Knockin‘ Doorz Down

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Gary Busey | From Cocaine Addiction & Severe Head Trauma to Sober Author, Actor & Musician. May 26, 2021

Show notes

Gary was born in Goose Creek, Texas to a middle-class military family. He became active in football, where he got a college scholarship to Oklahoma State University. He became interested in acting and eventually starring in small roles, and exploring his love of music on recordings for musicians such as Leon Russell.

His first major role in his acting career was Kris Kristofferson’s manager in the blockbuster “A Star Is Born”. But his big breakthrough was playing the iconic Buddy Holly, in “The Buddy Holly Story”, where he earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Since then, Gary has been acting for 51 years, starred in over 170 films, and has been playing music since 1962.

Along with his newfound fame, came excessive partying and drug use. Gary abused cocaine heavily, which led to overdoses and some of the lowest points of his life.

On December 4, 1988, Busey was severely injured in a motorcycle accident in which he was not wearing a helmet. His skull was fractured, and he suffered permanent brain damage. His road to recovery was tough. Eventually, Gary needed help. In 1996, Busey publicly announced that he was a Christian. Busey cites the motorcycle accident, as well as a 1995 cocaine overdose, as events that strengthened his religious faith.

During the filming of the second season of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew in 2008, Busey was referred to a psychiatrist on the show, Charles Sophy. Sophy suspected that Busey's brain injury has had a greater effect on him than realized. He described it as essentially weakening his mental "filters" and causing him to speak and act impulsively.

In writing his book “Buseyisms”, Gary was recorded using a tape recorder, just saying what was on his mind, and what phrases worked for him in positive ways. For example, his ‘Buseyism’ for the word ‘Sober’ is “Son of A Bitch Everything’s Real” He says the best way to stay sober is to get out of your own way.

Gary also shares some stories from some of his most famous roles and films, including Point Break, Rookie of The Year, Lethal Weapon, Under Seige & more.

This is Gary Busey in his own words, on Knockin’ Doorz Down.

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For more information on the Carlos Vieira Foundation and the Race 2B Drug-Free, Race to End the Stigma and Race For Autism programs visit:

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Guy Felicella | From Homeless Heroin Addict Living on the Streets of Vancouver to TEDx Talk Motivational Speaker Working with Vancouver Coastal Health. May 13, 2021

Show notes

In his youth, Guy Felicella had a typical upbringing with a middle-class family. He wasn’t diagnosed in school at the time but was diagnosed later in life with ADHD and a mild comprehension disorder. To compound this, he also suffered verbal abuse from his family and classmates. This is when he started using drugs at the age of 12 years old, and says now that if he didn’t at the time, he probably would have ended his life.

Guy’s problematic addiction started 20 years ago, where he found himself involved with gangs, living on the streets of Vancouver, sleeping on cardboard, and moving from vacant houses and doorways to stay warm. He would find himself in prison serving 35 days and coming out still in the detox process. He says in prison they would give you valium for alcoholism, but nothing but Gatorade and Tylenol for heroin addiction. He hopes this can be addressed because, for him & other heroin addicts, it creates more addicts without the proper treatment. After in & out of prison and relapsing multiple times, he had the realization that the same drugs that he thought saved his life, were now the drugs that were ending his life. He had a tough time coming to terms with that fact but eventually got to the point of wanting to start the recovery process.

With his own addiction, Guy relapsed multiple times. It was not a quick and easy path for his recovery. He realized instead of beating himself up about relapsing, he would encourage himself to get back up & try it again, until something worked. This led to his interest & exploration of Harm Reduction. Guy says that Harm Reduction is an approach where you meet with the addict in controlled environments, and allow access to safe alternatives to the illicit drugs they are currently using. He says this was instrumental in his own recovery process, keeping him alive long enough to find his own path to recovery.

Besides this, Guy needed to focus on the underlying trauma that was at the root of his drug use. He says we focus too much on judging and treating drug addiction instead of investigating and healing our past traumas. EMDR therapy was really instrumental in his recovery. It is a rapid eye movement therapy, to repair the coping skills in your mind to deal with past traumas. These traumas are the roots of drug use, so if people can focus there first, the healing process should be more effective & better all around. This was the key to his lasting recovery and wants to share what he’s learned with as many people as he can.

