Twenty Percent

10/07/2026

That message hit home because 2026 has been the most challenging year of my life. There are parts of it I can share, and parts I can’t. But I can be honest about this: there have been moments when my mental health reached a place I never thought I’d experience.

I used to believe I had already hit rock bottom during my addiction. This year has shown me that pain can take you to places you didn’t know existed. There have been incredibly high highs and some devastating lows. Some of what happened has left lasting scars, and I know healing won’t happen overnight.

But through it all, I’m proud to say I’m 28 months sober. ❤️

Even on the days that hurt the most, I didn’t reach for a drink. I knew alcohol wouldn’t fix what I was feeling. It would only take me away from the life I’ve worked so hard to rebuild.

This year may always carry pain for me. But it will also be the year I kept choosing recovery—one day, and sometimes one moment, at a time. I chose to keep going. I chose a life in recovery, and I’m grateful beyond words that I did.

If you’re having a hard day, please remember: you don’t have to solve your whole life today. Just take the next step. Keep going.

My DMs are always open if you need someone to talk to. You are never alone.

10/06/2026

Things I don’t miss about active addiction:

I don’t miss waking up with anxiety, trying to remember what I said or did the night before, and wondering how I was going to get through another day.

I don’t miss hiding how much I was hurting behind a busy schedule or pretending I was okay. For a long time, I kept moving because slowing down meant facing feelings I didn’t know how to handle. Alcohol became a way to escape, but it never fixed what was underneath. It only made the hurt—and the consequences—heavier.

I don’t miss the shame, the broken trust, the worry in the people who love me, or feeling trapped in a cycle I couldn’t seem to stop.

Recovery hasn’t made life perfect. But it has given me a chance to be honest, ask for help, make amends, and keep showing up—one day at a time. I’m grateful I don’t have to live the way I used to.

If any of this feels familiar, please know you’re not alone. My DMs are always open if you need someone. ❤️

10/05/2026

Mental Health Matters in Animal Welfare 🐾❤️

This photo means a lot to me because it represents something I’ve learned the hard way: you can spend your life saving animals while quietly losing pieces of yourself.

I’ve worked in animal welfare for many years. I’ve seen incredible transformations and beautiful adoptions, but I’ve also witnessed neglect, abuse, overcrowded shelters, heartbreaking medical cases and animals we simply couldn’t save.

You tell yourself to keep going because another animal needs you.

So you push the sadness down. You compartmentalize. You stay busy. You convince yourself that taking care of you can wait.

It can’t.

The people working and volunteering in animal welfare are exposed to an enormous amount of grief and trauma. Compassion fatigue is real. Burnout is real. And asking for help should never be viewed as weakness.

I know that personally.

For years, I became very good at taking care of everyone and everything around me while ignoring what was happening inside of me. Eventually, those feelings caught up with me. Today, part of my own recovery is understanding that mental health deserves the same attention, compassion and treatment we so willingly give the animals in our care.

You cannot continually pour your heart into saving others without taking care of the heart doing the saving.

Talk to someone. Go to therapy. Take the day off. Set boundaries. Step away when you need to. Ask for help before you’re completely exhausted.

And please remember this: Taking care of yourself does not mean you care about the animals any less. It helps make sure you’re still here to care about them tomorrow.

To every shelter employee, rescue worker, foster, veterinarian, vet tech, volunteer, transporter and advocate carrying things most people will never see…

Your mental health matters, too.

KEEP GOING. ❤️🐾

And if you’re struggling, my DMs are always open if you need someone to talk to. You are never alone.

* Affordable therapy is on the way, so please stay tuned. 

10/05/2026

Nobody asked why I drank. 🤷‍♂️

That thought really stuck with me.

For a long time, alcohol was how I tried to quiet anxiety, avoid grief, and cope with the weight of everything I was carrying. I stayed busy helping others and pushed my own struggles aside—until drinking became a problem of its own.

