Part 7 of our “Meet the Team” series. Meet Christopher Hall who works as a certified peer recovery supporter in the MetroHealth Emergency Department. Christopher is an ‘OG” Thriver, a staff member since the beginning…that’s nearly 7 years!
“I come from a long line of those struggling with SUD. My mother died from cirrhosis of the liver from alcoholism when I was 14. I was raised by my alcoholic grandmother. When I was in my teens, I tried every drug out there. I drank and used cocaine regularly for most of my 20s through my 30s. I can truly say all the important life decisions were made by my addiction. I got addicted to pain medication when several of the customers of the bar I owned paid their tabs with Percocet and Vicodin scripts. That led to me losing the bar, to driving a cab and using heroin for 10 years. When the consequences became too much, I went through detox multiple times. The thing that helped me towards sobriety was staying at, then running, St. Herman’s Men’s Shelter on Cleveland’s west side. I learned about poverty, homelessness, mental illness, and addiction. I left there, relapsed, then tried methadone. This was what got me sober. M.A.T. has been a lifesaver for me. That, along with having a job that makes me feel like I’m part of something, like my job at Thrive, has saved me.”
Christopher is the longest-tenured hospital peer supporter in Cuyahoga County, something in which he takes a lot of pride. And here’s a fun fact about him: he is licensed by the FCC to operate a commercial radio station!
He is inspired by the people who have struggled with this disease (SUD) for years and still found a way to get sober and stay sober.
Christopher is truly an inspiration to all of us at Thrive!
Stay tuned for more meet the Thrive team content coming soon!
