“If Not You, Then Who?” Addiction Recovery Story
Talk Recovery RadioThis week on Talk Recovery Radio
Talk Recovery Radio Jesse Harless author of “If Not You, Then Who?”, talks about his story of addiction and recovery Jesse is also the founder, CEO of Entrepreneurs in Recovery. Jesse joins us for a full hour on Talk Recovery Radio on Co-op Radio 100.5fm.
Author of “If Not You, Then Who?”
Addicted to opioids and standing before a federal judge for narcotics possession, twenty-two-year-old Jesse Harless believed his life was over.
It was only beginning.
That rock-bottom moment led Jesse on an odyssey of following his intuition into the unknown, finding recovery, and helping others do the same.
In If Not You, Then Who?, Jesse holds nothing back as he shares the raw devastation and miraculous triumph of his own addiction story. He discovers that recovery is far more than just sobriety; it is a lifelong journey of healing, growth, and transformation that requires consistent action.
He then shares his FEARS recovery toolkit, which contains the same tools, techniques, and habits he used to co-create a life he’s passionate about living:
• Focus on your recovery
• Elevate your recovery
• Appreciate your recovery
• Resilience in recovery
• Self-care in recovery
Your story matters. No matter who you are, where you’ve been, or what you’ve done—nothing has been wasted. It’s possible to co-create the life of your dreams. The time is now.
If not you, then who?
Addiction has run in Jesse’s family, his father was an alcoholic, his uncles and grandmother also struggled with alcohol addiction. Jesse said growing up he believed he lived in an addicted world, Jesse says his first drug was internet pornography and online gaming when he was 11 years old. He used those things to escape and numb out from the trauma and the pain of his father leaving when he was four and never coming back. Jesse’s father got in an accident when Jesse was young and it left him in a coma, it was a result of his drug and alcohol use. It left a big ripple of pain and hardship in his family, Jesse found it hard to cope without drugs and alcohol when he got older.
Jesse’s book “If not you, then who?” was inspired by Jesse thinking someone was going to come and change the landscape of addiction recovery, he thought that the government was going to fund sober homes and treatment centres, and he also thought people were going to save him and tell him how to live his life as a business owner and everything he explains. Jesse soon realized that it is you that needs to put in the work and be the best version of you that is possible. Which is where the title “If Not You, Then Who” comes from. Jesse describes him using and doing whatever it takes to get the next fix and making his next move and he would do anything to make that happen, he feels the same energy needs to be put into people’s recovery from addiction.
Jesse explains when his addiction really took off, at twenty when his father died, his fathers’ drug of choice was cocaine, and the night he died, Jesse tried cocaine for the first time, and Jesse explained taking the drug and feeling love for the first time. Jesse’s addiction progressed to the point where he was using every day, and eventually was using not to get high anymore but to feel normal and to be able to go to work. Jesse started getting his drugs in the mail and delivered to him and he eventually got arrested. Jesse then tried the geographical change, moved to Florida where he realized his addiction was going to be just as bad there than it was in his hometown. Jesse overdosed and then went back to New Hampshire.
Jesse’s recovery started when he was on federal probation, if he were to use or break the law he was going to be spending the rest of his 20s in prison, Jesse says he did not go to addiction treatment, he did not go to drug court. Jesse was to go to work, go to mutual support meetings and see his drug and alcohol counsellor.
In half of Jesse’s book he has a toolkit called FEARS (Focus, Elevate, Appreciate, Resilience Selfcare) Toolkit. One chapter is called “Focus on Your Recovery” which is about focusing on your recovery, putting your recovery first, Jesse shares that he has never seen anyone relapse who has put their recovery first and focused on it, second is to build a recovery team, have a support network, finding purpose in your recovery is the third element of focusing on your recovery.
Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1733531610
Entrepreneurs in Recovery
You are resilient. You were born for this. Starting the journey of becoming your best self does not need to be an insurmountable obstacle. All the tools and strategies you need to reach your full potential are available. Most are hidden inside of you already. My name is Jesse Harless, and my mission is to change the addiction and mental health recovery world one conversation at a time.
At Entrepreneurs in Recovery®, we look to empower people striving to live a life of transformation and abundance. All voices must be included to learn from their collective intelligence, wisdom, and experiences. Building communities of recovery is an essential part of our future.
Entrepreneurs in Recovery® training uses the same approach called upon by Habitat for Humanity, YMCA, BMW, Keller Williams, Vitamix, and NASA. I’m currently a member of the XCHANGE Faculty team. I’ve integrated the XCHANGE approach into my workshops, training, and events.
The mission of Entrepreneurs in Recovery® is to empower people to move out of a cycle of destructive hopelessness and help them harness their strengths to build healthy purpose-driven habits.
Jesse’s Social Media Pages
Jesse’s Websites
Buy The Book Here | Jesse’s Website | Entrepreneurs In Recovery
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Talk Recovery airs live every Thursday at noon on 100.5 FM, Vancouver Coop Radio. The Last Door produces this weekly radio show discussing the many pathways to addiction recovery. To end stigma we must continue to talk about recovery. Talk Recovery is in its 7th Season, Hundreds of guests, thousands of listeners, thank you. Show ideas? Email community@lastdoor.org
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