Chase

Director, Community Operations
Akron, Youngtown & Canton, OH

Chase grew up in a happy home with both parents. In high school, his urge to be a part of something caused him to experiment with drugs and alcohol. Using drugs was a way for him to fit in and to cope with mental health issues that he was experiencing. After graduating from high school, his drug and alcohol use escalated, and he slipped into a serious addiction.

Eventually, addiction caused Chase’s life to go off the rails. His dependency on drugs and alcohol made his mental health harder to manage, adding drug-induced paranoid personality disorder to the major depressive disorder that he was already struggling with. He got divorced and was no longer able to manage the successful business he had built. He committed a crime and went to prison for over three years. Prison was a wake up call- Chase realized that he didn’t want to continue living in a chaotic and painful cycle of substance abuse, and he needed a different way to manage his depression and anxiety.

In prison, Chase joined a cognitive behavioral therapy program, as well as Narcotics Anonymous. He embraced the programs, learning more about who he was and about the unique coping strategies that worked for him. Once he graduated from the programs, he became a mentor for others on their journey to recovery. 

By the time he was released from prison, Chase knew that helping others was exactly what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. He began working at a treatment center and earned his peer support certification. When working with individuals, he was able to help them discover a path to recovery that worked best for them. For Chase, being an advocate for others and being a confidant for them through difficult times was the most important part of his job. 

In 2023, Chase will celebrate six years of recovery. He has a wellness plan and an active support group that help him manage his substance use disorder and mental health. He is also part of support groups for others. People were there for him to help him get to where he is today, and being a part of someone else’s recovery journey- watching them grow, advocate for themselves and take control over their diagnoses, is empowering. Giving back to others truly helps Chase in his own recovery.

Chase’s advice to those who are struggling is to never give up, and to reach out to people who can help. While he recognizes that it can be agonizing to reach out, talking to a peer can make all the difference, because they have lived through similar experiences and may be able to offer an empathetic and helpful perspective. Peers can be especially comforting if, like Chase, one is not comfortable talking to doctors and therapists in a clinical setting; it can be hard to feel like they relate.

Chase is proud of the progress he’s made in recovery, and that he was able to make it to the other side of his substance abuse and mental health challenges. Recovery is a journey that takes a lot of work, but it has been extremely rewarding to be a person that other people can depend on- his parents, friends and children. 

At firsthand, Chase is grateful to be able to give back and help others, and to spend time with individuals that many other providers aren’t able to. Being able to support both individuals and the people on his team is truly rewarding. Chase believes in the vision and mission of firsthand and is proud to be a part of it. 

Chase started at firsthand as a peer supporter (firsthand Guide), and has since been promoted to Guide Team Lead and later Director of Community Operations!