From Addict to Counselor- with Seth ProvencioFrom Addict to Counselor- with Seth Provencio
The Elevate Experience
Former client Seth Provencio shares how Elevate Addiction Services helped him move from homelessness and heavy drug use to nearly a year sober and working on staff. He talks about detox, mindfulness, responsibility work, exercise, and the hope and goals that now shape his life in recovery.
35:59•5 Jul 2022
From Heroin and Cheap Vodka to Helping Others: Seth Provencio’s Elevate Turnaround
Episode Overview
- A separate, carefully managed detox space helped Seth stabilise before starting deeper therapeutic work.
- Mindfulness practices and meditation supported him in handling traumatic memories and staying in the present.
- Writing out transgressions revealed behaviour patterns and showed how his addiction affected many more people than just himself.
- Making amends and taking responsibility gave him a sense of becoming “a good person” and created genuine motivation to stay sober.
- Exercise, community support, and meaningful work on staff now form the backbone of his ongoing recovery and future goals.
“The hardest part about being sober is counting all my blessings and losing count.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This conversation on The Elevate Experience follows Seth Provencio’s path from heroin and cheap vodka to working as a counsellor-in-training at the very rehab that helped him get clean. Seth talks candidly about arriving at Elevate as a “recently homeless” addict who was “hopeless” and couldn’t see a way to stop.
Having tried multiple treatment centres, he explains why this fourth-and-a-half attempt felt different: a separate, tightly run detox, genuinely happy staff, and a programme that, in his words, “bends itself to fit to you” rather than forcing everyone into the same mould. You’ll hear how mindfulness work in Phase One helped him deal with haunting flashbacks from years in addiction, and how rebuilding trust with his parents became possible once he started to like himself again.
He breaks down Elevate’s responsibility step and amends process, describing it as “probably the most healing aspect” and sharing how writing up his transgressions exposed patterns like running from losses and falling in with the same kind of crowd wherever he went.
There’s plenty here for anyone curious about what modern residential treatment can look like: CrossFit-style workouts led by counsellors, a strong peer community, and practical touches like weighing clients at intake and graduation so they can literally see progress. Now almost a year sober, Seth talks about crisis support work with clients, the joy of graduations, and a recovery life filled with hikes, working out, saving for a motorbike, and reconnecting with family.
His message is blunt but hopeful: “Get off your butt. Save your life.” If you’ve ever wondered whether rehab can lead to a life that actually feels good, this chat might spark some questions of your own.
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