Stephen Hill—founder of Speak Sobriety, young person in recovery, bestselling author, recovery coach, and a defense attorney—is a renowned national speaker on substance use prevention & mental health with a truly inspiring comeback story that everyone must hear.
He has presented in front of thousands of people for over 900 schools, drug free community coalitions, and organizations across the country, sharing his cautionary tale of addiction to recovery and beyond.
But before Stephen had these accolades attached to his name, his reputation was filled with negative stigmas—junky, dropout, felon, failure. A once promising student-athlete barely graduated high school, dropped out of numerous colleges, was arrested several times, misused deadly amounts of drugs for over a decade, was in and out of countless treatment programs, lost his friends, and cost his family tremendous emotional and financial hardship.
Just when it seemed like there was no hope for Stephen, he finally began his journey from drug & alcohol addiction to recovery when he entered an extended care treatment program on September 30, 2012. After 180 days in treatment when Stephen was able to start thinking clearly, he made a choice to give himself a real second chance at life. Through inner strength, patience, hard work, and support from others, Stephen turned his mess into a message by using both his positive and negative life experiences to live out a meaningful and intentional life.
Today, Stephen teaches people to be resilient by not only maximizing their strengths, but also taking what most people perceive as a weakness or negative experience and turning it into a life lesson for personal growth.
This shift in thinking is how Stephen overcame a severe substance use disorder, began working in the field of addiction prevention and treatment, started his own speaking and coaching company, received his bachelor’s with honors in Criminal Justice, earn his Juris Doctorate from Brooklyn Law School, passed the bar exam, and published his memoir A Journey to Recovery—a #1 New Release on Amazon.
Stephen now works with Guardian Recovery—a leading treatment program for substance use and mental health disorders—to improve programming and outcomes, especially for adolescents. With his background as a youth motivational speaker, Stephen will expand community outreach and help provide critical resources to families in need, supporting Guardian’s mission to empower young people and strengthen community resilience.
Stephen now lives a meaningful life with his family and friends. Some of the personal experiences that Stephen shares are difficult for him to talk about, but he knows it’s worth it if his story helps just one person every time he speaks.
Reach out today to see how we can help you begin your journey to recovery.
Founder of Speak Sobriety, a young person in recovery, bestselling author, recovery coach, and a defense attorney — is a renowned national speaker on substance use prevention & mental health awareness with a truly inspiring comeback story that everyone must hear.
