The Addiction Podcast-Point of No Return

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.

Today we spoke more about marijuana. Lynn Posyton works for a company and her main job description is to educate children and other groups on the truth about drugs. She uses materials available for free from www.drugfreeworld.org. The point is that her employer is a businessman helping to fight the drug addiction epidemic. Bonni Snider works for Bay Care and also talks to people about drugs and the dangers but also tells her personal story.

Today's podcast is an interview with Garth. Garth is 26 years old and began his addiction history when he was 12 years old and smoked his first joint. He then moved on to heavier drugs, tried a 12 step program and ultimately attempted to get himself off heroin with methadone and suboxone. Neither of these worked. His wife got him to Narconon and he is a new man. Take hope from his story.

Joanie was at the 6th Annual Southeastern US Regional Drug Prevention Summit and interviewed several of the attendees. This podcast is an interview with Steve Collins Director of Central Florida HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program). He presented at the Summit about a report about marijuana and legalizing it has affected Colorado. There will be an upcoming report on the effects of the legalization of medical marijuana in Florida.

Obviously we struck a nerve with our outright condemnation of Kratom in our last episode. We want to let you know that we don't think Kratom is right or wrong. The main point is that it isn't fully researched and until that time, those people taking it are to some degree guinea pigs for the manufacturers of Kratom. Some people swear by the effectiveness and some people have died from taking it. The jury is out on Kratom. However, if someone has to have Kratom to function, that's addiction and we would like to propose that people live drug free lives - completely drug free, if possible. We share that goal with many listeners. We also touch on the nasty withdrawal that accompanies Suboxone.

People are touting the new drug Kratom as the solution to Suboxone addiction, but did you know that Suboxone was touted as the solution to Methadone; Methadone to Heroin and Heroin to Morphine? Kratom is a drug. In fact the FDA has just labeled it as an opioid. Substituting one drug for another usually doesn't work. Not if you want to live a happy and sober life. Listen, learn and make your own decision.

There's really nothing new in the field of substance abuse and nothing that Narconon hasn't seen. Having said that some addicts are now cooking up meth in their own homes as an alternative to heroin but the highs and lows of meth are different. Bottom line, even though Jason has seen everything in terms of addiction, he knows how to handle whatever comes up.

Rony grew up among the gangs in Miami. Introduced to drugs by his cousin, he rapidly moved from marijuana to heavier drugs. After a stint in the US Navy, he started abusing Xanax which ended his Navy career. Now Rony has completed the Narconon program and is clean. He is training at Narconon to help others overcome addiction. In fact, if you to www.narcononsuncoast.org, you might encounter Rony in the chat window that opens up. He's there to help.

When people think of drug or alcohol addiction, often the addict is thought of as the victim. However, the real victim, we feel, are those close to the addict because they live with the fear that the addict will overdose, or get arrested, or wind up in the hospital. The addict started with a choice, the friends and family didn't choose to have an addict amongst their loved ones.

This podcast is an interview with Pinellas County Sheriff Robert Gualtieri. Sheriff Gualtieri has been dealing with drugs for decades in this area and so has a law enforcement perspective on the problem. However, expecting law enforcement to be the solution to substance abuse is like putting the proverbial finger in the dike. It's way too late on the chain. What is needed is prevention, education and treatment.

This podcast is Zach's story. Zach started with marijuana at age 15 and eventually moved onto heavier street drugs. He also ended up on various psychiatric medications which caused him more troubles than the street drugs. Zach has done the Narconon program and is going to dedicate his life to helping others. Happy New Year to our listeners. Let's make this the year of a better life for us all.

The holidays can be a very stressful time for addicts and their loved ones. We hope, if you are a loved one, that you get your addicted loved one into treatment sooner rather than later so that this can be the last holiday season of addiction and that you can look forward to sober holidays from here on out.

In September of this year, the 19 year old son of Admiral James Winnefeld (ret) died from an overdose of heroin mixed with Fentanyl. He had just come through 15 months of in-patient rehab and was embarking upon a new career as an EMT. Rather than giving in to the tragedy, Admiral and Mrs. Winnefeld have started an organization - Safe Project (safeproject.us) - to help fight the war on the opioid epidemic in this country. Here is their story.

