Speaker shares story of recovery ahead of documentary release
Apr. 21—Ben Tuff has devoted his life to molding future generations to create a brighter tomorrow.
But there were certain messages he wishes he received early on in his life that he recently has begun sharing with a wider audience.
Tuff, a motivational speaker, elite swimmer and former educator, shared his story Wednesday with students at Frederica Academy. Tuff is a recovering alcoholic who more than a decade ago turned away from drinking and toward swimming as he transformed his life.
His journey will soon be shared in a documentary titled, "Swim Tuff: How I Swam My Way Out of the Bottle," produced by well-known filmmaker Matt Corliss.
Tuff shared his story with the students in hopes of demonstrating how some of the toughest challenges can be overcome and open the door to great achievements.
"I grew up in Atlanta, and I grew up very anxious like many middle schoolers and upper schoolers," Tuff said. "And just like many upper schoolers, I found alcohol pretty early and the seeds were sewn."
Tuff has been sober 11 years, and he said getting sober came as a significant relief, leading especially to improvements in his mental health.
"I found out I had this thing called bipolar, and I also found out that drinking had taken up a lot of my time and I had a lot of time on my hands," he said.
He was encouraged to take up a new activity during recovery, so he turned to triathlons and then to competitive swimming.
Tuff's story caught the attention of Corliss, who has produced films like "The Social Dilemma," "Chasing Coral" and "Chasing Ice."
The documentary about Tuff's journey will come out in May and be shown at festivals before a wider release possibly this fall.
Tuff said he's excited to bring his story to a wider audience. Swimming has become something akin to his church, he said, and he's discovered how committing to it so fully allowed him to reshape his life.
"In the beginning, swimming was a struggle to stay afloat," Tuff said. "Now swimming for me is my escape. As I improved my skills I finally learned that that's where I did my praying. That's where I did my thinking. That's where I let it out."
Rachael Lee, counselor at Frederica, said she and other administrators at the school thought Tuff's message was an important one for the students to hear.
"Our purpose or mission and vision, of course, is to support our students not just academically but socially and emotionally," Lee said. "And that's very important, especially in the teen landscape and the mental health crisis that we're dealing with."
Social, emotional and mental health are closely tied to the potential development of addictions of all kinds, Lee added.
"We just want to be proactive in providing opportunities for our students to hear stories and to be inspired, to see someone overcome such a hard struggle and live a full life and live a life with purpose," she said.
Tuff said he wishes someone had shared this message with him at this age. Although part of him, he added, is glad he didn't so that he's able now to make a difference in people's lives by telling his story.
"My goal in life and why I taught for 21 years was to leave a mark on the future people of this world, and I want to be able to continue doing that," he said.
