Freestyle with Jeff Haycock.Freestyle with Jeff Haycock.
The Elevate Experience
Detox Supervisor and counsellor Jeff Haycock talks about life in detox, being a "house dad", introducing mindfulness and using humour to support early sobriety. The conversation highlights how small daily habits, honest connection and repaired relationships shape his own recovery and the clients he works with.
1:15:21•28 Sept 2021
Freestyle Sobriety: Detox, Mindfulness and House-Dad Life with Jeff Haycock
Episode Overview
- Early recovery isn’t just about stopping substances; it’s about relearning basic responsibilities like making a bed, doing laundry and keeping spaces clean.
- A light, humorous approach can break through resistance in detox and help people stay when they’re ready to bolt.
- Simple mindfulness practices, introduced gently, help clients experience being present instead of stuck in past regrets or future worries.
- Games, walks and shared activities give brief breaks from withdrawal discomfort and start rewiring the brain for healthy rewards.
- Long‑term change often shows up most clearly in repaired relationships, where families start turning to the former addict for support and advice.
“A lot of the anxiety that we deal with stems from thinking too much into the future, and a lot of depression tends to come up from thinking too much in the past.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This conversation with Detox Supervisor and counsellor Jeffrey Haycock gives a front-row seat to what early recovery really looks like – messy bedrooms, restless legs, dark humour and all. Jeff has been at Elevate Addiction Services for nearly six years, mainly running detox and acting as "house dad" in the off‑campus sober living houses.
He explains the role simply: create a safe place to unwind, keep people accountable and offer an ear when the day’s programme hits a nerve. Whether it’s making sure beds are made or fruit isn’t rotting by the bedside, he’s big on rebuilding basic life habits.
As he puts it, the guys learn that “this is your house… it’s your responsibility to keep it up.” You’ll hear how Jeff meets people at their absolute worst, then watches them progress from barely getting out of bed to jogging laps and asking to move into his house.
His mix of structure and humour is key – he’ll sit with someone in tears, then flip the mood with a random comment about donkeys and change the whole tone of the day. Jeff also talks about introducing mindfulness in detox: simple breathing practices and short meditations with no pressure to be a “guru”.
He reminds clients that “a lot of the anxiety that we deal with stems from thinking too much into the future, and a lot of depression… from thinking too much in the past,” and encourages them to practice staying present, even if it’s just while eating a yoghurt or sweeping the stairs. Now stepping into one‑to‑one counselling, Jeff is seeing the longer game: repairing family relationships, facing difficult histories and building treatment plans together.
For anyone curious about what really goes on behind a quality detox and early recovery process, this laid‑back but honest chat offers plenty to relate to. Who are the “house dads” and quiet mentors in your own sobriety story?
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