New Friends, Old Habits FT. Kev, Cris, and ChadNew Friends, Old Habits FT. Kev, Cris, and Chad
Crosstalk by Turning Point is a recovery focused podcast. We discuss addiction, recovery, harm reduction and everything in-between.
New staff members Kev, Cris and Chad share their journeys from addiction into working at Turning Point’s recovery community centre, mixing humour with candid stories about faith, meditation and peer support. The conversation stresses diverse recovery paths, the impact of community events, and the simple power of showing up for others.
34:31•20 Jul 2026
New Staff, Old Habits: How Kev, Cris and Chad Turn Recovery into Daily Life
Episode Overview
- Peer support staff with lived experience can reach different people and broaden the help offered.
- Starting the day with group meditation helps break isolation and negative thinking.
- Recovery paths vary widely, but asking for help can trigger a chain of positive changes.
- Events like Rockin’ Recovery and Overdose Awareness Day build community and keep the purpose of recovery visible.
- Simply "suit up, show up" and stay involved in recovery spaces can build confidence and a sense of belonging.
“"You don't have to die from this stuff. You don't."”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This Crosstalk episode brings together new Turning Point staff members Kev, Cris and Chad for an honest chat about what brought them from active addiction to working in recovery. You’ll hear Chad talk about how things "got real dark" before a neighbour from a recovery centre told him to "hang in there" and helped him into rehab.
He now calls his job "day-to-day living, you know, helping the next person" and loves starting the day with group meditation instead of being stuck alone in his own thoughts. Cris shares a different path, growing up in a single-parent, "dysfunctional" home, carrying anger, weed, and later heavy drinking and smoking from North Carolina to Kentucky. He describes hitting a point where he cried out, "if God is, if you're real...
help me" and then watching "a domino effect of just good things" follow. Now sober, he’s shifting "old habits" into healthier ones and sees his role as making people feel welcome, especially those who’ve always felt like outsiders. Nathan and Kevin highlight how Turning Point’s peer support model thrives on varied experiences. As Kevin puts it, "the more diverse our team can be, the more people we're capable of helping".
There’s plenty of humour too – from teasing Nathan about his age to joking about softball, three-on-three basketball, and chaotic days that feel like tackling a puzzle. The group talk about events like Rockin’ Recovery, walking taco socials, and Overdose Awareness Day, with Chad recalling a child watching balloons released in memory of loved ones and saying, "mommy, they're going to heaven".
Through all the banter runs a serious message: "you don't have to die from this stuff" and sometimes the biggest step is to "suit up, show up" and be there for others. If you’re curious what working in peer-led recovery really looks like, this candid conversation might be the nudge you need to get involved or reach out for support.
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