By David van der Velde
Co-Founder and Executive Director of Awakening Recovery, writing about long-term recovery housing, recovery policy, and the conditions that support sustained recovery. •Speaking/Commentary Topics• Long-term structured recovery housing; recovery policy, funding, and the behavioral-health continuum; sustained recovery outcomes and recovery capital; lived experience, peer support, and accountability; and nonprofit leadership and community-based recovery. •David's Story• David got clean and sober in 1988 at the age of 19, close to death from his own struggles with drug addiction and alcoholism. Now 37+ years clean and sober, he has been consistently active in his recovery community by mentoring others, serving on recovery and youth related non-profit Boards such as LifeWorks and the West Hollywood Recovery Center, and serving on panels at institutions speaking from his own experience about recovery. In 2015, David chose to transition from a 25-year career in producing large-scale corporate events for the sports, entertainment and non-profit sectors, to co-founding Awakening Recovery, non-profit recovery housing solution in Los Angeles , as its Executive Director and Board member, helping those without resources looking for a dynamic, peer-mentoring and 12-Step driven long-term recovery solution. Additionally, David has successfully completed his Certificate in Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counseling from UCLA. He now devotes his personal and professional life to helping those that need it the most find a long-term recovery solution from chronic and acute substance addiction through the life-saving work at Awakening Recovery's men's house and women's house and in his recovery community at large.