Currently, Guy is involved with the Protentional Overdose Emergency Response Center, Vancouver Coastal Health, the B.C. Center on Substance Use, and has his own company where he speaks with high school students, college students & more, focusing on Harm Reduction & Recovery Initiatives. He now has a Wife of 8 years and three beautiful kids. His biggest passion is speaking with youth, even on TEDx Talk stages, relating to them on a personal level that he hopes will change their lives for the better.

This is Guy Felicella in his own words, on Knockin’ Doorz Down.

For Carlos Vieira's autobiography Knockin' Doorz Down

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For more information on the Carlos Vieira Foundation and the Race 2B Drug-Free, Race to End the Stigma and Race For Autism programs visit:

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Darren Prince | From Teenage Card Collecting Millionaire turned Celebrity Talent Agent to recovering Opiate Addict & founder of the Aiming High Foundation. May 06, 2021

Show notes

As a kid, Darren was teased for his speech and learning disabilities. In high school, he got into trading baseball cards. He loved the statistics and having all the info on all the cards, and became the guy his friends would go to for sports info. He loved being that guy for his friends, and this gave him self-confidence. He eventually started going to trade shows and started making big money. It eventually turned into a mail-order card trading empire, which was the beginning of his early wealth. He went to his dad and asked him for 8-9k in insurance for his collection. That’s when he knew it was serious. He became a local celebrity entrepreneur, appearing on the Sally Jessie Raphael show. When he came back home, even with all this money, all this fame, he still felt like the kid in the back of the room. One time at a sleepaway camp when he was 14 years old, he had stomach pains. He went to the nurse & got a clear green liquid, and felt on top of the world. He was laughing, and talking and was the life of the party. He learned to fake his pain to get this green liquid, it turned out to be the opiate Demerol. Shortly after this is when he started becoming a full-blown drug addict. He learned how to manipulate his mother and father to get more pills. It all came to an end when he was 21 years old, he was arrested 4 times in 6 months. The judge let him go through a small counseling & recovery 1-year outpatient program. 2 days after leaving the program, he was involved in an auto accident because he & his friend were taking Xanax and drinking. After he went through recovery again, he planned a fly-fishing trip with his dad. After a deep heart-to-heart conversation, His dad gave him the confidence he needed to start his own talent agency. He named it Prince Marketing Group and Magic Johnson, Mohammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Dennis Rodman, and others were some of his first major clients. Even though he was still broke at this time, these first major clients gave him the credibility to become a “super-agent.” Even at this time in his life, he was sniffing Oxycontin, Ambien & Percocet every day.

On July 2nd, 2008 everything changed. He had a moment of clarity and decided to change for good. He got in a uber that night, and went directly to the closest AA meeting in the area, and hasn’t looked back since. He made a spiritual pact with himself and God, that if he got sober, that he would devote his life to getting others out of the darkness. This was the birth of the Aim High Foundation. In 2017, Darren lost his father due to an unexpected aneurysm. He had a conversation with Terry Bollea (Hulk Hogan) told him to go get some time with his dad, to say goodbye, and ask his father if he wanted to keep fighting. His father said he was ready to go, but Darren reassured him that he was going to stay on his path to recovery, no matter what. Since then, Darren has spoken to kids, adults & everyone that needs to hear that they are not alone on their road to recovery. The best-selling author of "Aiming High" his autobiography and founder of the Aiming High foundation has continued to help all kinds of people, his life’s goal now is to devote his time and resources to help as many people as possible become and stay sober. This is Darren Prince in his own words on Knockin’ Doorz Down.

For Carlos Vieira's autobiography Knockin' Doorz Down

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For 51FIFTY use the discount code KDD20 for 20% off!

