Building American Rehab

Episode #7: Teresa Vetter – Building American Rehab

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMBkZ7gT9pk

[00:00] Teresa Kittridge: Hi, I’m Teresa Kittridge, your host of the 100 Rural Women podcast, where I’ve set out to interview 100 women doing amazing things for our rural communities.

[00:10] Teresa Kittridge: I’m super excited to welcome Teresa Vetter.

[00:14] Teresa Kittridge: Teresa is the founder of American Rehab.

[00:18] Teresa Kittridge: My relationship to Teresa is that we grew up in the same town. We went to the same high school.

[00:27] Teresa Kittridge: I came across a post about the work Teresa was doing with American Rehab, and I reached out to her. I wanted to know more about what she was doing and asked if she’d be willing to come on our podcast and talk about her work.

[00:43] Teresa Kittridge: I’m just really excited to have you here with us, Teresa.

[00:48] Teresa Kittridge: We’ll jump right into it, if that’s okay. I’d like to start our podcast with a question: share a lesson you learned from somebody influential in your life.

[01:00] Teresa Vetter: Probably the most influential person in my life was my dad.

[01:05] Teresa Vetter: If I could sum it up in one word, he taught me persistence. Don’t give up.

[01:13] Teresa Vetter: Another thing was not being afraid to ask people about something or to do something.

[01:22] Teresa Vetter: That has opened more doors for me. Not being afraid to ask has made a big difference in my life.

[01:31] Teresa Kittridge: I hear you, because if you don’t ask, they don’t know. I agree — that’s really good advice.

[01:40] Teresa Kittridge: I think about you and your work and the community you’re serving. American Rehab is just an amazing undertaking.

[01:49] Teresa Kittridge: Can you talk a little bit about American Rehab and tell us more?

[01:56] Teresa Vetter: Sure, but first I’d really like to say thank you for inviting me here today. It’s great to see you.

[02:04] Teresa Vetter: I appreciate the opportunity, and I’m proud of the important work you are accomplishing with 100 Rural Women.

[02:13] Teresa Vetter: American Rehab’s message is simple: addiction is real, and so is recovery.

[02:21] Teresa Vetter: Right now, there are more than 45 million people in the United States who are living with substance use disorder, and fewer than 10 percent are receiving the help they need.

[02:35] Teresa Vetter: Resources are out there, but what good is a resource if people don’t know about it or can’t find it when they need it?

[02:45] Teresa Vetter: That is where American Rehab steps in.

[02:49] Teresa Vetter: American Rehab is a nationwide resource network that brings together multiple pathways to recovery all in one place.

[02:59] Teresa Vetter: It helps educate and connect people to practical resources in both crisis and non-crisis situations.

[03:08] Teresa Vetter: Many of these resources are free, low-cost, or covered by insurance.

[03:14] Teresa Vetter: Part of American Rehab’s mission is to reduce random searches online for help.

[03:22] Teresa Vetter: Too often, people spend hours jumping from one website to another, accomplishing very little other than added confusion and stress.

[03:33] Teresa Vetter: I know because I’ve done it.

[03:36] Teresa Vetter: I spent many nights over several years staying up until four in the morning searching for help for my son.

[03:48] Teresa Vetter: Far too often, random searches take you to misleading, unethical, or profit-driven websites, especially when it comes to treatment.

[04:01] Teresa Vetter: People do not have the luxury of wasting critical time and energy when help is needed for themselves, a child, a grandchild, a parent, a spouse, or a friend.

[04:18] Teresa Vetter: Finding timely help can literally mean the difference between someone going to jail versus entering treatment, or even preventing an overdose.

[04:31] Teresa Vetter: American Rehab takes you from a random search to a focused one, where you will find multiple pathways to recovery.

[04:43] Teresa Kittridge: How did American Rehab get started? Tell us the story.

[04:49] Teresa Vetter: My son, Jack, died of an overdose in 2020.

[04:56] Teresa Vetter: He was 26 years old and had been living with addiction for over a decade.

[05:03] Teresa Vetter: That year, he was one of more than 92,000 Americans who died of an overdose.

[05:12] Teresa Vetter: When Jack died, I didn’t just lose my son. I lost my sense of purpose.

[05:21] Teresa Vetter: The day after he died, I heard a distinct voice in my head that said, “Write,” as in W-R-I-T-E.

[05:33] Teresa Vetter: At the time, I did not know or care what it meant.

[05:39] Teresa Vetter: But over the next year, the word kept repeating itself over and over, and it became impossible to ignore.

[05:50] Teresa Vetter: Eventually, I came to trust that “write” wasn’t just a random word — it was a message.

[06:00] Teresa Vetter: At first, I thought it meant I should write Jack’s story.

