Knowing your lane

One of the most dangerous things a person in early recovery can do is start giving medical advice, therapeutic interpretation, or formal sponsorship without training. The other person, in their vulnerability, will often take what you say as authoritative. If you are wrong, the consequences are real.

Know what you are. You are a person in recovery with lived experience. That is enormously valuable, and it has clear limits. You can share what you did, what helped you, what you tried that did not work. You cannot diagnose. You cannot prescribe or tell someone to stop a medication. You cannot do trauma work that should be done with a licensed therapist. You cannot be the only support a suicidal person has.

Save three referral resources in your phone now. The SAMHSA national helpline (1-800-662-4357), a local addiction treatment center you trust, and a therapist who has openings or a way to find one quickly (Psychology Today's directory, Open Path Collective for sliding-scale, Inclusive Therapists for marginalized identities). When someone you are helping needs more than you can give, you do not improvise. You hand them a number.

If someone you are helping mentions suicide, you take it seriously every time. You do not assess the seriousness yourself. You ask, 'Are you safe right now? Do you have a plan? Can I help you call someone?' If the answer to any of those is concerning, you stay with them until they are connected to a professional resource — 988 in the US for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or 911 if there is immediate danger.

Helping in recovery is a team sport. You are one node in a network that includes doctors, therapists, sponsors, treatment programs, and other peers. Your job is to do your part well and refer out generously for everything else. The helpers who try to do everything alone hurt people and burn out.