Abbie Knapton is a Trainer and Client Success Manager, a peer recovery specialist, a student, and a recovery advocate. Abbie has been in recovery from opioid use disorder since 2013 and has dedicated her life to advocacy. She was an integral part of the development of RI’s first recovery community center created specifically for teenagers, the Jim Gillen Teen Center. Abbie credits our programming with having a remarkable impact, not only on the youth she worked with, but on her own personal recovery and mental health. Abbie believes that laughter and tears are both essential parts of healing, as is loving life with an intensity rivaled only by her love for her dogs and her son. She hopes to continue being a part of the solution by sharing her story and shattering people’s perceptions about substance use disorder while empowering people in recovery to speak openly about their experiences.