Ken Pomerance Co-Founder of IN THE ROOMS

Kenny Pomerance has over 37 years of long-term recovery and has been married to his wife, Jamie, for over 32 years. Jaime has 34 years of long-term recovery. Kenny and Jamie have two children: Matt, 31, and Lexi, 29, both of whom have never seen Kenny or Jamie pick up a drink or a drug in their entire lives. Kenny has over 40 years of entrepreneurial experience, culminating in Co-founding (with partner Ron Tannebaum) InTheRooms.com. InTheRooms was created with a simple goal in mind, to give recovering addicts a place to meet and socialize when they’re not in face-to-face meetings. This basic concept has grown into a global online community with over 650,000 members who share their experience, strength, and hope with one another daily. Ken is an avid Nature photographer who loves to spend his extra time among the abundant wildlife in the Florida Everglades.

IN THE ROOMS

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Q. If you are in recovery, what was your Drug of Choice and when did you discontinue its use?
A. I never really had a drug of choice. I switched from one drug to another once a particular drug became a problem. I loved “speedballs” because I couldn’t make up my mind which way I wanted to go.I got clean on Halloween night in 1982.

Q. At which of the schools you attended did you learn the most?
A. The Addiction Training Institute at the University of Miami

Q. Do you believe leaders are made or born?
A. Made, usually after being tempered by overcoming adversity

Q. Which film have you watched the most?
A. Field of Dreams … just hearing a couple of notes from the soundtrack still makes me cry

Q. Who is your favorite celebrity in recovery?
A. Eric Clapton

Q. If you ever retire, would you prefer to live by the ocean, lake, river, or mountaintop, or penthouse?
A. A Penthouse overlooking the ocean

Q. What is your favorite hotel or resort?
A. The Hamilton Princess Beach Club in Bermuda

Q. Where do you go to “get away”?
A. The Florida Everglades

Q. What is your biggest or littlest pet peeve?
A. Judgmental people … and I can spot them in a second!

Q. How do you measure success?
A. When you’re happy with what you already have

Q. If you had an extra million dollars, which charity would you donate it to?
A. The American Kidney Fund

Q. Who was your biggest influence throughout your life?
A. My father. He was a very famous Police Chief. He was referred to as the “thinking man’s Police Chief, most known for his liberal and progressive techniques where he revolutionized crowd control in the ’60s and ’70s.

Q. What is your current hobby?

A. Nature Photography

Q. What prominent fe/male figure would you most like to date?
A. A young Catherine Zeta-Jones

Q. If you were giving a dinner party for your 3 favorite authors, Living or dead, who would they be? (choose 4 if you think one might be too drunk or stoned to attend.)
A. Stephen King, Greg Isles, Ken Follet

Q. What is your FAVORITE Radio show, news show, podcast?
A. Rachel Maddow

Q. What is your FAVORITE APP?
A. Storm – Weather App

Q. What is your FAVORITE TV/cable/digital series?
A. Vikings

Q. Who is your FAVORITE Director?
A. Martin Scorsese

Q. What is your FAVORITE Museum?
A. I love the Smithsonian

Q. What is your FAVORITE Band/composer/musical artist? A. The Beatles

Q. What is your FAVORITE Broadway musical/play?
A. A tie between Hamilton and Fiddler on the Roof

Q. Who is your FAVORITE Psychologist or what school of thought as related to psychology?
A. Gestalt

Q. What is your FAVORITE Sport to watch? To play?
A. College Football, go CANES!

Q. What is your FAVORITE Snack?
A. Homemade coconut macaroons. I can’t have them in the house … I’m truly addicted

Q. What is your FAVORITE Cuisine?
A. Dim Sum

Q. What is your FAVORITE Restaurant?
A. Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami Beach

Q. What is your FAVORITE City?
A. Miami

Q. Have you ever been arrested and, if so, what for?
A. I need 2 pages for this one. Several public intoxication arrests and in college I had an arrest for “streaking” (public indecency), however it was my FIFTH DUI arrest that got me into recovery. I still didn’t believe that I had a drug problem … but I KNEW I had a driving problem.

Q. Do you have any children?
A. Two wonderful kids

Q. Do you think the U.S. should adopt the Portuguese Decriminalization Model?
A. Yes! It’s pretty apparent that the “War on Drugs” has been a monumental failure.

Q. What books are you reading now?
A. The new Michael Connelly

Q. Do you take work home with you?
A. My work is 24 hours … whenever I’m awake, I have an eye on the ITR

Q. What is the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
A. Acceptance is the key to enjoying life

Q. What is the best piece of advice you’ve given?
A. See above

Q. Do you think addiction is an illness, a disease, a choice, or a wicked twist of fate?
A. Definitely a disease

Q. What are five things you always carry with you?
A. My medallion, a pen, mints, cellphone, wallet

Q. What’s the greatest risk you’ve ever taken?
A. Quitting a good job in treatment because of their lack of ethics

Q. What is your biggest mistake?
A. Crossing the line into active addiction

Q. What is the proudest moment in your life?
A. Seeing my daughter meet a wonderful man and walking her down the aisle.

Q. Is there a favorite “Quote” you would like to share?
A. “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.” – Dr. Seuss

Q. What is your favorite Weekly News Bulletin?
A. The Addiction Recovery eBulletin, of course!