The Addiction Podcast-Point of No Return

We interview onsite direct from the 7th Annual Drug Prevention Summit, put on by Drug Free America. Part I are interviews with key event speakers including industry leaders Former White House Drug Czar Robert DuPont; then Dr. Ken Finn; and finally Luke Niforatos, Senior Policy Advisor for "Smart Approaches to Marijuana". Parts II and III will be uploaded in the next week, so look for them.

A few months ago we interviewed the producer and director of the feature documentary "Overdosed" which exposes how McKesson pharmaceutical distributor specifically targeted West Virginia for the distribution of billions of opioids to only a few million citizens. Recently the film premiered locally and we were able to get some great feedback from audience members as well as an interview with one of the key characters in the film.

Brandon Jordan was one of the founders of Kill Radio - a punk rock band. His family had a history of drug abuse, but Brandon didn't start abusing alcohol and drugs until his early 20s. Once he started to party, he went from 0 to 60 in a split second. Friends didn't want to party with him because he was so hard core. After tanking his successful music career, he got sober and now devotes his time to being the L.A. regional director of "Rock to Recovery" and uses music to help rehabilitate others.

Devin's story starts similarly to others in that he was prescribed drugs to address ADHD. Since those drugs are actually stimulants, they caused him to act out and he countered that with marijuana and other drugs. During high school he experimented with various different drugs and after 11 visits to jail and 3 rehabs, he has found path to being clean and sober and hopes to be reunited with his children in the near future. His story is one of hope.

Nate's story is typical but then not so typical. Addicted to drugs at an early age, he attempted suicide several times after the death of friends close to him. In and out of jail but now clean and sober, Nate Wilson has written a book - Zero to Hero: The Tale of My Recovery from Drug Addiction and Psychosis. Nate has turned his life around and is now mentoring young people.

Angela is a graduate of Narconon and she was on the podcast last year telling her story. Her story is unlike any other and addresses those addicts who maybe just drink every day and take pills but don't need rehab. If this is you, listen to Angela's story and think again.

Wes Geer is a successful rock star - literally. He founded the rock band HedPE and toured with the band Korn. In 2003, Wes was addicted to methamphetamine, alcohol and pot. He is now in his 11th year of sobriety. In 2012 he founded Rock to Recovery which is a non-profit organization that allows recovering addicts, victims of abuse and troubled teens to express themselves through song. Rock to Recovery also works with Wounded Warriors helping our most valued citizens - our veterans.

This is a replay of the interview with Kris Waite. Kris is a registered nurse and became addicted to Fentanyl while working as a surgical nurse in a hospital. Her story goes into the depths of addiction, incarceration and out the other side to redemption and a reattainment of her goals. Now she's spreading her story through her book and public speaking.

Tyler began his addiction story at age 6 when he was put on psych drugs to combat ADD. From there he moved onto Marijuana and then hardcore drugs. Now he is clean and sober and wanting to help other addicts get to where he is today. He has a new life after having done the Narconon program.

Now is the time to get yourself or your loved one into treatment. There is always the New Year's resolution to get clean and sober and no matter how vehemently it is made, unless you or your loved one get treatment, the chance of it actually happening are slim to none. Get help now. Don't do nothing. If you do nothing, you will never forgive yourself.

Approximately one year ago, we interviewed Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi on the podcast and she spoke about action she was taking from her "hat" on the opioid epidemic. Last week, she filed suit against Walgreens, CVS and various pharmaceutical companies for their part in helping to create and prolong this epidemic. We wanted to replay our interview with her as it's timely.

Beating the drum once again for getting help BEFORE the holidays - addiction does NOT take a holiday. Also the Florida Attorney General - Pam Bondi - has filed a lawsuit against two of the major pharmacies and several drug companies who are responsible for a large part of the opioid epidemic. Go Pam!

A few weeks ago we interviewed Michael DeLeon. Michael is a former addict, former felon and since leaving prison for the last time he has dedicated his life to educating youth and inmates about drugs and the consequences. His story is one of the most harrowing stories we've featured on the podcast. He happened to be in Florida so we invited him into the studio to update us on what he's been up to. Once again, the holidays are upon us. If you know of someone who needs help, do it now. Do something now. Don't wait until after the holidays.

