About this episode

Chris and Zoë discuss treatment and recovery with Blake Wellen, focusing on the importance of planning and support in the recovery process.

This week on Pondoff’s Anonymous, Chris and Zoë sit down with Blake Wellen, case manager at Illinois Recovery Center, for a conversation about treatment, recovery, compassion fatigue, and what it looks like to care for people when they’re walking through one of the hardest seasons of their lives. Blake doesn’t identify as an alcoholic or addict, but he grew up around addiction and found himself pulled into the recovery world through his family, his work at IRC, and a genuine love for helping people. He talks about starting at IRC as a night tech, working his way through different roles, and eventually becoming a case manager helping clients build a real plan for life after inpatient treatment. They get into why discharge planning starts on day one, why 30 days is rarely enough, how sober living and outpatient care can change the outcome, and why people leaving treatment need more than good intentions. They need support, structure, and people who believe they can make it. Also in this episode: small-town Illinois stories, Highland chaos, wedding fights, compassion fatigue, therapy, the “jar of f*cks,” and why sometimes the real work starts after treatment ends. TIMESTAMPS: 00:00…

People in this episode

Hosts: Chris Pondoff, Zoë Mendenall

Guest: Blake Wellen

Topics covered

• treatment
• recovery
• compassion fatigue
• discharge planning
• sober living
• support systems

Keywords

• addiction
• recovery
• case manager
• compassion fatigue
• discharge planning
• sober living
• Illinois Recovery Center

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Illinois Recovery Center

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