Relapse almost never starts with the drug. It starts long before that, in the warning signs most people miss.

I've known Nathaniel Gray since 2008. Back then he was coming out of an active heroin addiction with a stack of charges, and he couldn't read. A man in his cell wrote his letter into the program for him. A pastor he'd never met stood up in court and said God sent him there for a stranger. That was the start.

Twenty years later, Nathaniel is a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist and a mobile crisis responder, and he came on to talk about the part of recovery nobody films. Not the rock bottom. The staying free.

We got into the warning signs that show up long before someone picks back up. The reservation you start making in your head. The herd you drift away from when you get strong enough to think you don't need it. Nathaniel walks through the herd picture, the buffalo and the predators on the edge, and why early recovery means standing in the middle. We talked about why "once an addict, always an addict" is bad recovery advice when you believe you're a new creation in Christ, and the one thing he checks in himself every morning before his feet hit the floor.

Nathaniel is the founder of Exquisite Care Companies. Learn more at https://www.exquisitecarecompanies.com.

If you or someone you love needs help, start here: https://svtc.info/get-help

Rebuilding Life After Addiction is a production of Shenandoah Valley Teen Challenge.

🎙️ Host: Justin Franich | Executive Director, Shenandoah Valley Teen Challenge
🌐 Full episodes + resources: https://svtc.info/podcast
📖 Faith-based recovery guides: https://svtc.info
🙏 Support this ministry: https://svtc.info/donate
📞 Need help? Call us: 540-213-0571