Patty Powers

Originally from Toronto, Patty began drinking and using drugs recreationally as an adolescent. A 70s teenager enamored with punk rock and glam music, she moved to New York City where chance meetings with other addicts opened doors to careers, romantic relationships, the art world and the underground music scene. Whenever the negative consequences of addiction started taking their toll, survival instincts kicked in and she’d return to Toronto. It was a hamster wheel existence – getting strung out and cleaning up – and it relied heavily on the resiliency of youth. By 1987 the party was over. Having cut all ties to her former life, marriage and career, she spent a year living in an abandoned building in Los Angeles. It was at this low point she was introduced to recovery. On December 10th 1988, Patty was admitted into a treatment facility located outside of New Orleans for heroin addiction, cocaine, and methamphetamine use. She was discharged with 42 days clean on the first day of Mardi Gras. She  has remained drug and alcohol free.

Patty did not set out to become a recovery coach. Initially she was asked by friends in the entertainment industry to help provide guidance and companionship to their clients struggling with balancing work commitments with their newfound sobriety.

Through word-of-mouth her practice grew to include referrals from therapists, treatment providers, and other coaches. Leaders in the wellness community, including integrative physicians and psychiatrists, now refer Patty clients struggling not only with substance abuse issues but also those with impulsive destructive behaviors. Psychotherapist and transformation coach Terri Cole coined the phrase Shadow Addiction to open up a dialogue with this specific demographic of successful, health and enlightenment-seeking individuals.

Patty was a featured sober coach on the A&E mini-series “Relapse.” She has appeared on radio and news programs, podcasts, web-series, and her writing has been published on numerous websites. She occasionally hosts a live video open discussion on Sex in Recovery at http://www.intherooms.com.

When she’s not helping clients navigate their sobriety, she’s writing, learning how to play the violin, and getting oxytocin boosts by feeding squirrels in Tompkin Square Park.