[06:07] Teresa Vetter: I tried for months, but it was too painful. I could not do it.

[06:15] Teresa Vetter: It wasn’t what I was supposed to be doing.

[06:20] Teresa Vetter: But while I had been attempting to write Jack’s story, there was a fair amount of research involved, and along the way I kept finding valuable recovery resources — some I knew about and many I didn’t.

[06:38] Teresa Vetter: So I started saving them, and it didn’t take long before there were hundreds.

[06:46] Teresa Vetter: That is when it dawned on me.

[06:50] Teresa Vetter: Writing about and sharing resources is what I was meant to be doing — helping people avoid random searches.

[07:00] Teresa Vetter: That realization set the stage for what American Rehab became.

[07:07] Teresa Vetter: Around that same time, I watched the movie Hacksaw Ridge, the true story of Desmond Doss, a heroic World War II Army medic who kept returning to the battlefield without a weapon to rescue wounded soldiers.

[07:26] Teresa Vetter: Each time he went back, he’d say, “Lord, help me get one more.”

[07:34] Teresa Vetter: That idea — just one more — stayed with me and became my mantra.

[07:42] Teresa Vetter: Keep searching for just one more resource. It may be the one that helps just one more person.

[07:53] Teresa Vetter: What started as hundreds of resources became thousands, making it easier for people to explore and find what works for them.

[08:06] Teresa Vetter: I now recognize that American Rehab is exactly what I’m meant to be doing.

[08:14] Teresa Vetter: It’s given me a renewed sense of purpose, and it’s transforming the infinite depth of my grief into something that can offer hope to others.

[08:28] Teresa Kittridge: I hear you, and it’s an incredible resource. Folks need to check out the website, americanrehab.org.

[08:37] Teresa Kittridge: It’s just full of resources.

[08:41] Teresa Kittridge: We’re going to talk a little bit more about those resources later, but what a journey you are on.

[08:50] Teresa Kittridge: Finding your sense of purpose is incredible. I’m happy for you, and I’m happy for all of us that you’ve created this.

[09:01] Teresa Kittridge: Can you talk a little bit more about who American Rehab is for? When you think about your audience, who are you looking to engage and help?

[09:15] Teresa Vetter: American Rehab is for anyone who’s been touched by substance use, which is most people these days.

[09:24] Teresa Vetter: They generally fall into three main groups.

[09:28] Teresa Vetter: First, it’s for people who are facing substance use challenges themselves.

[09:34] Teresa Vetter: Some are actively looking for help. Others don’t know where to start. Some aren’t ready yet. Others can’t afford certain types of care.

[09:47] Teresa Vetter: American Rehab helps people see the many options that are out there side by side.

[09:55] Teresa Vetter: Second, it’s for family members and friends who want to help a loved one, but they don’t know how.

[10:04] Teresa Vetter: They often need support themselves.

[10:08] Teresa Vetter: Navigating addiction and recovery can be overwhelming, and a lot of people don’t realize how many support options are out there just for family and friends.

[10:21] Teresa Vetter: American Rehab makes them easy to find.

[10:26] Teresa Vetter: Third, the website is for professionals — clinicians, peer recovery specialists, case managers, drug court personnel, and others working in the community.

[10:39] Teresa Vetter: Most of these professionals are resources themselves, but they also need reliable places to send people for additional support, often referred to as wraparound services.

[10:53] Teresa Vetter: American Rehab helps professionals spend less time searching and more time helping those who need it.

[11:03] Teresa Kittridge: I’m just excited to be able to share the resources on your website.

[11:09] Teresa Kittridge: We’ll share the screen now on the podcast for folks who are viewing it, and on our website we’ll include all of these links so people can check out your website and the different resources.

[11:25] Teresa Kittridge: Why don’t you talk to us a little bit about your website and the resources you have there?

[11:33] Teresa Vetter: The “Find Help Now” section is the most important section on the website.

[11:40] Teresa Vetter: There are no other websites out there that gather as many pathways to recovery and resources together as American Rehab does.

[11:51] Teresa Vetter: Recovery looks different for everyone. What works for one person may not work for another.

[12:00] Teresa Vetter: Addiction is a medical condition, and few people can navigate it alone.

[12:08] Teresa Vetter: Treatment is one pathway, and it is an important one, but it’s not the only one.

[12:17] Teresa Vetter: Recovery often involves a combination of resources working together over a period of time.

[12:26] Teresa Vetter: The key is helping people find what fits their individual needs.

[12:34] Teresa Vetter: Because addiction is isolating, human connection is essential to recovery.

[12:43] Teresa Vetter: For some people, that first connection might be an anonymous helpline, a recovery support group, a peer recovery specialist, a crisis center, or medication-assisted treatment.