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For more on the Knockin' Doorz Down podcast and to follow us on social media

https://www.kddmediacompany.com/podcast

For more information on the Carlos Vieira Foundation and the Race 2B Drug-Free, Race to End the Stigma and Race For Autism programs visit:

https://www.carlosvieirafoundation.org/

For more on Darren Prince

https://aiminghighfoundation.org/

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Kelly Osbourne | From Alcoholism & Substance Abuse to Sobriety, Redemption and Advocacy Apr 29, 2021

Show notes

As a kid, Kelly Osbourne was part of ‘The Osbournes', one of the first reality TV shows. Having her life on full display was normalized and this eventually led to detachment and isolation, in her teenage years. She started drinking at the age of 13 and progressed heavily from there.

Her problems started compounding at home. She was struggling with her identity as a young adult, being in the public eye constantly, she wouldn’t go to the store or do normal things. She felt like she wasn’t worthy of normal tasks like that. She also started absorbing a lot of troubles and drama in her household, including her father’s progressing Parkinson’s disease. She found herself drinking & using drugs alone quite often. This continued for many years, up until about 2017. She was inspired to get sober for the first time in her life.

After 4 years of sobriety, Kelly recently relapsed. She was triggered by defamation and negative comments towards a loved one. This is her first conversation about her most recent relapse and her journey to sobriety. Kelly describes how the pandemic and quarantine led her to look for excuses to use and led to her recent relapse. She stopped seeing her therapist, stop seeing her sponsor, and let it get the best of her. She could tell her boyfriend was viewing her differently, and that inspired her to begin the recovery process once again.

Kelly has always been trying to break the cycle of negativity directed towards her, growing up people would say that she didn’t deserve her accolades, that she’s only famous because of her father, etc. This inspired her to really carve out her own identity and to stop the people-pleasing mentality that became restrictive and destructive to her psyche. She’s learned now to use a “2-hour rule” that makes her evaluate her impulse decisions and usually leads to better choices for her health.

Kelly admits that she’s terrible at asking for help. She’s finally realized & embraced this later in life, and wants to progress fully from her addiction. Her new goal is to put her health and well-being first, not other peoples’. By focusing on her mental health, her emotional health, spirituality, and overall attitude towards life, she’s finally broken the vicious cycle & is ready to share her story in hopes that it will help others with their struggle.

Kelly also shares some stories about the good times over the years, some of her favorite Ozzfest bands like Incubus, Korn, Slipknot, Hatebreed & Pantera. Also, Kelly shared a story about the rivalry between Bruce Dickinson from Iron Maiden and Ozzy on the Ozzfest tour, involving over 300 eggs.

In her first sit-down interview since her most recent relapse, this is Kelly Osbourne in his own words on Knockin’ Doorz Down.

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This episode is brought to you by Liquid Death https://liquiddeath.com/

For Carlos Vieira's autobiography Knockin' Doorz Down

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For more on the Knockin' Doorz Down podcast and to follow us on social media

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For more information on the Carlos Vieira Foundation and the Race 2B Drug-Free, Race to End the Stigma and Race For Autism programs visit:

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Randy Grimes | From NFL Offensive and Lineman Opioid Addict to Motivational Speaker and Founder of Athletes in Recovery Apr 22, 2021

Show notes

As a kid, Randy Grimes grew up in Waco, Texas. Football was part of everyday life in his hometown, there was a lot of pride in local sports. Everything in his family focused around football, with loving parents and no addiction in his immediate family. It always came easy for Randy, getting a scholarship for basically anywhere he wanted to go.

Next was college, where he chose Baylor as his alma mater. They won the Southwest Conference, Peach Bowl & more. He met his wife at college, at this point he was still playing football non-stop, but yet no drinking or any drugs at this time in his life.

In his professional career, football turned into a job. The skill level increased dramatically in the NFL. He first signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a second-round draft pick. One of the main unspoken rules of the game was to do anything necessary to get back out on the field. That turned into taking handfuls of pain pills at practice, eventually turning into a full-blown addiction. He was also taking handfuls of Benzo’s at night, to make him sleep.

