Depression, Addiction, and Recovery: Breaking the Stigma and Finding Hope in Healing

In this powerful episode of Giving Voice to Depression, Jordan shares his deeply personal journey of living with depression, hiding behind masks, and struggling with addiction before finally finding recovery.

From childhood soccer fields where he cried alone, to self-medicating with alcohol, to the darkest moments of suicidal despair, Jordan’s story reveals the painful realities of untreated depression and addiction. But it also highlights the profound possibility of healing—through sobriety, therapy, medication, and the courage to finally be honest about his struggles.

Today, Jordan is sober, thriving, and working as a crisis social worker—using his lived experience to connect with others in their darkest moments. His story is a testament to resilience and a reminder that recovery is possible, no matter how hopeless things may feel.

Primary Topics Covered:

• Childhood experiences of depression without words to describe it
• Hiding emotions to avoid burdening family and peers
• Alcohol as a “solution” that quickly became addiction
• The cycle of relapse, shame, and suicidal despair
• Hospitalization, treatment, and the turning point in recovery
• The role of sobriety in making depression treatment effective
• How lived experience shapes his work in crisis intervention
• The power of telling someone, “I’ve been where you are”

Timestamps:

00:08 – Introduction to the episode and its themes
 01:34 – The hidden strength it takes to live with depression
 02:29 – Jordan recalls crying alone on soccer fields as a teen
 03:17 – Hiding sadness from his mother and avoiding vulnerability
 03:56 – The pressure to “be normal” and wear a mask of strength
 04:33 – Turning to alcohol as a false solution
 05:40 – Addiction escalates: hospitalizations, jail, and hitting rock bottom
 07:14 – Hiding in closets during depression and relapses
 07:23 – Suicide attempt and first formal depression diagnosis
 08:19 – Asking God for help and his mother showing up at the right time
 08:44 – Choosing recovery and committing to sobriety through AA
 09:22 – Earning a master’s degree and working in crisis intervention
 10:44 – Why hospitals don’t always feel therapeutic
 12:04 – A message of hope for those who feel hopeless
 13:25 – Working in the same facility where he was once detained
 14:15 – The power of telling others “I’ve been where you are”
 15:24 – Closing reflections on turning darkness into healing

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