Aaron Booker introduced our speaker, Brett Lovins. Aaron has known Brett for 29 years. Brett lived in Bellingham from 1988 to 2003 and was a musician who played at Aaron’s wedding.
Brett has worked for many years at Cisco Systems. Brett is an alcohol addict. He has not had any alcohol or drugs since May 28, 2013. His recovery has led to his forming a consulting company called Sober Serious Consulting. He spoke to us about his journey.
He described about 15 years ago when he was 21 days into sobriety and attending a Cisco Live conference for work. He arrived at the host hotel and immediately went to a Greek restaurant when one of his superiors asked everyone to stand on their chairs and drink a glass of ouzo. This was a seminal moment in his recovery.
Brett decided to tell his recovery story to the health advisors at Cisco. Cisco was so supportive of him that it is a model employer for what Brett calls the “Recovery Friendly Workplace.”
Brett presented some statistics: 2/3 of families are affected by a substance use disorder; 70% of substance abusers are full time employees; 10% of abusers are severely addicted; 8% are in recovery.
In 2018, New Hampshire Governor John Sununu instituted a statewide Recovery Friendly Workplace program. In 2023, the Department of Labor produced a workplace booklet supporting the idea. In the last year or two, a number of other states have joined in.
From 2013 to 2021, Brett enjoyed 8 quiet years in his recovery. In 2018, he saw a documentary called “The Anonymous People,” which urged recovering addicts not to stay quiet, but to tell their stories to spread the word about healthy recovery. An author, Brene Brown has urged recovering addicts to “dare to lead.”
Beginning in 2021, Brett told his story to Cisco’s benefits and wellness team. He gave a talk to the 2022 Mental Health Awareness Week at work. At that year’s Cisco Live conference, the first item to sell out was the Sober Happy Hour which he organized.
Brett noted that the Recovery Friendly Workplace benefitted the employer in many ways: better productivity by its workforce, less absenteeism, better employee health, saving much money due to less turnover, health claims and related expenses.
Brett has podcasts available through his website (soberseriousconsulting.com) and urged our members to go to his website for more information.
Thank you, Brett, for an interesting and informative presentation.
Closing:
Steve thanked everyone who contributed to the meeting and urged people to help put tables and chairs back. The meeting adjourned early at 1:25 p.m.