In the late 80’s he would be in the training gym and the doctor would come by each players’ spot, offer them whatever pills they wanted, followed up with 2 beers. This was the norm, so “why rock the boat” was the mentality in the locker room. He talked about “doctor shopping” as a professional athlete, basically giving him a blank check for whatever drugs he needed. He would use multiple prescriptions from multiple doctors to feed his addiction.

His prescription medication use eventually started to get out of control. No one would question why he was slurring his speech, showing up late, and nodding off during meetings. He was still doing his job on the field, so no one thought anything was out of the ordinary. One day, after shoulder surgery in the off-season, Randy had a seizure while on a beach. He was put in the hospital, and they couldn’t find the reason for it. He did his own research, and it turned out it was linked to the Benzo’s he was taking to go to sleep. He knew he had a problem, but didn’t know how to deal with it. His professional career ended in ’92 and was an unexpected and abrupt end to what he thought was going to be a lifetime career. This compounded his addiction dramatically throughout the next decade.

He didn’t really fully deal with this issue until 18 years later, in 2009. His wife moved out, his kids couldn’t stand him and was barred from seeing his newly born grandchild, because of his addiction. He was sleeping on the floor of his vacant house with no utilities, no job, no car, no money. This was the rock bottom that he built back up from. He got into 90-day treatment on September 22nd, 2009.

Since then, he has focused on getting his story out there in hopes of changing other people’s lives for the better. Back when Randy was active in the NFL, there were no resources for addiction and treatment. Because of this, Randy founded Athletes in Recovery, which focuses on other professional athletes that are struggling through the same things. Even through all the hardships, problems, and major championships during his stint in the NFL, tackling recovery was the toughest battle of his life.

And we wrap up with some NFL talk and random questions.

This is Randy Grimes in his own words on Knockin’ Doorz Down.

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dation and the Race 2B Drug-Free, Race to End the Stigma and Race For Autism programs visit:

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Jona Xiao | The Flash, Raya and the :ast Dragon, Gambling Addiction, Bulimia, Actor & Stand-Up Comedian. Apr 15, 2021

Show notes

Jona Xiao was born in China but grew up in the United States, specifically St. Louis, Missouri. Her father was 1 of 5 people to receive a scholarship to Cornell University, which led to them relocating to the US permanently. This where she eventually coined her comedic phrase “Made in China, Raised in The U.S.” She experienced a lot of racial inequality while growing up, this would shape the way she perceived society at a young age. She starting learning English as young as 5 years old, and this led to her having nightmares about speaking English in front of her class.

She would fight a ton with her dad, she and he were very smart and stubborn and they would constantly butt heads. One of the things she experienced early on was the color “yellow” and the derogatory meaning behind it for Asian Americans. She found herself repulsed by the color, which she says now was a subconscious reaction to racism at the time. She also remembers getting beat up at school.

As she got older in High School, she would face these racial inequalities head-on. She became involved in the leadership roles in her school, seeking to make a difference. She wanted to change the world but realized that it started with analyzing herself and her own environment more closely. This was a shock at first but led to more openness and understanding with her peers.

Next was college, where she developed an eating disorder, bulimia, that coincided with a new addiction to poker. She was going through depression and body image issues. She would constantly degrade herself and her body parts, for being too big or too small. She got to the point where she had $200 left to her name and contemplated selling her car and riding her bike to the casino, so she could continue her gambling addiction. She lost her friends, her money, and her respect.

She tried going through a 12-step program but was unsuccessful. But while she was there, she learned of another lady who had a friend that was gambling for 30 hours straight and actually died at the table. She thought that could’ve been her & this turned out to be a major wake-up call for her to change her life. She embraced NLP (Neuro-linguistic programming) as a form of psychotherapy, to help her deal with these issues.

Now she stars in the Disney Plus epic “Raya The Last Dragon”, which is Disney’s first Southeast Asian princess. She also has an upcoming starring role in the Starz channel drama “Hightown”. She is also a stand-up comedian, active in women’s flag football, and an advocate for gambling and eating disorders.

This is Jona Xiao in her own words on Knockin’ Doorz Down.

