We recently connected with Matthew Ward and have shared our conversation below.

Matthew, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Crazy stuff happening is almost as certain as death and taxes – it’s technically “unexpected” but something unexpected happening is to be expected and so can you share a crazy story with our readers

My name is Matt. I’m 35 and I live in San Diego, CA. I created @aliferecovered, a platform on social media that I now have turned into a business. We share recovery stories from people all over the world that have dealt with issues related to addiction and mental health. I am in recovery from alcohol and drug addiction myself

I was adopted and had a great childhood. I was an addict by my mid-teens but I regarded it as a phase. There was jail, arrests, totaled cars, seizures.

I joined the military in 2011 and was discharged in January 2018. I was addicted to alc, white and crystal. Addiction took everything from me, job, relationships, car, my apartment, all of my money and belongings.

By March 2018 I was an IV user. After 2 more DUI’s in one month, a large possession with intent to sell charge, I was looking at prison time. I was bouncing around halfway houses.

I went back to rehab for the fourth time on March 6th, 2019. I adopted a 12 step program after a spiritual experience. No one else gave me a new program for living.

After 19 months, I relapsed on 9/17/20. I remember sitting outside the liquor store, saying that it was over, and I should just commit to my life on the streets, I put a phone call into some people and realized I hadn’t lost anything aside from my sobriety date. I didn’t walk into the store.

I stay accountable now to friends and loved ones and I keep my side of the street clean as best I can. I mountain bike and workout for my dopamine now.

I currently work at an intensive outpatient clinic as a case manager do recovery coaching through my website aliferecovered.com. I just started my Masters program and will continue to help others as I have been helped.

Matthew, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Through my platform, @aliferecovered, I have discovered a profound purpose in sharing the raw, authentic stories of individuals navigating their own paths to recovery from addiction and mental health struggles. My own lived experiences have equipped me with an intimate understanding of the challenges and triumphs inherent in these struggles, as well as the pervasive stigma that surrounds them.

As a certified Life Coach, Recovery Coach and Interventionist, I bring firsthand experience and deep compassion to my work, guiding others toward the hope and healing that I have personally encountered. Currently pursuing my Master’s in Clinical Counseling, I have already dedicated several years to working in the field at an Intensive Outpatient Facility, holding licensure with the State of California.

My ultimate goal is to provide unwavering support and guidance to individuals as they embark on their journey and work to overcome the various challenges they encounter in their lives. I am deeply committed to empowering individuals to confront their struggles, develop healthy coping mechanisms, and rebuild their lives. Through empathy, understanding, and personalized assistance, I strive to create a safe and nurturing environment where individuals can thrive, heal, and ultimately emerge stronger than ever before.

I am profoundly passionate about leveraging both my personal and professional experiences to support others on their journey. Together, I endeavor to assist individuals in rewriting the narrative of resilience, empowering them to create lives they no longer wish to escape from.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I began aliferecovered during the pandemic. My mission was to share individual stories of people recovering from mental health and addiction from all over the world. It was difficult in the beginning because I only had a few followers on Instagram so I had to start off sharing stories of people that I knew friends and family, etc. Started to grow and I started to have larger sobriety pages market me. I started to build a platform and people started submitting their stories to me now I got stories submitted daily and there’s quite a long list of people to be featured. It’s currently at about 45 day turnaround time.

The best advice that I would give someone who is starting to build a following on social media is make sure you don’t go into it with the mindset of making money. You have to go into it with purpose in mind. You have to have a passion for what you do. Authenticity is key when building a following, and having people engage meaningfully with your content. Most of all, it should be fun. I always told myself if it ever stopped being fun, I would stop doing it. Cell

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I began aliferecovered during the pandemic. My mission was to share individual stories of people recovering from mental health and addiction from all over the world. It was difficult in the beginning because I only had a few followers on Instagram so I had to start off sharing stories of people that I knew friends and family, etc. Started to grow and I started to have larger sobriety pages market me. I started to build a platform and people started submitting their stories to me now I got stories submitted daily and there’s quite a long list of people to be featured. It’s currently at about 45 day turnaround time.

The best advice that I would give someone who is starting to build a following on social media is make sure you don’t go into it with the mindset of making money. You have to go into it with purpose in mind. You have to have a passion for what you do. Authenticity is key when building a following, and having people engage meaningfully with your content. Most of all, it should be fun. I always told myself if it ever stopped being fun, I would stop doing it. Cell

Does your business have multiple or supplementary revenue streams (like a ATM machine at a barbershop, etc)?

When I stepped into the recovery field and turned @aliferecovered into a business, I didn’t want to limit myself to just coaching or advertisements on social media. I also run other social medias for businesses such as detoxes and residential facilities and do digital marketing. I offer intervention services and do one on one zoom sessions to educate those who are suffering, as well as their families.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.aliferecovered.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aliferecovered
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aliferecovered