How Ben Tuff Swam his way out of a bottle

Welcome to RiseUP, stories of recovery, resilience, and renewal. I'm your host, Matt Taub, and in each episode, we'll be featuring incredible individuals who have overcome adversity and found a way to rise above their challenges. Today, we have the pleasure of speaking with Ben Tuff, a lifelong educator and a man with a passion for the ocean. Ben's story is one of breaking free from the hold that addiction had on him and finding a new passion for triathlon and marathon swimming.

Ben grew up splitting his time between Atlanta, GA and Jamestown, RI, and developed a lifelong appreciation for the ocean. He attended Colby College where he met his wife, Gretchen, and worked as a sailing instructor and boat captain in the British Virgin Islands. In 2012, Ben made the life-altering decision to break free from the addiction to alcohol.

Despite not knowing how to swim, Ben took up the sport of triathlon and became competitive in it for seven years. After that, he switched to marathon swimming and completed numerous incredible swims, including a 21-mile swim around Jamestown, a 19-mile swim from Block Island to Jamestown, and a 24-mile swim from Providence, RI, to Jamestown, RI.

Ben's journey to sobriety and his recent swim have been chronicled by esteemed producer Matt Corliss in the film, "Swim Tuff: How I Swam my Way Out of the Bottle," which is set to be released in Spring 2023. Today, Ben will be sharing his story of recovery, resilience, and renewal, and we can't wait to hear all about it. So, sit back, relax, and let's RiseUP with Ben Tuff.