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For Carlos Vieira's autobiography Knockin' Doorz Down

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For more information on the Carlos Vieira Foundation and the Race 2B Drug-Free, Race to End the Stigma and Race For Autism programs visit:

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https://www.facebook.com/CVFoundation/

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Jaime Bennington & Austin Gold | Director & Lead Actor in The New Film “A Chant”, Which Shines A Light On Mental Health, Anxiety and Depression Apr 08, 2021

Show notes

Jaime Bennington is the son of Chester Bennington, the lead singer from Linkin Park that lost his life in 2017. His parents were actually never married, they were high school sweethearts. Jaime didn’t even meet his dad until 8 years old. His dad was on the road with Linkin Park, and there was a major disconnection there in his early upbringing.

Many members of Jaime’s family were addicted in many ways. He dealt with family members that abused meth, alcohol, and other hard drugs. He saw how it was affecting his family, and wanted to make sure he never went down that path. Jaime wasn’t upset at his father for committing suicide specifically, but rather he was more upset at how his father treated their family while he was here. This led to his own further understanding of his traumas. In combination with this, he was experiencing backlash from Linkin Park fans that were pulling him in different directions.

As he got older, he learned that he was non-diagnosed with personality disorder, and this was a result of childhood traumas. He realized that addiction was genetic in his family, and he tried to purposely avoid them. When he would smoke marijuana, his anxiety would increase tenfold. It would get to the point of actual seizures, which he initially thought was from the marijuana, but it turns out in his case, the seizures were psychologically induced. This led to more panic attacks, as he became aware of them.

This is when Jaime started to explore his mental issues as well as his anxiety problems. When he turned 24, he learned he had depression & anxiety, as a result of repressed childhood traumas that were never properly dealt with. Even now in his adult life, he has problems controlling the volume of his voice when talking with others, his intensity is through the roof. In his own words, he’s self-described as “An 11 and then a 0, there’s no in-between”.

With his new movie “A Chant” he didn’t want to exploit or fetishize mental illness. His goal was to portray it as it really is, with all of its ugliness and truth. Jaime met his lead actor Austin Gold in 2018 and immediately had a great connection. Austin appreciated Jaime’s candor and way of not holding anything back, with no filter. This led to a mutual understanding and shared enthusiasm for the subject of mental health with this film.

Jaime wants to carve out his own path in life & not live in the shadow of his father’s legacy. He wants to help other kids that are going through the same things he was, and this film was a way of communicating that goal. He wants people to know that what he’s going through is not unique, whether he had a famous father or not. He hopes his newfound vulnerability and openness will lead to more conversations to remove the stigmas of mental health.

This is Jamie Bennington with Austin Gold in their own words on Knockin’ Doorz Down.

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For Carlos Vieira's autobiography Knockin' Doorz Down

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For more on the Knockin' Doorz Down podcast and to follow us on social media

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For more information on the Carlos Vieira Foundation and the Race 2B Drug-Free, Race to End the Stigma and Race For Autism programs visit:

https://www.carlosvieirafoundation.org/

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https://www.facebook.com/jaime.bennington1

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Austin D’Amond | Devil Driver Drummer, From Adolescent Substance Abuser to Successful Sober Lifestyle Entrepreneur Apr 01, 2021

Show notes

Austin D’Amond grew up in a mixed household, with his mom, dad & stepdad all in the same house. Eventually his mother left, and was left to his own devices. By the age of 12, he was already having run ins with the cops, he was drinking heavily and having parties every night already in his early teenage years.

This was about the time he tried taking his music passion and skills to the next level. He started out playing drums at the age of 9, and before he knew it, it was his new focus for his abundance of energy. His dad was very into heavy metal, and would make unique mix tapes that would inspire him to play music. He joined his high school marching band and took it to the next level.

As he got older, he learned how to get away with things, sneak around and do things he wasn’t supposed to. It gave him a rush & would try to top himself each time. He would develop a skill and habit for lying that would continue into his adult life. This was also the time that drug & alcohol usage started to ramp up, and he started doing speed. Before he knew it, it was full blown amphetamine addiction.