When Pam Bondi was elected as Florida's attorney general in 2010, Florida was #1 in the country for pill mills - places where you could literally walk in with cash and walk out with pain pills. Dealers came from all over the country to buy the pain meds and take them back to their state. After Pam was elected, she shut down some 98 pill mills in the state. Fighting addiction from her position is a priority for her.

We have lost some amazing artists due to drug and alcohol addiction. We hope that any of our listeners who either are artists and addicted or who know artists that are addicted will take note and get help for their friend and loved one or themselves. Let's not lose any more of our great artists to addiction.

Once again we send the message that to wait until after the hoidays to get help for your addicted friend or family member is a really bad idea. Families will forgive the addict but should they forget? Should the addict forget?

Often friends and families of addicts say that they want to wait until after the holidays to get treatment for their addicted friend or family member. This is not a good idea because the person will be getting high while the family is gathered for the holiday and every day you let the addict continue to get high is one day closer to possible life threatening condition or death. If you know someone who is an addict, get them help TODAY.

One of the things we do on this podcast is offer solutions and resources to the problem of drug and alcohol abuse. Today's podcast is an interview with Kent Runyon from Novus Detox in Florida. Novus has a personalized approach to substance abuse treatment and like Narconon is not a medically assisted treatment program - in other words, it does not substitute one drug for another. Happy Thanksgiving everyone. May your Thanksgiving be loving and full of hope.

Often families want to wait until after the New Year to get their loved one into treatment but NOW is the time to get help to your family member or friend or yourself. What we are offering is life without drugs. What better gift could there be to someone who is addicted or to those who have to live with the addicted individual.

Today's podcast is an interview with Dave Aronberg, State Attorney for Palm Beach County in Florida. Dave has worked diligently throughout his career to stem the rising drug epidemic that is affecting Florida, just like the rest of the country. From shutting down the pill mills under Florida's Attorney General - Pam Bondi - to making it harder for sober houses to get kickbacks from out patient rehab facilities, Dave is fighting the good fight in his country and beyond.

Drug Free America Foundation is fighting the good fight against drug abuse in this country. DFAF and it's sister organization - Save Our Society from Drugs (SOS) work to defeat drug legalization attempts; promote sound drug policies; and prevent drug use, abuse and addiction. This interview is with Deputy Director - Amy Ronshausen - and it will debunk everything you think you know about marijuana.

There is an organization - Drug Free World - and they provide hard hitting, true information about drugs and why to avoid them. The booklets, DVDs, and teachers package are all free. This podcast is an interview with the President of Drug Free World Florida, Julieta Santagostino. She is passionate about educating children and parents about the danger of many drugs. The truth is that if we don't educate everyone about the truth about drugs, the drug epidemic in this country will not end.

This week's podcast is an interview with Pamela Seefeld. Pamela is a practicing pharmacist and pharmacognosy consultant. She offers natural solutions to things like pain. There is no question that chronic pain is debilitating and can be life threatening. With naturally derived, non-narcotic solutions, pain can be managed. Pamela has been treating people naturally for over 25 years. Note that one of the things Pamela recommends is CBD. Narconon cannot endorse the use of CBD because sometimes it can have traces of THC in it and those who have had a previous substance abuse problem could get high and revert from the use of CBD. However, CBD may be a solution for certain individuals seeking relief from pain.

Started on psychiatric drugs at age 11, Christian moved to marijuana, opiates and heroin and by age 17 was shooting heroin. Christian just finished the Narconon program after several 12 step programs and is now clean, happy and ready to start helping others.

The opioid epidemic has spun off so many other "epidemics" that it is now being referred to as a syndemic. We have a syndemic in this country. Drugs are being used to "cure" addiction, which is just nutty. But there need to be alternatives for pain management because pain can be real. There is hope people. There is help...real help.

There is a thought out there that legalizing or decriminalizing the use of dangerous drugs might be a solution to addiction. But is this the answer? Don't think so. However, in some cases it might to lead to rehab and that would be a good thing. Is education a better way to go? You decide but remember that if you need help. Narconon Suncoast is there to do that.

