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Michael Van Meter is a well respected Law Enforcement Leader and an Addiction Recovery Expert. In this episode, he talks about the devastating effects of addiction on the public, himself, and his profession. Pulling from personal and professional experience, Michael shares thoughts on this complex, controversial subject.
Addiction Crisis: Truth, Justice and The Road to Recovery
Retired L.E.O. and FBI agent Michael Van Meter is a well respected Law Enforcement Leader and an Addiction Recovery Expert. In this episode, he talks about the devastating effects of addiction on the public, himself, and his profession. Pulling from personal and professional experience, Michael shares thoughts on this complex, controversial subject.
Michael puts it all out on the table, provides expert insight and shares many of his own experiences. He debunks the widespread notion that you have to be anonymous about your addiction story, rather, you should celebrate recovery and tell others who need to hear about it. In recovery, Michael says, we don’t learn to change our circumstances, we learn to change how we react to them.
Addiction is a subject that is often talked about but not often understood by the public. The public, law enforcement officers, and first responders, need to be educated on the devastating effects of addiction and the stigma attached to it. Michael brings clarity to how we can begin to break down these barriers and have real conversations about the epidemic of addiction.
Michael is an educator, a motivational speaker, and a social media influencer. He has a unique perspective and has been through a lot. His course titled “Leading At-Risk Employees” focuses on understanding alcoholism, prescription drug abuse, PTSD, suicide, and domestic violence as it relates to programs, policies, and procedures for law enforcement agencies worldwide.
Retired LEO | Retired FBI Agent | Educator | Addiction Counselor
Michael Van Meter has seen first-hand, the devastating effects of addiction on the public, himself, and his profession. He began his career as a helicopter pilot in the U.S. Navy. After eight years, he became a Corrections Officer, Washington DC Police Officer, and then FBI Agent. In 2010, Michael became an instructor at the FBI Academy. In 2013, he created a course titled “Leading At-Risk Employees” geared toward Police Executives to help them understand alcoholism, prescription drug abuse, PTSD, suicide, and domestic violence, as it relates to policies and procedures for their agencies worldwide.
In 2019, Michael retired from the FBI but his passion for helping others continued. He is currently working on a Master’s in Addiction Counseling from the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School of Addiction Studies. Pulling from his personal and professional experience, Michael will be sharing his thoughts on this sensitive, complex, and controversial subject.
