Opioid Crisis & PRSS Development with Joseph Sanchez

In this powerful episode of Recovery Stories Have Power, host Nick DeMott sits down with Joseph Sanchez to explore the ongoing impact of the opioid crisis and the critical role of Peer Recovery Support Services in building stronger recovery ecosystems.

Joseph brings insight from the front lines of recovery work, breaking down how PRSS programs are evolving, why workforce development matters, and what it takes to build sustainable recovery infrastructure in communities hit hardest by substance use disorder.

Together, they unpack:

• The current state of the opioid crisis
• Why peer support professionals are essential to recovery systems
• Challenges and opportunities in PRSS workforce development
• How lived experience strengthens policy, programming, and community response
• What’s needed next to create long term, community driven change

This conversation goes beyond statistics. It centers people, possibility, and the power of recovery leadership.

Whether you are a peer professional, policymaker, advocate, or someone passionate about expanding recovery support, this episode offers insight, strategy, and hope.

🎧 Listen now and be part of building a recovery ready nation.

Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at podcast@facesandvoicesofrecovery.org.

Find more episodes of Recovery Stories Have Power at facesandvoicesofrecovery.org/podcast.

In this episode of Recovery Stories Have Power, we’re joined by Dr. Melissa Weimer, Associate Professor at Yale School of Medicine and Medical Director of the Yale Addiction Medicine Consult Service, and John O’Neil, Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Addiction Counselor. Together, they share powerful insights from their work in the field of addiction medicine breaking down stigma, centering compassion, and exploring evidence-based approaches to treating alcohol use disorder (AUD).

Hosted by Nick DeMott and produced by Faces & Voices of Recovery in collaboration with the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), this episode also highlights the Provider Clinical Support System for Medications for Alcohol Use Disorder (PCSS-MAUD), a national initiative designed to expand access to effective treatment and recovery support.

Tune in to learn how clinical expertise and lived experience intersect to strengthen recovery pathways and empower communities.

🎧 Because recovery stories have power—and together, we can change the conversation around alcohol use disorder.

Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at podcast@facesandvoicesofrecovery.org.

Find more episodes of Recovery Stories Have Power at facesandvoicesofrecovery.org/podcast.

On today's episode, Nick DeMott visits with Mary Jo McMillen, Becca Brown and Evan Done, who are on the leadership team at Utah Support Advocates for Recovery Awareness, or USARA. USARA is preparing to undergo a leadership transition in the near future, with Mary Jo stepping away and Becca and Evan taking her place. During this interview, they discuss preparation for the leadership transition process, and they each share powerful insights on how RCOs can best navigate similar transitions gracefully.

Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at podcast@facesandvoicesofrecovery.org.

Find more episodes of Recovery Stories Have Power at facesandvoicesofrecovery.org/podcast.