It's sad when insurance companies will pay for addictive drugs but not for drugs which might work as pain killers or sedatives but which are more expensive and then not pay for the rehab that is needed because of the more addictive drugs. Listen to how a county in Ohio is offering solutions to the addicts in their jails.

This is a true story of alcohol addiction and redemption. This is Cass' story and it's a hard hitting case of alcohol addiction. Cass is clean and sober now and able to pursue his dreams. If you think that you can't be addicted to alcohol, this podcast is for you.

The holidays are rapidly approaching - it's September already - and often families of addicts want to wait until after the holidays to get the addict into rehab. This is a really bad idea and Jason explains why that is. If you have a friend or family member who is an addict, get them help now, no matter what the date is. There are two ways out of addiction - rehab and death. Choose rehab and choose it now.

When a family member is addicted to drugs or alcohol, it is devastating on the other members of the family. There is shame, regret, fear, anger - a myriad of emotions. Most parents and loved ones feel very alone when they suspect that someone they love is addicted. They don't want to tell anyone and as a result, they often can get the help THEY need, much less actually help the addict.

There are resources for friends and families of addicts. One resources is a support group - Learn2Cope.org. Often when someone has an addict in their family, they feel alone and need to know that others have been through it. The drug problem in this country is at epidemic proportions and it's going to take true rehab programs like Narconon plus parents taking a very active role in the lives of their kids to conquer this epidemic.

Because Adderall is prescribed by a doctor, must be OK, right? Not so. Adderall is the same chemically as methamphetamine. So do you want to give your child methamphetamine? Might want to think about it.

The loved ones of an addict have a very different perspective of what is happening in the life of the addict and living with an addict is a different experience. This interview tells Jason's mom and dad's story and is riveting in it's truth.

This podcast covers opiates again. How pervasive they are and how they lead to other problems. This epidemic is symptomatic of a society that wants everything solved by a pill. Isn't going to happen folks. Get real.

Gone are the days were addicts were homeless in cities, dirty and shooting up in alleys. Now they are young and old people in very nice neighborhoods. With good educations and means of support. We have become a country of pill poppers and it's showing in the number of opioid related deaths on the rise. If you suspect someone you know is addicted to opioids, you need to listen to this podcast.

We've got no beef with medical marijuana but legalizing it for recreational use? Not a good idea. Just look at Colorado and all the problems they are having with it. Marijuana is addictive. People are contacting Narconon who are addicted to marijuana. Wake up! Marijuana is a gateway

Aydin is a beautiful young man who turned to drugs because of an inability to talk to his parents about his feelings and emotions. Sounds like a simple thing to handle but not when the culture of the family is NOT to do this. Aydin just completed the Narconon program for the second time. He was clean for 7 years but the death of his father sent him into a tail spin. He is now complete with the program for a second time and is working at Narconon Suncoast. His story is very hard hitting and one that you should hear.

This mom's son started with alcohol in high school and moved onto other drugs such that this mom found her son unconscious. She contacted Narconon and her son is now fully recovered. Her story is for those who have loved ones that they suspect are addicted or who they know is addicted.

It is a disservice to call someone an addict. That, in fact, labels the person and also puts a stigma on the person. What do you think of when someone is referred to as an addict? Do you see the dirty, decrepit person down on the street corner shooting up? Well, the reality is that addicts today are from well to do families. They are the high school students, college students and co-workers that you think are perfectly happy and drug or alcohol free. Wake up and smell the roses, people. Drug addiction is all around and it's time that we all step up and make some noise about it.

There is so much attention on opioids now with the deaths occurring on a regular basis, that crystal meth is being ignored. The problem is that the use of crystal meth is becoming more and more widespread with the easy access coming from Mexico. What to look for? How to do drug tests on your loved one if you suspect that he or she is using.

Csira is a beautiful young woman who was an addict at 20. She's not only clean, but she's trained now in how to help others and she works at Narconon Suncoast. Her story may sound similar to someone you know and if so, go to www.narcononsuncoast.org and contact her. This beautiful young woman's story is heartbreaking but in the end inspiring.