July 5th, 1992 and Lillo Brancato is a young man on Jones Beach. He is seen by a casting agent and ends up being cast in "A Bronx Tale" as Robert DeNiro's son. After being introduced to marijuana on set by a fellow cast member, he began experimenting with more and more drugs to become a heroin addict. Now, after spending 8 years in prison for robbery which resulted in the wrongful death of a police officer, he is sober and is warning youth and others about the dangers of addiction. From the height of success to the depth of disaster, this story is riveting.

Since Jason is traveling, we are posting today a previous interview of Derek. We interviewed Derek very near the beginning of the podcast and this interview really brought home the reason we are doing this podcast. We want to offer help and hope to our listeners. Addiction is a horrible situation but there is hope. But you must get yourself or your loved one into treatment and you need to do it now. Derek's interview is very near and dear to our hearts. We wish you a happy and sober Thanksgiving.

This is Emily's story and that of her mom - Linda. Emily is a recent Narconon graduate. She started on drugs at 12 or 13 - drinking and smoking marijuana. She gradually moved onto heroin. She went to two different rehabs but neither of them got to the root of her deep seated issues for which drugs became a solution. Her mother was familiar with the concept of sauna detox so when Narconon was brought to her attention, she knew that this was going to be the rehab that would work. Emily is now clean and is a different person. Linda has her daughter back and Emily has herself back.

This episode is an interview with two of the producers of a new feature-length documentary by Award-winning Editor Mary Sue Connolly. The film is an 80-minute documentary set in the small town of Petersburg, West Virginia, a rural community tragically impacted by the opioid epidemic in our country. Why West Virginia? Because West Virginia was specifically targeted by pharmaceutical companies as a dumping ground of pain pills. Hard to believe? Not so much.

Even those in the medical field are susceptible to addiction. You might think that because they are more educated in the effects of drugs on the body that this would not be the case but today's episode is the story of a nurse who became addicted to Fentanyl and lost everything. She's regained what she lost and more and has been sober for more than 10 years. Her name is Kris Waite Labott and she wrote about her addiction in her book "An Unlikely Addict" available on Amazon or at www.unlikelyaddict.com.

Recently Canada legalized recreational marijuana countrywide. This is really such a bad idea. States in the US have legalized marijuana because they think they will make money, yet the states where it has been legalized are making less than 1% or their total budget from the taxes on the sale of recreational marijuana. If you then add in the law enforcement and medical costs of people becoming addicted to marijuana, the math doesn't work.

Kathy Dion has worked inside the addiction arena for more than 20 years. She's worked with addicts and rehab facilities. She is a certified specialist in addiction. In her book - After Rehab - A Simple Guide to Aid in Lasting Sobriety - she gives 10 simple tips on how to help maintain sobriety and live a happy life.

Make sure you are sitting down and are prepared for an emotional roller coaster ride with Micheal DeLeon's story. The story of addiction and crime and redemption doesn't get any more astounding than this. Pot, heroin, cocaine, opioids, prison, gangs, rehab, it's all here. And here is a man who has not only turned his own life around but who is using his experience to change the lives of thousands of children in 47 states in the U.S.

Jason is traveling to visit his folks but recently we had a father reach out on our Facebook page with the story of his son's addiction and treatment. We thought you would like to hear his story. As we've touched on over and over again, addiction affects those around the addict almost more than it does the addict and this story is a true representation of that.

A white paper was published in May wherein over 100 people who had done the New Life Detoxification Program (one of the components of the Narconon program) were examined and surveyed and the results are quite telling. The experts have said it, not just Jason and Joanie. If you have questions, it's worth a read. http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0300060518779314

Jason just came back from LA where he met with people in rehab from Narconons across the world. He also got to see parts of LA that are rife with drug addiction. More on the commentary about the use of methadone and suboxone.

Dave Chase is - among other things - the author of a new book - The Opioid Crisis Wake-up Call. This book is available as a free download at healthrosetta.org. In it, he talks about how the healthcare system is contributing to the opioid crisis in this country and how some large companies are combatting this. It's a different perspective on the whole addiction epidemic in this country.

We're heading into the holidays. This is the time of year when some the friends and families of addicts don't want to "rock the boat" because they think that if they and the addict can just get through the holiday, all will be different. The wrong thing to do is nothing. If you know someone who is battling addiction, get help NOW. And more explanation of an intervention.

