Volunteer profile: Mary Madsen

A volunteer peer coach for Face It TOGETHER, Mary Madsen wishes peer coaching was available when she was struggling with alcohol addiction.

Madsen started her recovery journey in 2008 after she realized she had a problem with drinking. She used alcohol to cope with the pain she was feeling more and more, until she was noticeably absent from her children’s games and other family events.

“Because of my difficulties, I’m able to help others,” she said. “You just keep on doing the next right thing and you don’t have to stop just because you hit a little bit of a stumble. You just keep on going.”

Though Madsen had to work through the guilt that came with things she did while active in her addiction, she’s committed to helping others and spending as much time with her family as possible. (Read our blog on overcoming guilt.)

“All I can do is take this point forward and make the best life that I can for them, and that’s what I’m doing,” she said.

Watch the video to see Mary share her personal survivor story and talk more about her experiences as a volunteer peer coach for Face It TOGETHER in Sioux Falls. 


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