The Hopeaholics

Latest Episodes:

Doing Zoom IOP With Beer In The Closet Behind Me w/ Sean Couper | The Hopeaholics Podcast #343 Jul 09, 2026

Show notes

Chad and Natalie sit down with Sean Couper, a personal trainer and 4.5 year sober alcoholic who spent three decades functioning at a high level in corporate healthcare.
Sean covers his full story: growing up between Florida and California without a real father figure, a first drink at five years old, thirty years of high-functioning alcoholism that nearly ended with liver and kidney failure, three DUIs exactly a decade apart, his mom dying on Christmas Day 2019, and the long road from watching HIV patients' livers shut down at work to eventually watching his own body do the same.
He talks about hiding bottles from his family, drinking through Zoom IOP sessions, and the moment with his daughter that finally forced his hand. He did 28 days at Cumberland Heights and walked out wanting to help people immediately. Now he does exactly that. #TheHopeaholics #redemption #recovery #AlcoholAddiction #AddictionRecovery #wedorecover #SobrietyJourney #MyStory #Hope #wedorecover #treatmentcenter #natalieevamarie
Join our patreon to get access to an EXTRA EPISODE every week of ‘Off the Record’, exclusive content, a thriving recovery community, and opportunities to be featured on the podcast. https://patreon.com/TheHopeaholics
Go to www.Wolfpak.com today and support our sponsors. Don't forget to use code: HOPEAHOLICSPODCAST for 10% off!
Follow the Hopeaholics on our Socials:
https://www.instagram.com/thehopeaholics
https://linktr.ee/thehopeaholics
Buy Merch:
https://thehopeaholics.myshopify.com
Visit our Treatment Centers: https://www.hopebythesea.com
If you or a loved one needs help, please call or text 949-615-8588. We have the resources to treat mental health and addiction.
Sponsored by the Infiniti Group LLC:
https://www.infinitigroupllc.com
Timestamps:
0:00 - Cold Open
0:23 - Intro
1:07 - Meet Sean Couper / Nashville
2:23 - Growing Up: Saint Pete and North Hollywood
5:02 - First Drink at 5 Years Old
5:51 - First Real Drunk at 13
8:35 - Finding Out His Real Father Wasn't His Dad
10:16 - Moving Out at 18 / Healthcare Career
11:24 - Compound Pharmacy: Mixing Meds for HIV Patients
13:20 - 30 Years as a Functioning Alcoholic
14:10 - Marriage and Family
15:45 - The Bachelorette Party Incident
19:18 - First Marriage Ends: His Ex-Wife's Pill Addiction
21:41 - Single Father, Bottle a Night
22:44 - Mom Dies Christmas 2019 / Three DUIs / COVID
24:54 - The Doctor Flags His Liver
26:57 - Physical Collapse: Jaundice, Edema, Passing Out
29:17 - Relapse: "Just One Beer"
30:26 - Hiding Bottles, Replacing Liquor with Water
33:45 - Daughter Finds the Beer / Wife Throws Him Out
34:40 - Agrees to Treatment / Zoom IOP While Still Drinking
37:50 - Waving the White Flag
39:26 - Telling His Daughter / The Drive to Cumberland Heights
42:24 - The "Let Go and Let God" Sign
44:24 - Detox, Post-Acute Withdrawal, 21 Questions Exercise
47:25 - Leaving Treatment / Wanting to Help People
48:31 - Going Back to School
50:39 - Getting Back in the Gym / Brian Welch Connection
51:18 - Becoming NASM Certified
52:48 - Life Today: Full-Time Trainer, Working with People in Recovery
55:17 - Fear, New Business, and Building Something New
1:00:01 - Chad's First Podcast Panic Attack
1:02:18 - How Natalie Joined the Show
1:09:11 - Wrap Up

