In this FIRST “This BADASS Sober LIFE” Podcast Episode, Beau Chilson who is a high school student in Boulder, CO is interviewing Avani Dilger about the story behind the “Natural Highs” nonprofit program. You will find out what personal experiences led Avani start this grassroots movement involving teens as leaders and what the groundbreaking elements of Natural Highs are. Get the insider view from a Natural Highs Teen Peer Mentor and the founder of the Natural Highs Program, Avani Dilger.Your Host in this Episode:Beau Chilson is a Natural Highs Peer Mentor and high school student in Boulder, CO. He works with Natural Highs because he thinks that it is incredibly important to help his peers realize the repercussions of drug use on their brains. “I love working with Natural Highs and it has taught me a lot about myself.” He started a weekly teen run club called “First Step” that helps teens realize their habits and gives them reliable support as they try to change.Your Guest in this Episode:Avani G. Dilger, MEd, MA, LPC, BC-DMT, CAC III, ADS, is a Licensed Professional Counselor, a Certified Addiction Counselor, a Somatic Psychotherapist, an Acupuncture Detoxification Specialist and a Motivational Interviewing Trainer (MINT), who specializes in substance abuse prevention and treatment with adults, teens and their families. She is the founder and Executive Director of the “Natural Highs – Healthy Alternatives to Drugs & Alcohol” nonprofit program, an innovative, grassroots substance abuse prevention and intervention program that empowers teens and adults to become leaders around healthier lifestyles and positive peer culture. In addition to teaching the Natural Highs program in high schools in Boulder and at Naropa University, Avani works as a psychotherapist with teens, families and adults with issues around substance abuse, addiction and trauma using cutting-edge approaches such as Somatic Psychotherapy, Brainspotting and Systemic Constellationwork. She is a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT) and trains Motivational Interviewing for criminal justice, mental health, and substance abuse professionals.

In this Episode of “The BADASS Sober LIFE” Podcast you will learn:• An Introduction to the Natural Highs Program• Learn about Beau who is a Natural Highs Teen Peer Mentor• Avani’s life experiences that led to starting Natural Highs• The origins of Natural Highs• The potential in trauma, pain, loss and hardship• The role of non-judgment in Natural Highs• Natural Highs for Adults• The Role of the Yerba Mate Ritual in Natural Highs• The social dynamic in substance use and in sobriety• A Vision for the future of Natural Highs• The Online Natural Highs Resources that are going international now• How to get your FREE Natural Highs Care Packets of inspiration wherever you are in the world• How to access FREE Natural Highs Online Groups for TEENS• How to become a Peer Mentor with Natural Highs• Avani’s message for the world: “Turn your pain into a resource to help others”• Beau’s message to the world: “Be yourself”• How you can be part of the Natural Highs Movement

More Resources & Next Steps for you:• To get involved with the Natural Highs Community: www.naturalhighs.org

• To get your FREE Natural Highs Care Packets by email: Sign up at www.naturalhighs.org

• To support Natural Highs: https://www.naturalhighs.org/support-us

• Christine Caldwell (1996). Getting Our Bodies Back: Recovery, Healing, and Transformation through Body-Centered Psychotherapy

• William Miller, Stephen Rollnick (2012): Motivational Interviewing. Helping People Change

• Rona Wilensky, Founder of New Vista High School, at https://passageworks.org/author/ronawilensky

Want to connect with Natural Highs?• Get connected at www.naturalhighs.org• Sign up for FREE emails for current groups & events: naturalhighs.org• Connect with us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/naturalhighsofficial/• Connect with us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naturalhighsofficial/• Questions? Get in touch with Avani – [email protected]• Want to be a guest or have a guest recommendation for “This BADASS Sober LIFE” Podcast? Get in touch with Avani – [email protected]• We would love to hear your FEEDBACK: [email protected]

Be well and live your “BADASS Sober Life”!!!