People are often curious about why I stopped. That doesn’t bother me at all. I actually find it interesting. Maybe it’s because choosing sobriety is visible, while the reasons someone starts drinking can be much harder to see.

I don’t share my story to judge anyone. I share it because I know what it feels like to struggle quietly, and I want people to know that asking for help is possible. Recovery has given me the chance to face what I used to numb—and to keep going, one day at a time.

If you’re wondering whether it’s time to talk to someone, you don’t have to figure everything out before reaching out.

My DMs are always open if you need someone to talk to. You are never alone. KEEP GOING. ❤️

10/03/2026

Recovery has taught me that being a good person isn’t about being perfect. It’s about trying to do better, taking responsibility when I hurt someone, and choosing kindness even when life feels heavy.

For a long time, I kept myself so busy helping others that I didn’t make space to face what I was carrying. That pain eventually showed up in my drinking and addiction. Getting sober meant learning to care for myself, too—and to accept help instead of pretending I had everything handled.

We may not be able to help everyone or fix everything. But we can love the people in front of us, offer what we can, and keep showing up with compassion. Sometimes a small act of kindness can make someone feel less alone.

If you’re struggling today, please keep going. You matter, and you don’t have to do this by yourself.

My DMs are always open if you need someone to talk to. You are never alone. ❤️

09/30/2026

Please tune in tomorrow at 11 AM to hear great perspective and our way of trying to help people in the animal welfare community.
Fortier Therapy Group ❤️

🎙️ Excited to be heading back to on air!

Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to discuss a variety of mental health topics on air, but this upcoming segment is something a little different!

I’ve been asked to be on 98.1 KMBZ’s The Midday Show to discuss mental health, specifically the mental load, compassion fatigue, and burnout experienced by those working in animal welfare.

Looking forward to bringing a clinical perspective to a topic that’s especially close to my heart and to continue the discussion on a project my friend Scott Poore and I are working on! ❤️🐾

Recording tomorrow! 🎙️Stay tuned!

Chanel Fortier Kittle, LSCSW
Mental Health Therapist

Fortier Therapy Group
Twenty Percent

09/29/2026

Relapse prevention isn’t about being perfect. It’s about learning what helps you stay connected to recovery—and reaching for support before a hard moment becomes a harder one. ❤️

A few things that can help:

🧠 Notice your warning signs. Stress, isolation, certain places or people, and difficult feelings can make recovery feel harder. Pay attention to what tends to show up before you struggle.

📞 Reach out early. Call your sponsor, therapist, or someone you trust. You don’t have to wait until things feel unbearable to ask for help.

🤝 Stay connected. Meetings, treatment, and supportive people can remind you that you don’t have to do this alone.

🗓️ Make a plan for tough moments. Know who you can call, where you can go, and what helps you ride out a craving or a difficult day.

❤️ Take care of the basics. Rest, eat, and give yourself room to feel what you’re feeling. Staying busy can help for a while, but we also need safe ways to face what’s underneath.

And if you do slip, please don’t let shame convince you to disappear. Reach out and get support. One hard moment does not erase the work you’ve done or mean you can’t keep going.

Recovery is one day at a time. Keep going. ❤️

My DMs are always open if you need someone to talk to. You are never alone.

These tips reflect general recovery-support guidance; a counselor or treatment provider can help you make a plan that fits your situation.

09/27/2026

This is my why. ❤️

I share my story because I remember what it felt like to believe things would never get better. I know how heavy it can feel when you’re stuck in a cycle you can’t seem to break—and how hard it is to imagine a life beyond it.

Recovery gave me another chance. Today, I speak about what I’ve been through because someone out there may be sitting in the same darkness I once knew. Maybe hearing that I made it through will help them believe they can take one more step, ask for help, or stay a little longer.

I can’t know exactly who needs to hear my story. But if sharing it helps even one person feel less alone, then I’ll keep sharing.

Your story matters, too. You don’t have to have everything figured out to keep going. Just take the next step. ❤️

KEEP GOING.

My DMs are always open if you need someone to talk to. You are never alone.