Addiction & Mental-Health Survivors - Anonymous Recovery Stories
Looking for anonymous stories about mental health, recovery, and changing your life
Hi everyone,
I’m developing an anonymous podcast and newsletter for people who want to share real stories about mental health, addiction, recovery, loneliness, suicidal thoughts, veteran and first-responder experiences, grief, and the moments that changed their lives.
I’m especially interested in hearing from people who have been through something difficult and found a way forward, whether that meant recovery, rebuilding relationships, finding faith, asking for help, or simply choosing to stay alive one more day.
The project is connected to Shema (https://shema.care), a mental-support platform built around anonymous peer connection. The goal is to create a safe place where people can share what they have lived through and help someone else feel less alone. This is not intended to replace therapy or professional care.
My interest in this comes from personal experience. I struggled with mental health challenges and addiction for years, was addicted for about a decade, and overdosed three times. The third overdose put me in the ICU. A nurse told me I was the only survivor out of seven people my age who had come in for the same reason over the previous two weeks. That experience became part of why I’m building Shema and why I want to make room for honest stories that are often kept private.
Stories can be shared anonymously. Contributors can change names and identifying details, and would review and approve anything before publication. Stories could become podcast episodes, written newsletter pieces, or other carefully produced formats, depending on what the contributor is comfortable with.
I’d love to hear from people who:
Have lived through addiction or recovery
Have experienced suicidal thoughts or a mental-health crisis
Are veterans or first responders
Have struggled with loneliness, grief, trauma, or shame
Found faith, community, treatment, or another path that helped them change their life
Have supported someone through one of these experiences
If you’re open to sharing, please comment or send me a message. You can start with a short outline rather than your full story. I’m also interested in connecting with podcasters who have experience handling sensitive, anonymous stories with care.
This project will prioritize informed consent, anonymity, respectful editing, safety review, and the contributor’s right to withdraw. If you’re in immediate danger or thinking about harming yourself, please contact emergency services or a crisis line in your country rather than relying on this project.
Thanks for reading. I’d be grateful to hear from anyone who feels their story might help another person feel less alone.
shema.care