Kurt was an addict for 26 years starting at age 15 in high school, to a 'functioning addict' to homeless. Happily married, two kids, nice house. Starting with pot, acid, alcohol and "I'll never do the needle", to cocaine, ecstasy but it wasn't until he was put on various psychiatric medications that his life took the most unbelievable morbid and sad downturn. Several rehabs, family help then divorce and unhappiness, but now clean and sober with his life back together, seeing his kids again and more.His story is not for the faint hearted but has a happy ending.

Dr. Rohit Adi has been an emergency room doctor for 26 years and has come face to face for 15 years with treating addiction. A highly certified "Addictionologist", Dr. Adi weighs in on what he sees every day in the ER with methadone, marijuana and synthetic drugs as well as the growing homeless issues that are drug related. Dr. Adi has strong opinions about the "drug for a drug" mentality. He's a man with a passion to take responsibility for the area of addiction and since he has relatives both in the U.S. and India who have suffered from drug and/or alcohol abuse, it is personal for him.

In today's episode Joanie and Jason talk about the K2 (spice) overdoses in Connecticut - 76 at one park all at virtually the same time. One of the dangers of spice is that you never know what you are actually ingesting. Instances of rat poison being part of the formula have occurred and this instance involved fentanyl. And pot is in the air in Florida. Scary.

We have spoken many times about the tragedy of the death of some of our most beloved musicians, actors, sports figures and other artists due to drug addiction and ultimately overdose. This episode is an interview with Fabian Padro and Sam Hobson who run the Narconon facility in Ojai which is focused on providing the Narconon program to celebrities and other prominent figures. It is set up to cater to their needs in terms of privacy and security and thus fulfills a need in this arena.

More and more we are hearing of celebrities and artists who are overdosing with the most recent being Demi Lovato. More attention needs to be put on the addiction epidemic across the world but especially in the US. The US is one of the only countries - if not THE ONLY company - that allows drug companies to advertise drugs to the consumer via mass media ads. Sickening.

Professional drug interventionist Bobby Newman tells stories of his experiences in helping families and addicts make the ultimate decision-get treatment. Usually the friends and family don't know what to do or have tried everything, to no avail. That's when an intervention is needed and Bobby has seen it all. He's dealt with it all and can cut through the resistance and at times manipulative tactics of an addicted person, even though down deep they want help. And he's very successful at it.

Angela's journey included Percocet, Oxycodone to handle a sports injury, then alcohol and heavier doses of painkillers. Her downward spiral as a mother of three included a DUI, jail and losing custody of her children. Still in denial, an emotional intervention saved her. Angela is now living a drug-free life with happy children.

Pot and alcohol in high school. Cocaine and heroin in college. School dropout, recluse. Four rehabs and still craving. Sound familiar? Today we interviewed Jillian, a recent graduate of the Narconon program.Her final call for help to her caring mother resulted in a truly happy ending.

In this episode Jason recounts the story of a family whose daughter had been through several 12-step programs and once again had disappeared into the dark hole of addiction. Jason was able to give the parents hope and help for the daughter and another chance. The road to being sober is not always easy.

In the first decade of the 21st century, West Palm Beach State Attorney Dave Aronberg along with Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi in shutting down the pill mills in the state of Florida. He helped lead the fight in suing Perdue Pharma, the manufacturer of OxyContin. Now once again, unscrupulous people are trying to profit from addicted individuals and families. Dave is now going after fraud and abuse in "sober homes" and rogue rehabs in the state of Florida. He has helped get the legislature to stiffen the penalties for patient brokering in the rehab industry. Not only is he making Florida safe from these unethical practices but he's going around the country teaching other areas what to do to stop the encroachment of these activities.

This week's podcast is an interview with Diane Stein who is the President of Citizens Commission on Human Rights in Florida. CCHR is a mental health watchdog organization that pushes - among other things - for informed consent before people are put on psychiatric medications. This podcast was prompted by the recent suicide of Kate Spade. She was being treated for depression and likely was on anti-depressants. One of the side effects of such drugs is suicidal tendencies. Enough said.

