A Vision of Hope Media
Addiction Recovery Keynote Speaker on Reentry, Identity & Mental Health Leadership
Lived-experience keynotes and workshops for conferences, treatment centers, universities, and libraries.
Andrew Drasen speaks from lived experience — addiction, incarceration, grief, and the long climb back — for audiences booking a recovery keynote, reentry workshop, or mental health leadership talk. Formats include conference keynotes, treatment-center intensives, university panels, library author visits, and virtual events across the United States.
Andrew Drasen speaks from lived experience on recovery, reentry, grief, and identity for audiences across the United States.
Direct Answer
Andrew Drasen is a lived-experience addiction recovery and reentry keynote speaker based in the United States. He books conference keynotes, treatment-center workshops, university panels, library author talks, and virtual events on identity-based recovery, reentry after incarceration, grief, drug policy, and mental health leadership. Schedule via Calendly or the contact page to discuss dates, audience, and format.
Lived Experience, Not Theory
I spent nearly two decades cycling through addiction, eight treatment programs, and incarceration before I found a way out that actually held. I wrote my memoir five minutes before walking out of prison, founded A Vision of Hope Media, and built the ReturnPath curriculum so the next person does not have to learn all of it the hard way.
When I speak, I do not hand audiences a sanitized recovery story. I give them the truth about what addiction, relapse, and reentry actually feel like — and the identity-based framework that helps people rebuild. Whether the room is full of clinicians, justice-impacted individuals, students, or policymakers, the goal is the same: leave people with hope they can act on.
The memoir was requested by 140+ NetGalley industry readers — including librarians, educators, and booksellers — with LibraryReads nomination interest from a high-school librarian. That institutional response is why library author visits, book-club Q&A, and conference keynotes are a natural fit.
Programs exploring ReturnPath after a keynote can start with the ReturnPath hub and the therapeutic fusion map — including dedicated tracks for reentry and justice, addiction recovery, veterans reintegration, grief and bereavement, and life direction coaching.
Industry & Library Response
- 140+ Industry readers
- 17+ NetGalley reviews
- 16 Librarians
LibraryReads nomination interest from Shirlynn Buck, Yoe High School (purchase intent and readers' advisory: yes).
Speaking Topics
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Identity-Based Recovery
Why lasting recovery is about who you are becoming — not just the behavior you are stopping — and how to help people rebuild identity after addiction.
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Reentry & Second Chances
The hidden sentence after release, the overdose window we keep wasting, and what real reintegration requires from programs and communities.
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Drug Policy From Lived Experience
A grounded case for harm reduction, regulation, and a public-health approach — from someone who lived every layer of the current system.
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Setbacks, Relapse & Growth
Why growth often looks like failure, how to reframe setbacks, and what keeps people moving when progress is not linear.
Audiences & Formats
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Conferences & Keynotes
Behavioral health, addiction, recovery, and criminal-justice conferences.
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Treatment Centers
Inpatient, outpatient, IOP, PHP, and aftercare program audiences.
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Reentry Programs
Justice-impacted individuals, reentry groups, and the staff who serve them.
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Universities & Schools
Students, at-risk youth, and academic programs in social work and public health.
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Corporate & Community Wellness
Workforce wellness, faith communities, and civic organizations.
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Book Clubs & Libraries
Author talks and Q&A built around the A Vision of Hope trilogy — with cataloging and collection-development resources for librarians. For libraries & schools →
Featured Appearances
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Global Addiction, Behavioral Health, and Psychiatry Conference 2026
Virtual presentation — "Identity restoration as a missing variable in relapse prevention."
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Mental Health & Substance Use Recovery Conference
Breakout session at the Kalahari Convention Center, Wisconsin Dells.
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Norris Academy, Milwaukee
Spoke with at-risk youth on recovery, identity, and second chances.
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NetGalley industry campaign
140+ librarians, educators, and booksellers requested review copies; 17+ published reviews (Sept 2025–Feb 2026).
Hear Andrew
No reel yet — but you can hear Andrew in long-form conversation on dozens of podcast episodes, and read press coverage of his work.
What Reviewers Say
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A gritty, often poignant chronicle…a powerful account of addiction and incarceration in 21st-century America.
— Kirkus Reviews
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Andrew Drasen goes beyond a typical recovery memoir, looking back on his long fight with addiction and what it really took to find sobriety.
— IndieReader
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A Vision of Hope is depressing and yet heart-warming, complicated and yet simplified as one's life is shown at its darkest moments out of control because of choices made. Hindsight is 20-20 but the lessons learned are pricey and yet priceless. More power to your positive outlook, Andrew.
— Shirlynn Buck, Yoe High School Librarian
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Inspiring, honest account of Andrew's struggles with addiction and how society treated him because of his addiction. Despite all of his experiences of the judicial system there was still hope. I would encourage anyone to read this book even if, like me, you have never even smoked a cigarette or taken hard drugs. This book is a lesson to everyone about not judging, having compassion and kindness to our fellow man.
— Ali Low
Book Andrew to Speak
Share your event date, audience, and format, and we will reply within 1–2 business days with availability and fit.
Explore ReturnPath Library & school resources
Or reach out directly: info@avisionofhopebook.com · (262) 383-1761