Meet Angie Geren of Addiction Haven in Metro Phoenix

Today we’d like to introduce you to Angie Geren.

Angie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I joke that addiction has been in my life since in utero; whether it be family, friends, spouse, child, or myself, addiction has been an ever-present theme. Thirteen years ago, at the lowest point of my life, I found myself on the verge of a nervous breakdown, drinking too much, and knew something needed to change so I started with myself. This led me on a path of self discovery while facing the darkness I tried so hard to hide behind the “perfect” mask I wore. This journey led me thru the halls of Southwest Institute for the Healing Arts to become a Mind/Body Wellness Practitioner and Polarity Therapist in hopes to help other women find their voice. However, when my daughter started self-injuring in 7th grade to deal with her own wounds, it brought me face to face with the underground world of process addictions and teen angst as I had never witnessed before. Steeled with love and compassion for teenagers, I started working one on one with them helping and guiding them thru their turbulent years. Through these experiences and also the death by heroin overdose of a close loved one, I dove head on into the addiction community which was the foundation of Addiction Haven.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Ha, is anything ever a smooth road? Fighting for public health-focused addiction policy, low barrier peer programs, and educating a community on addiction is a tough road filled with stigma and judgment. The hardest part is confronting a plethora of misinformation and the biased “tough love” and moral failing current that courses through society. As a single mother of four and an unfunded program, it has definitely had its moments of wanting to quit however the vision is too big to stop. In addition, the mounting death toll to drug overdoses makes this field full of grief, sorrow, and pain which makes self-care absolutely critical.

Addiction Haven – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Addiction Haven is the only recovery community organization in Arizona and we are a hybrid of harm reduction and recovery. We are peer-led which means that all of our volunteers, board, and leadership have been affected by substance use disorder in some way. We take a multi-pronged approach to address addiction from the community level through recovery supports all with a harm reduction base. Harm reduction’s philosophy is to meet people where they are at and support them through their self directed journey while they are actively using substances. All of our services and outreach are low barrier without an abstinence requirement. We believe that everyone is worthy of love and support and that by addressing root issues we can change the trajectory of addiction from prevention thru the entire continuum. Since 2017, we have educated over 6,500 community members, students, and professionals on prevention, addiction, overdose prevention, and naloxone, trauma-informed approach, and advocacy. We also launched BRAVE Community which is a low barrier peer-led community of support that hosts weekly meetings and does service work and BRAVE Connections which is a low barrier peer support program offering a year of continued peer support to help people struggling with substances to create goals and have support while on their journey and does homeless outreach. We have also advocated at the state and federal level for policy that treats addiction as public health policy, such as the layperson access to naloxone bill, patient brokering ban, and sober living home regulations. I’m most proud of the fact that we work with all organizations along the continuum of addiction as we are able to fill gaps within services and have a community network with a solid foundation. I think we are best known for being an advocate for all people, regardless of their journey, and treat everyone with dignity, respect, and autonomy.

Is there something we can do as a city to improve the outlook for businesses like yours?
Although current policy and stigma make it difficult at times to work in Az, it is a great place for organizations like ours. We have an underserved need throughout the entire state for programs like ours that are focused on connecting communities and empowering individuals. All that is required is passion and a drive to make lives better. We have had minimal funding support however have been able to accomplish so much because of the support of our community and willingness to empower others through education.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.addictionhaven.com
• Phone: 480-277-3408
• Email: angie@addictionhaven.com
• Facebook: facebook.com/addictionhaven
• Other: facebook.com/ahbravecommunity

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.