope, I didn't know what services were available and I just I woke up every day not wanting to do what I was doing. I woke up every day feeling guilt and shame and remorse for letting my family and friends down, employers down, and I just felt hopeless and I thought you know, there's not a chance for me. And luckily, a lady connected me to services. I was able to get involved in services and I'm one of those people that that got into recovery and fell in love with it. And then, just like I said earlier, through proper support I'm a big advocate for support anywhere, whatever that looks like 12 step communities, you know, churches, whatever it is where you can find a place of belonging and purpose. And I think the greatest thing that happened through that process is is I had this past that I was so guilt you know it was guilt ridden and I was so ashamed of and taking that past and through proper support and guidance, I'm able to give that past a purpose and now, instead of it being this dark place that I want to hide and that it's just this thing that's going to hold me back from ever being somebody. You know that can be useful. I use that past, I use those things that I hid and was ashamed of for so long to be able to help others. And you know, I can't think of a more powerful testimony than that that you know that you can take something that that you were so you know that was, was a place of guilt for you, your friends, your family, and then take that very thing and shine it, you know, in a different light and it become the very thing that makes you uniquely useful to where you can help when when others can't. Because one of the biggest things I see in this industry is lack of trust and lack of you don't know where I've been, so how are you going to help me? And when someone can come in and say I understand I've been there and share their story, be vulnerable with them and share their story, the impact that has is incredible, the impact it had on my life, which allows me to do what I do, and then, hopefully, I get to pass that along to the next person. So I would.
Speaker 3:I would definitely put that down as the thing that's made me. It's give hope back to life. It's give bigger, bigger than just myself. It's give hope back to my family. It's restored relationships. I have wonderful relationships with my children that that were strained. I have wonderful relationships with my children that were strained. I have wonderful relationships with ex-wives that were very strained, you know strained, and so so, absolutely that would be the thing that felt like an insurmountable, you know, object in my life and it's turned out to be the thing that's, that's become, the thing that's gave me purpose and allowed me to be useful and definitely stronger. Great answer.
Speaker 2:Great, great story and great answer. So if you could, jeremiah, if you could think of one thing you would like our listeners to remember about the Tennessee Lifeline Peer Project, what would it be about the Tennessee Lifeline Peer Project?
Speaker 3:what would it be? That there's help, that it's not hopeless, no matter how much it feels hopeless, that there is help, that there are people out there that not only can but want to help. I tell people all the time, you know, when I talk to people I don't know where they'll go after they get into treatment, after they get back involved in a, you know, a 12 step community or their church communities or back in with their family. That's supportive of them, but but I know it helps keep me on the right path. So when I say people literally want to help, that's, that's literal.
Speaker 3:There's people out there like myself that that want to give back, that want to help, that that want to help. That's literal. There's people out there like myself that want to give back, that want to help, that want to see you succeed, and I think there's so many people out there that think that doesn't exist or don't know where to access it. So I'm super grateful for opportunities like this to get on here and say it absolutely exists and we're here to help. It absolutely exists and we're here to help.
Speaker 2:Awesome, awesome, how can? For those that want to find out more about the peer project, how can they learn more about the program?
Speaker 3:Easy peasy. Just go on the Google search or the Yahoo's or whatever it is that you use and type in the Tennessee Lifeline Peer Project, it'll pull up a page. Lifeline Peer Project. It'll pull up a page I think it's tngov slash behavioral health, slash substance abuse service, slash treatment. I know you're not going to remember all that. So just the Tennessee Lifeline Peer Project and it'll pull up.
Speaker 3:It has all the information on what we do. It has information on what the hybrid lifeline does, what our faith-based initiative does, on what the hybrid lifeline does, what our faith-based initiative does, our recovery congregations. It has a map of Tennessee. It has each region, who's responsible for that region and how to get in contact with them. And the beautiful thing is we're in the Northeast region up here so I can help here. But if you have family or friends that are in a different part of the state or even a different state because we have connections all over, definitely get on the website or contact me. You can personally contact me at lifeline lifeline at insideallianceorg, but also if you get on there, my number and email are on the map on the Tennessee Lifeline Peer Project page and and we'll get you connected to to the service that you need.
Speaker 2:Very good, very good. Well, jeremiah, I've thoroughly enjoyed it. It's been a great episode and I really appreciate you being on the show to talk about the Peer Project and all the great things you guys are doing. We wish you and the Tennessee Lifeline Peer Project all the best moving forward. Thanks for being on the show.
Speaker 3:Thank you so much. Thank you for the opportunity. I really appreciate it.
Speaker 2:We'll have you back.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnptry-citiescom. That's gnptry-citiescom, or call 423-719-5873. Thank you.