(soft music) - I am a peer recovery support specialist.

The work I do is supporting people through challenges they might be facing in their lives, whether it's to do with their mental health or whether it's to do with their substance use.

And I do that through the internet, which is like amazing.

And we set up calls or video chats to explore what they're trying to work on and how I can help them.

When I was 18 years old, I went to my first outpatient treatment program.

My very first meeting with my counselor, before I even was able to say anything, he said, "All right, Megan, well, you have a disease.

You're an addict.

There's no cure."

At no point did he ask me, like, "So why, why are you using these substances?

What are they doing for you?

Well, what are your goals?"

And the point is, it is groundbreaking and door-opening.

Just ask someone like, how are you?

What do you like?

What do you want?

What do you need?

So I do try to navigate that when I am working with others and to hold back some of my own experiences while also holding true, that the more solutions you offer someone, the more likely they are to try something.

Maybe now that they've got the support, a cheerleader, like someone that's standing next to them in the process to help them feel less scattered and to get their steps and goals kind of lined up so that they can achieve those small incremental changes, that to me is what success looks like.

And sometimes people don't want to try anything, and that's okay too.

I can just be there with them.

Virtual web-based support, peer support, the uniqueness of that is the accessibility, right?

Many people, because of the shame, because of the stigma, they're not willing to walk in the door somewhere and ask for help, meeting with someone as their peer.

They can remain anonymous physically.

So if somebody would prefer to remain anonymous and not be seen on camera, that's okay.

A lot of what we do in remote peer work is supporting folks with harm reduction practices, like making sure they know about the Never Use Alone hotline, for example, which is an amazing nonprofit that's national.

It's a free number someone can call to have someone virtually there with them while they're using substances, because most people die alone when they have an accidental fentanyl poisoning.

There's apps referred to as spotting services that you can use if you have to use alone, which we highly don't recommend anyone ever use alone.

But if you have no choice, you would sign into the app, press the buttons, like say who you are, anonymously.

If you don't check in by a certain time, it alerts local emergency services to come and check to make sure you're okay.

And these things work.

These tools really work well.

There's Harm Reduction Works.

It is basically structured like any other mutual aid support meeting.

There's meetings happening every single day, every single night.

And they happen online.

They happen in person.

There's someone that acts as the host who reads the script, and then there's a topic or some sort of exercise that's introduced, whether that's a guest speaker or a short video.

And then there's a part where people get to share, have dialogue, have conversation.

It's a really low barrier way of finding community and support and, we hope, love and connection.

It's the only mutual aid support meeting where someone could go, and just by listening to the script alone, it could potentially save a life 'cause they'll get real information in that script of how to stay safer or keep their loved ones safer if they're currently using substances.

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