[12:58] Teresa Vetter: It could also be a recovery community organization, harm reduction services, recovery housing, or another kind of support that opens the door.

[13:11] Teresa Vetter: Telehealth and virtual options have also expanded access to resources, especially for people living in rural areas or others who might not physically be able to reach help.

[13:25] Teresa Kittridge: That’s such a good point. Our main audience is rural women, but we reach a broad audience, and access to recovery resources can really be challenging for rural people.

[13:39] Teresa Kittridge: So a resource like this being online is amazing.

[13:45] Teresa Kittridge: I know you talked a little bit about certified peer recovery specialists. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

[13:54] Teresa Vetter: Certified peer recovery specialists are my heroes.

[14:00] Teresa Vetter: They are people who are in recovery themselves and have received specialized training to help support others.

[14:10] Teresa Vetter: They understand addiction and recovery in ways that only someone with lived experience can.

[14:19] Teresa Vetter: At some point, someone helped them, and now they want to give back.

[14:27] Teresa Vetter: By supporting all pathways to recovery, peer recovery specialists often show up when no one else does, filling critical gaps in care.

[14:39] Teresa Vetter: You might find them helping someone arrange recovery housing before they leave treatment, or taking a person to a recovery support meeting because they’re unable to drive.

[14:55] Teresa Vetter: You might find a peer recovery specialist in a hospital room reaching out to someone who’s being discharged after an overdose — someone who’s traumatized and has no idea what to do next.

[15:13] Teresa Vetter: These specialists do not replace clinical care or treatment, but they serve to strengthen it.

[15:22] Teresa Vetter: They make sure people don’t have to face recovery alone or feel forgotten.

[15:30] Teresa Vetter: They are improving and transforming the addiction and recovery landscape in ways that others cannot.

[15:42] Teresa Kittridge: Just to reiterate, AmericanRehab.org is the website where you can find out more about Teresa, her story, and the resources she’s dedicated the last few years of her life to building.

[15:57] Teresa Kittridge: You’ve really channeled your grief into such a positive outcome for so many people.

[16:05] Teresa Kittridge: What else would you want to share with folks who are listening today that you think would be helpful?

[16:14] Teresa Vetter: Just a few final thoughts.

[16:18] Teresa Vetter: American Rehab is a national nonprofit organization.

[16:24] Teresa Vetter: It’s independent, there are no hidden agendas, and there is no advertising.

[16:32] Teresa Vetter: The work is made possible through donations.

[16:37] Teresa Vetter: I’d like to say to anyone out there who’s facing the daily challenges of addiction — people who may feel lost, sick, or alone — I want to say three words: never give up.

[16:55] Teresa Vetter: There are amazing, dedicated people out there who care, and they’re ready to help now.

[17:04] Teresa Vetter: You can find many of them through American Rehab.

[17:10] Teresa Vetter: One final note: there will always be just one more resource to add, because it may be the one that helps someone when they need it the most.

[17:23] Teresa Vetter: That is what truly matters.

[17:28] Teresa Kittridge: That’s a great point to close on.

[17:33] Teresa Kittridge: I feel so fortunate with 100 Rural Women to be able to connect — and reconnect. You and I haven’t seen each other for years.

[17:45] Teresa Kittridge: Our whole purpose with this podcast is to help women be better informed and to let them see somebody’s journey and think, “That’s how she dealt with that,” or “That’s how she overcame that. Gosh, I could do that.”

[18:03] Teresa Kittridge: We’ll share all the resources on our website.

[18:09] Teresa Kittridge: I always like to close with a question. I always think about our younger selves.

[18:17] Teresa Kittridge: What gives you hope for the future?

[18:22] Teresa Vetter: My son.

[18:25] Teresa Vetter: I feel very connected to Jack. He is my inspiration. I love you very much.

[18:36] Teresa Kittridge: I love that that’s your inspiration.

[18:40] Teresa Kittridge: I just can’t thank you enough for coming on today and talking about this. I know this is hard to talk about, but what you’ve created is so incredible.

[18:54] Teresa Kittridge: Please know how many people this is helping. We are so excited to share these resources.

[19:03] Teresa Kittridge: We’re so happy you took the time to spend with us today to talk about your work, your life, and about Jack.

[19:13] Teresa Kittridge: Anything else before we close out, Teresa?

[19:18] Teresa Vetter: I just want to say I’m very grateful for our conversation, and thank you so much for helping me spread the word about American Rehab.

[19:29] Teresa Kittridge: Absolutely. Thanks again so much, Teresa Vetter.

[19:35] Teresa Kittridge: We look forward to seeing folks next time and sharing more resources. Thank you very much.