#113 – Jennifer Denny: Addiction Counselor from Behind Bars

#113 – Jennifer Denny: Addiction Counselor from Behind Bars

What makes a recovery story truly inspiring? This conversation with addictions counsellor Jennifer Denny gives a raw, honest look at sobriety from a very unexpected place: inside a Canadian men’s penitentiary. Jennifer shares how she spent 18 years in active alcoholism while working as an addictions counsellor, running groups by day and, as she puts it, "drinking myself stupid" at night.

She talks openly about feeling like "a hypocrite" as she taught men how to get sober in "one of the hardest places you're ever going to try to get better" while secretly struggling herself. Now 29 months alcohol-free, Jennifer explains how working with incarcerated men became the push she needed to change.

Watching men with life sentences stay sober for over a decade, in a place where drugs are "readily available", made her ask why she wasn’t fighting as hard on the outside. She describes prison as "a dark, dangerous place" yet full of men who "deserve a medal" for staying clean in such conditions.

You’ll hear about her unusual workplace — one-on-one and group sessions with no officers in the room, reading "vibes" and energy, and the emotional toll of overdoses and despair behind bars. She also talks about the flip side: the gratitude, connection and shared learning that keep her coming back. For people in recovery, helpers, and anyone curious about addiction in the prison system, this chat blends gritty reality with spiritual growth.

Jennifer credits prayer, daily meditation, music (including Macklemore) and connecting with a higher power as key to her sobriety, joking that she’s "like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, always on the lookout" for her addiction trying to sneak back in. If you’ve ever felt like a fraud while trying to get well, this story might make you feel a lot less alone.