When friends and family members find out that a loved one is addicted, often - especially with parents - the first reaction is: What did I do wrong? Parents feel like they somehow failed their child or a wife thinks she failed her husband. That's guilt and all it does is slow the process of getting help for the addict. There's a difference between guilt and responsibility and it needs to be understood.

Dr. Faye Jamali was a very successful anesthesiologist until she broke her wrist and was prescribed a large bottle of Vicodin to handle the pain. Unfortunately she soon learned that the drug would numb her to anything going on in her life and cause severe addiction problems, stealing and injecting the hospital's drugs, medical license put on probation and more. She has been clean and sober for 8 years and has made it her mission to reach out to other doctors who might be addicted and urge them to get treatment.

After much research, some experts now disagree that addiction should be labeled as an actual "disease", but rather is a false assertion prompted and pushed by pharmaceutical companies to sell more product. Mostly resulting in substitution one drug for another in rehab. This episode is an interview with Nick Heather, Emeritus Professor of Alcohol and other Drug Studies in the Dept of Psychology at Northumbria University in the U.K. He is a Ph.D and has close to 450 publications mainly devoted to alcoholism.

Morphine was supposed to handle opium. Heroin was supposed to handle morphine. Meth was supposed to handle heroin. Each 'cure' turned into their own addiction.There is a 150 year history including marketing heroin for 'fussy' babies. We interview David Aden, the managing editor of Center for the Study of Drug Addiction Policy who addresses some misconceptions and what national policies are being formulated currently.

Nicole Donofrio heard our podcast and wanted to tell her story.She grew up with an alcoholic father and then later in a relationship with an alcoholic. She experienced abuse and at first made excuses, but finally realized she had to do something. Now she has a Facebook Group with more than 2400 members and through the group, she offers support to those affected by addiction through friends and family.

Austin's story starts in Georgia at the age of 12, smoking pot. Soon graduated to a life on meth. Burglaries and prison and eventually losing his wife and infant. Austin will shortly complete the Narconon program and asked to tell his story in the hope of helping others. His story will move you.

We have talked about how marijuana is a gateway drug. This podcast discusses a study in Florida about how alcohol may be a worse gateway drug but in the end - does it really matter? If someone gets onto heavy drugs from either alcohol or marijuana - the problem of addiction results.

Jim Meskimen is an incredibly talented - Hollywood film maker, actor, artist, impressionist and comedian. Jim recently wrote and starred in a short film called "Son to Son" which address the subject of addiction from a very different perspective, a father and son, one an addict and one a dealer. Currently "Son to Son" is making the rounds of film festivals. Hear this intriguing story in our interview with Jim.

One of the hardest things the loved ones of an addict must face is how to get their addicted family member or friend to agree to treatment. The addict must agree on his/her own choice, but how do you get that to happen? This is very difficult but can be done. Bobby Newman is a professional interventionist and has a great record of getting addicts into treatment and on their way to a sober and happy life.

This is the second time we've had Amy on the podcast. She is the Deputy Director of Drug Free America and Save our Society from Drugs. She is one of the foremost experts on marijuana and the legalization thereof. She has a very educated perspective of what it is like now in Florida - now that we have medical marijuana. There are attempts to normalize marijuana without taking into account the perils and pitfalls of the "new" high octane weed.

We've been getting some heat lately from people who love methadone and suboxone. What can we say? We want you to live a drug free life, not dependent on any addictive substance - and yes, methadone and suboxone are addictive. We hope that you will live a drug free life and if you disagree with that - oh well. Why would we want anything less for you? We know it's possible, so that's what we wish for you. And if you have gotten sober on a 12 step program - like our recent interviewee, Craig DeRoche - that's fantastic.

Craig DeRoche was the youngest Speaker of the House in the state of Michigan. When his alcohol addiction became public and out of control, his life totally fell apart. Now fully recovered, he has his life and family back and is making huge strides in helping people with addiction and in the criminal justice system. This is Craig's story.

On-site at the 6th Annual Drug Prevention Summit. Thom Browne about what is added to drugs to make them more potent and lethal. He has a master's degree in criminal justice, is the President and CEO of the global criminal justice and demand reduction consulting firm Rubicon Global Enterprises. He created treatment systems and prevention programs in over 70 countries on five continents during his 25-year career at the U.S. Department of State/Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.