At this time, his music career was also taking off, he was going on tour, playing huge stadiums & living the rock star life. He would stay up for 2 or 3 days and still play shows. When he would come home from the road, the thrill and the high was gone, so he would go and hide and escape his responsibilities. He would drink and use drugs even harder to numb his pain. This led to problems in his personal life that he eventually had to confront and deal with.

In July of 2017, his drinking and speed usage was out of control. He got an ultimatum from his girlfriend that she was going to tell his bandmates what was really going on. She called the cops on him for a wellness check after being away for a while. When the cops showed up, it turned out to be his breaking point & decided to get fully sober. He went on a camping trip with his friends that made him realize his issues. He then embraced the program and rules of Alcoholic Anonymous and started to see results.

He realized that he could use his fame, his knowledge and experiences to help others going through what he went through. He wants to help others working at an inpatient centers and rehab facilities. Now to keep occupied during the pandemic, he’s found a new job working for Amazon, driving a delivery truck. He says this keeps him busy as he waits to hit the road again with Devil Driver as soon as possible.

This is Austin D’Amond in his own words on Knockin’ Doorz Down.

For 51FIFTY use the discount code KDD20 for 20% off!

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For Carlos Vieira's autobiography Knockin' Doorz Down

https://www.kddmediacompany.com/

For more on the Knockin' Doorz Down podcast and to follow us on social media

https://www.kddmediacompany.com/podcast

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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUSJ5ooBFqso8lfFiiIM-5g/

For more information on the Carlos Vieira Foundation and the Race 2B Drug-Free, Race to End the Stigma, and Race For Autism programs visit:

https://www.carlosvieirafoundation.org/

https://www.facebook.com/CVFoundation/

https://www.instagram.com/carlosvieirafoundation/

For more on Austin D’Amond

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Butch Patrick | From Alcoholic & Partying Child Star of The Munsters to Motivational Speaker & Recovery Advocate Mar 25, 2021

Show notes

Beginning his professional acting career at the age of seven, Butch Patrick is perhaps best known for his role as child werewolf Eddie Munster on the CBS comedy television series The Munsters from 1964 to 1966. His uncle John was a horse supplier to Hollywood Studios, and his cousin was Zorro's stunt double. This was his connection to getting started in the industry. His mother & father were warm & loving, social drinkers. Typical 50's entertaining family, with light weekend partying at the house. This atmosphere would eventually spark the partying lifestyle that would take over his adolescent years.

Eventually, his parents divorced and didn't have the father figure he needed for the discipline and structure in his life. He wanted to act temporarily to raise money for what he thought he really wanted to do in life, which was race cars. He didn't consider himself an actor, but acting just as a way of making side money. He felt he was one of the rare young Hollywood actors that actually had a pretty regular life with regular friends, and the Hollywood stuff was just a job to him.

When he turned 16, he got his driver's license, and he was swept up in the 60's counter-culture & drug exploration. He hosted huge lavish parties that had the elite of Hollywood in attendance practically every week. He explained that no one ever told the Hollywood stars, child stars & musicians "NO!" when they were drinking and partying in excess.

There was a point where it all came crashing down, around the age of 40 he realized that he was not only hurting himself but hurting others. He thought about the fact that he was drinking himself to death, thinking of an exit plan, which could have led to suicide. Eventually, he went into treatment at 57 years old. One week in Southern California, he found himself at Oasis Treatment Center. He was convinced by one of the senior counselors to get completely sober and to use his celebrity to reach a wider audience, to tell his story, and change other lives for the better. He liked the fraternity atmosphere of his recovery group, he never went into the military, and this was the structure and camaraderie that he craved.

He found out during his recovery that he had Prostate Cancer. To which he said at first, "Well, at least I'll die sober". Eventually, he was able to treat & beat it, and now is a motivational speaker & recovery counselor for Oasis Treatment Center in Southern California. He credits their "90" day program" which included meditation, informational meetings, yoga, and more... which he found much more informative and effective instead of the typical "30" day program. Currently, He works with his local Boys & Girls Club to keep kids informed and inspire them. He is a public motivational speaker, speaking to all types of crowds, telling his story & sharing what worked for him. Now he wants to spread the word about taking the first initial step successfully, which he says is the hardest part of the recovery process. He hopes he can bring as much attention as he can with his celebrity status to reach more people to start their roads to recovery.

