Today we’d like to introduce you to Mindy Vincent.
Hi Mindy, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I guess this part of my story really began with my addiction to methamphetmaines. I came from a troubled home and was living on the street when I became addicted to meth. My addiction carried on from the time I was 12 until I was almost 30. That is when I was given the opportunity to go to treatment, again. Only this time, I was willing to do whatever it took to get sober and build a life with my son. The day my life changed was April 22, 2007. Since that time, I graduated treatment, drug court, federal probation, got my son back, went to school, obtained my Masters degree in social work, got married, had another baby (who is now nearly 15, got another Masters degree in Public Administration, opened a private practice and founded the Utah Harm Reduction Coalition, a non profit organization whose mission is to provide evidence-based interventions to aid people in reducing health and social harms associated with substance misuse. I started the first legal syringe exchange in Utah and we are still the largest provider of harm reduction services and syringe exchange in the state. UHRC is the only harm reduction based treatment program in the state and one of the only ones in the country. I have worked to pass legislation to reduce the harms of drugs, including being a key member of the group who initiated and passed the ballot initiative legalizing medical cannabis. In 2020, I filed a lawsuit against the state of Utah and the United States, for my 2nd amendment rights to be returned. Utah since changed their law due to my suit, but my case against the United States has already been before the Supreme Court for conference and will likely be accepted to be heard in early next year. That is the short version. 🙂
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
There have been many bumps in the road all along the way. Getting sober is hard and there are plenty of struggles I had to overcome just from that. Being a convicted felon makes it very difficult to get a job, find housing and limits access to many other life needs. And of course, walking through my consequences in the justice system was challenging, but all of those things were overcome. The real bumps in the road came when I was well into sobriety and I lost my sister from a heroin and suboxone overdose. That is the event that made me stop and really reflect on what we could be doing different with substance users to help them stay alive and possibly recover. No one recovers when they are dead and now my sister, who deserved sobriety far more than I did, would never have that opportunity. It was gone. That is when my path turned to harm reduction and the focus of my life and career became helping people stay alive and to help ANYONE who asked for it, regardless of their relationship with any substance. I just don’t understand why substance abuse treatment is the only kind of treatment that requires the outcome before the work has been done to achieve it. Introducing harm reduction to the state of Utah was no easy feat. I took a lot of criticism from a lot of people, many of whom were my friends. I had to sit down in meeting after meeting with lawmakers and police, listening to them tear apart my work, not understanding it and rejecting the idea of helping people who actively use drugs. But now, harm reduction is the new buzzword and everyone wants to be a part of harm reduction. We’ve come a long way, baby!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Utah Harm Reduction Coalition and Life Changes Counseling?
Utah Harm Reduction Coalition is a community based non profit organization serving low and no income individuals to aide in reducing health and social harms associated with substance misuse. UHRC started the first legal syringe exchange in Utah, and is the largest provider in the state. We have the only harm reduction based treatment program in the state and in the country, which simply means, no matter what someone’s relationship is with any substance, if they ask for my help, I will help them. They just have to show up. At UHRC, we do not require abstinence to engage in treatment and we do not require abstinence as someone’s end goal. Our motto is, “Your life, your recovery, your choice.” We accept people into treatment who have medical cannabis cards, narcotic prescription medication, people practicing or working toward abstinence and people who are still struggling with their use. We are proud of our “treatment first model” and our belief that all people are deserving of help and recovery is any positive change. We also started Rebel Recovery, an all pathways recovery support group.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Love is the answer. When all is said and done, the most important question I will ask myself is, “Did I love everyone I encountered to the best of my ability?” If I keep doing what I am doing, I feel pretty confident that answer will be “yes”. 🙂
Contact Info:
- Website: www.utahharmreduction.org and www.lifechangescounseling.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/utahharmreduction/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/utahharmreduction
