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Jay Shifman is an open book. Advocate, storyteller, coach, and consultant, Jay’s story of struggle is familiar to over 19 million Americans who also struggle with substance misuse. Now in long-term recovery, it is Jay’s mission to change the way the world treats addiction, substance misuse, mental health, and recovery.
Struggling with mental health from an early age, Jay was prescribed an alarming amount of drugs to help him manage. Instead of helping, however, the over-prescribing of medication turned into a full-blown addiction. Multiple suicide attempts, an overdose, in-patient treatment and rehabs later, Jay decided it was time to get off of the prescriptions.
A fervent believer in radical honesty, Jay uses storytelling to educate and empower. It’s his out-of-the-box thinking that allows him to directly and compassionately speak to those struggling with substance misuse, or to those who know someone who does. Jay’s knowledge and skill set have also led him to consult in corporate environments about mental health, wellness, and company culture.
Wanting to make the conversation even more accessible, Jay started the Choose Your Struggle podcast in early 2020. In this short amount of time, Choose Your Struggle is already in the top 2% of worldwide listenership and it cracked Apple’s renowned Top 200 ranking in the Mental Health and Wellness category in late 2020.
Holding a BA in Psychology from Northern Kentucky University, Jay has also put in numerous hours of independent learning on mental health, substance misuse, and drug policy. Jay is also an accomplished storyteller. With numerous speaking events to his name, he has a way of drawing the listener in while discussing hard topics and humanizing an all too often dehumanized subject.
For more information, visit: www.jayshifman.com
• Addiction, substance misuse, substance abuse, drug abuse
• Rehab, withdrawal and recovery
• Mental health, self-care, wellness, mindfulness
• Coaching and consulting
• Public speaking, storytelling, writing
• Politics, drug policy
• Podcasting, Choose Your Struggle
• Sports, music, whiskey
1. Explain the term substance misuse and why you prefer it to terms such as addiction or abuse.
2. Describe to us how you manage to be in recovery without being sober.
3. What is it like going through detox?
4. What’s it like living with depression, anxiety and OCD?
5. What are some examples of your favorite habits or practices for mental health care? How can we implement these in our everyday lives?
6. How do you track your mood and why is it important to do so?
7. What does Choose Your Struggle mean to you?
8. What are some substance misuse red flags people should be aware of for themselves or a loved one?
9. What are some of your favorite ways to spread love in the world?
10. What attracted you to storytelling and public speaking? How do you prepare for a speech?
11. How can we improve mental health in the workplace? What are some strategies leaders can implement to help their staff?
Jay is an accomplished speaker and storyteller with more than 50 podcast, radio, and web show credits to his name including The Courage to Change Podcast, the Ask Sharifah Morning Show, Crooked Illness and the Get Happy Hour.
My over 8,000 combined social media followers.
My podcast, Choose Your Struggle
My website.