Sarah Bachmeier says her job is to help others, help themselves.
She provides judgment-free guidance, advice and perspective to help others in recovery make something out of what may seem to be nothing.
“A lot of people just really need to talk to someone who gets it,” she said.
She does that through her business Magic City Advocacy and Consulting.
This year marks a milestone for her. Her fifth year in recovery.
“I feel like we need more people to step up and be like, ‘Hey, I was…a mess.’ Like, I completely messed up my life.”
But her message goes beyond that. Yes, people make mistakes, but there is life after substance use disorder. For her, and anyone else.
“[We can] get it together. Well, I don’t have it all together,” Bachmeier said with a laugh. “I’m still figuring a lot out, but that’s one thing that I promised myself when I started in my recovery, was honesty and being transparent.”
Clients are referred to her by authorities or professionals.
She’s a go-to source for people pursuing recovery to find things like housing, jobs, and – as she said – someone who understands.
“You know, be an example of how we can be … extremely stupid,” she chuckled as she spoke. “And do so many stupid things and let ourselves be at the mercy of our mental health.”
Mental health is one of the biggest focuses of what she does.
Bachmeier can reference her own experience but she’s also seen many clients over the years between being a Peer Support Specialist with the state’s Free Through Recovery Program, working at the local methadone clinic, and when she was an independent living advocate for a local non-profit.
All that’s led to where she is today, the triumphs and the troubles are what now has her working towards a degree in Forensic Psychology.
“To identify what it really is underneath, and not just, ‘You suffer from substance use disorder.’ It’s like, OK, I want to know why you do,” Bachmeier explained. “Because there are so many factors that contribute to a substance use disorder.”
A lot that she’s learned about herself, she applies to what she does but she adds that there’s a lot more to be done.
Sarah Bachmeier says societal changes will come from the ability to understand, in-depth, what all attributes to substance use disorder and addiction as a whole.
Her efforts are what make her remarkable.
Right now her goals are to maintain school, work and family with a good balance. But, a little bit further into the future, she even sees a Ph.D. in Psychology.
