Welcome to I Will Hold Space For Your Darkness; a First Responder Mental Health Podcast hosted by Erin Jane.

A former Australian Police Officer and Detective, wife of an American Firefighter, previous crisis counsellor for a suicide prevention organization and current CISM trained, trauma informed and certified Life and Wellness Coach for First Responders, Emergency Services Members, Spouses and Loved Ones.

In this episode, Erin speaks with Jeff Fields, a former Law Enforcement Officer with 22 years experience across Local, State and Federal Departments, including positions at the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and as a Criminal Investigator with the US Postal Service. He now has a Public Safety Education and Consulting Organisation, "1333 Consulting" and is the author of "Sober From Sin"; a memoir of his journey through addiction and his search for spiritual and personal redemption.

Jeff tells Erin about growing up with a father in law enforcement, which set him on the path to follow in his footsteps, without really taking the time to consider another career choice. Jeff spent time in various uniformed departments across New Mexico and Arizona as well as Criminal Investigator positions, before obtaining a position with Department of Homeland Security.

He talks about seeking different positions with different departments, promotions and titles, but never really feeling completely fulfilled.

As many others in law enforcement, he had always been a big drinker, something Erin and Jeff talk about that is promoted by the culture of the profession. But his drinking behaviour escalated and Jeff talks incredibly openly and honestly about his struggles with alcohol, that began to increase during his time with DHS and resulted from the revelation of childhood trauma and abuse. Not knowing how to cope and not having the correct tools, led him to spiral into a full blown addiction.

The requirement to maintain a security clearance affected his ability to receive the mental health assistance he truly needed, which ultimately meant he never received the kind of support he was desperate for.

Jeff explains that he reached a point where he knew his career in law enforcement had to end, which as he notes, was easier for him to walk away from that to get sober. But for the sake of his marriage, his family and his own wellbeing, he knew it was something he had to do.

One aspect that helped Jeff along his path to sobriety was his faith, which he tells Erin about and explains the important role it now plays in his life and his recovery. He also tells Erin about the choice he made to put his story out there, warts an all, in an incredibly raw and authentic way, but writing "Sober From Sin". His ultimate goal is just to help as many people as he can, by sharing his story of his battle with addiction, so others know they're not alone.

It was an absolute honour to have this in depth conversation with Jeff and we both hope you enjoy listening!

You can find Jeff via his website: https://thejefffields.com/ and follow him on Instagram via @soberfromsin and "Jeff Fields" on Facebook.

You can purchase his book "Sober From Sin: A Law Enforcement Veteran's Journey To Unraveling Addiction and Faith" via his website or https://www.amazon.com/Sober-Sin-Enforcement-Unraveling-Addiction/dp/B0D1VYF955 which I encourage you all to check out!

Please feel free to reach out if you'd like a topic discussed, would like to be a guest or are interested in receiving coaching services from Erin Jane.

Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠info@erinjanecoaching.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.erinjanecoaching.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Call or Text: +1 617 396 4695

You can watch the episodes as video on YouTube here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/@Erin-Jane-Coaching?si=XI8q0z3mhmzO_a7_⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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