This is Butch Patrick in his own words, on Knockin’ Doorz Down.

For 51FIFTY use the discount code KDD20 for 20% off!

https://51fiftyltm.com/

For Carlos Vieira's autobiography Knockin' Doorz Down

https://www.kddmediacompany.com/

For more on the Knockin' Doorz Down podcast, YouTube Channel and to follow us on social media https://www.kddmediacompany.com/podcast

For more information on the Carlos Vieira Foundation and the Race 2B Drug-Free, Race to End, the Stigma, and Race For Autism programs visit

https://www.carlosvieirafoundation.org/

For more on Butch Patrick

https://www.instagram.com/the_real_butch_patrick_/

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Joshua Shea | From Alcoholic, Porn Addict & Bi-Polar Control Freak to Author, Trauma Coach & Pornography Addiction Counselor Mar 18, 2021

Show notes

Porn addiction is the “Addiction No One Talks About” and Joshua Shea is here to knock that door down & bring to light the addiction that stays in the shadows of everyday life.

Growing up, his family was very conservative and at 7 years old he was sexually and mentally abused by a babysitter. At age 12, he started drinking and watching hard-core pornography after an older cousin introduced it to him one day. Then at 14, he got drunk for the first-time sneaking champagne at a wedding.

In his teenage years, he started drinking & watching porn heavily, and eventually, it consumed his life. He was able to go to a mom & pop style video store and rent a couple of adult films every day & buy his beer at the local mini-mart. Every day, multiple times a day, it would eventually distort his reality of what a healthy relationship is supposed to be. It would distort the way he saw women, and how he interacted with his own wife & kids.

There was a point where it all came crashing down, and he knew he needed to get help. In March of 2014, the Main State Police came to his door. After being off his bi-polar medication for some time, he was caught in a sting operation where one of the women he was watching was an underage female. This was the reality check that he needed, and during that ride in the back of the cop car, he says it was almost like a therapy session. He says those officers basically saved his life. He served 6 months in jail.

Looking back now, he says he lost his 20’s and most of his 30’s due to his addictions to porn & alcohol. With porn, the addiction for him was that no one says “no” and this idea would make him feel empowered. They wouldn’t tell him to take out the trash or that he did badly at work that week. He was disconnected from reality, from his own wife and kids & was not involved in their lives the way he should have been.

During his research into his own addiction, he found that it was really difficult to find comprehensive and accurate information on pornography addiction, so he decided to write his own self-help book. Something came to him & said, “You need to tell your story”. Dealing with this issue & recovering for over 6 years, he knew he had the knowledge & experience that would educate people going through porn addiction.

Not only men, but women would reach out to him about “Betrayal Trauma” and dealing with other side effects of someone else’s addiction, that are the unintended victims of pornography addicts. He also makes the point that 1 in 3 young adults under the age of 30 think they watch too much porn, which is a real problem that needs to be addressed without stigma.

Now Joshua is a successful author, counselor, and certified “Betrayal Trauma Coach” to help people going through this taboo type of addiction. He finds the best way to get through to an addict of porn, is to go through the wife or girlfriend first, and then when shame is out of the picture, they are receptive to change. He makes the point that he is not anti-pornography, but rather truly educating people the same way we do with drug & alcohol counseling.

This is Joshua Shea in his own words, on Knockin’ Doorz Down.

For 51FIFTY use the discount code KDD20 for 20% off!

https://51fiftyltm.com/

For Carlos Vieira's autobiography Knockin' Doorz Down

https://www.kddmediacompany.com/

For more on the Knockin' Doorz Down podcast, YouTube Channel and to follow us on social media

https://www.kddmediacompany.com/podcast

For more information on the Carlos Vieira Foundation and the Race 2B Drug-Free, Race to End the Stigma and Race For Autism programs visit:

https://www.carlosvieirafoundation.org/

For more on Joshua Shea –

https://recoveringpornaddict.com/

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