ABOUT INVESTING IN SOBRIETY
Derek Benson has been in recovery for almost eight years. He attended a handful of boarding schools throughout his childhood and graduated from The Hun School of Princeton in Princeton, New Jersey, in 2005. Derek was a scholarship athlete at Purdue University and Hofstra University. Upon graduation, he worked in finance, was on Wall Street, and pursued graduate studies at NYU. Unfortunately, during Derek's collegiate years, his prescribed and recreational drug use turned into abuse. Derek recognized he had a problem but couldn't do anything about it until he lost everything except his life five years later. Facing many criminal charges in 2014, he was arrested, imprisoned, and ultimately sent to an intensive treatment rehab facility.
During Derek's vacation, he was temporarily relieved from the slave-like mindset of addiction. Still, he was often overwhelmed by how he would put his life together and achieve his goals and aspirations. Then, with time to reflect, he remembered a question his father once asked that left him speechless, "Son, do you think you're a good investment... Why"?
"The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way."
- Marcus Aurelius
The mess of addiction and substance abuse did not happen to Derek; it happened for him. The chaos of addiction was the necessary catalyst for embracing lifelong learning, prioritizing mental health, practicing healthy habits, embracing meaningful relationships, breaking bad habits, and developing good ones. But it all started with investing in his recovery from substances and flawed processes.
Working and volunteering in the addiction community throughout the country, Derek has been involved with speaking engagements and working with athletes, medical professionals and students, rehabilitation facilities, and community-based organizations to spread awareness about the opioid crisis, addiction, and probably most importantly - WHAT RECOVERY LOOKS LIKE.