Doing Ketamine At A Wedding In Front Of A Flower Girl w/John Nettles | The Hopeaholics Podcast #342 Jul 06, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, Chad and Natalie sit down with John Nettles for an unfiltered conversation about addiction, recovery, identity, and finding hope after years of chaos.
John shares his journey from being adopted and discovering his biological family years later, to a decade-long battle with alcoholism, cocaine addiction, prescription Xanax dependence, and the nightlife lifestyle as a DJ and concert promoter. He opens up about multiple treatment attempts, legal trouble, blackouts, near-death experiences, and the emotional toll addiction took on both him and the people who loved him.
The turning point came when one phone call challenged everything John thought he knew about sobriety, leading him to discover the difference between simply being abstinent and truly living in recovery.
#TheHopeaholics #redemption #recovery #AlcoholAddiction #AddictionRecovery #wedorecover #SobrietyJourney #MyStory #Hope #wedorecover #treatmentcenter #natalieevamarie
Join our patreon to get access to an EXTRA EPISODE every week of ‘Off the Record’, exclusive content, a thriving recovery community, and opportunities to be featured on the podcast. https://patreon.com/TheHopeaholics
Go to www.Wolfpak.com today and support our sponsors. Don't forget to use code: HOPEAHOLICSPODCAST for 10% off!
Follow the Hopeaholics on our Socials:
https://www.instagram.com/thehopeaholics
https://linktr.ee/thehopeaholics
Buy Merch:
https://thehopeaholics.myshopify.com
Visit our Treatment Centers: https://www.hopebythesea.com
If you or a loved one needs help, please call or text 949-615-8588. We have the resources to treat mental health and addiction.
Sponsored by the Infiniti Group LLC:
https://www.infinitigroupllc.com
Timestamps:
0:00 — Cold open
1:23 — Show intro, Natalie and Chad
4:04 — Born in Richmond, adopted
5:17 — Finding his birth parents through Ancestry.com
6:05 — His birth mom found him through his old DJ page
8:09 — His adoptive dad's own addiction and recovery
11:22 — First treatment at 16, prescribed Xanax
12:24 — First drink, using heavy by 12-13
14:41 — Parents find pills in his room, first treatment program
15:16 — Diagnosed with GAD, put on Ambien and Xanax at 16
17:10 — First time doing cocaine at 15
20:12 — First inpatient treatment, Sierra Tucson
23:10 — Concert promoter years, fentanyl hits the scene
27:57 — First DUI at 18
32:19 — The Vegas bachelor party bender
33:13 — Wedding meltdown, ketamine and a bottle of Xanax
35:35 — Grandma's house in Newport, first blackout disappearance
39:09 — Another DUI, relapses straight out of the impound lot
41:15 — A childhood friend dies, drinks through the funeral
42:44 — Back at Grandma's, wakes up with blood on his hands
45:09 — The call to interventionist Bob Mary
48:24 — His last drink and drug
49:51 — His grandmother's final days
52:02 — Staying teachable in sobriety
53:34 — Ryan Holiday and the truth about treatment
56:20 — Falls into a career working in treatment
1:00:06 — Making amends to his dad
1:01:54 — His grandmother passes days before his one-year sober
1:05:10 — Headlining a sober charity show
1:06:38 — Starting his own podcast
1:18:43 — Chad's own relapse while working in treatment
1:19:31 — What's broken about the addiction treatment industry
1:21:08 — What "the right way" to do treatment looks like
1:23:14 — Aftercare, and going home to the same life
1:25:24 — The gift of desperation

The Psychic Medium the FBI Actually Calls | The Hopeaholics Podcast #341 Jul 02, 2026

Show notes

Nichole Duncan used to be a tennis pro and now she's a forensic psychic medium who works cold cases for local law enforcement and federal agencies, the kind of work where the FBI will use what she finds but will never say her name out loud in court.
She walks through her first real cold case (a domestic violence victim who "came through like a stinking freight train" with the exact location and evidence of her own murder), how a mentor who used to find Soviet submarines for the U.S. government during the Cold War took her under her wing, and what it's actually like doing readings for people who can never officially admit they called her. Then the conversation turns to veterans, PTSD, and why they think ibogaine and ketamine therapy done right are doing more for guys the VA couldn't fix than another bag of pills ever did. #TheHopeaholics #redemption #recovery #AlcoholAddiction #AddictionRecovery #wedorecover #SobrietyJourney #MyStory #Hope #wedorecover #treatmentcenter #natalieevamarie
Join our patreon to get access to an EXTRA EPISODE every week of ‘Off the Record’, exclusive content, a thriving recovery community, and opportunities to be featured on the podcast. https://patreon.com/TheHopeaholics
Go to www.Wolfpak.com today and support our sponsors. Don't forget to use code: HOPEAHOLICSPODCAST for 10% off!
Follow the Hopeaholics on our Socials:
https://www.instagram.com/thehopeaholics
https://linktr.ee/thehopeaholics
Buy Merch:
https://thehopeaholics.myshopify.com
Visit our Treatment Centers: https://www.hopebythesea.com
If you or a loved one needs help, please call or text 949-615-8588. We have the resources to treat mental health and addiction.
Sponsored by the Infiniti Group LLC:
https://www.infinitigroupllc.com
Timestamps:
00:00 – Cold open: a missing girl's guardian angel and a murder victim who won't stay quiet
01:15 – Show intro
02:44 – What a "forensic psychic medium" actually is
04:25 – What happens when we die, the life review
07:59 – How loved ones communicate through dreams
09:48 – Meditation, ADHD, and opening up psychic ability
16:24 – Nichole's first real mediumship experience (the "Jill" story)
18:57 – From reading for friends to working with law enforcement
20:24 – What an actual reading looks like
22:01 – The missing girl case and the Nikki McKinney cold case
24:16 – Nichole's autistic son's gift with animals
24:58 – Angela Ford's podcast and getting trained in remote viewing
29:28 – Does the work scare her or her husband
30:08 – A reading that caught a stranger's heart condition
31:11 – How skeptical are the feds, really
32:31 – How Nichole stays emotionally unaffected by heavy cases
37:26 – Being intentional about what you let into your head
40:38 – Segue into veterans and PTSD
41:01 – Ibogaine, DMT, and psychedelic therapy in a controlled setting
42:33 – Ketamine therapy and a friend's experience
44:19 – The documentary "In Waves and War"
46:07 – Big pharma and the conflict of interest with veteran care
1:06:15 – The preacher who taught him grace
1:06:40 – Jesus, the afterlife, and the "second coming"
1:07:51 – Why neither of them believes in hell anymore
1:08:57 – How Nicole manages a business built on readings
1:10:16 – Where to find Nichole Duncan

Being Addicted to Founding a Record Label w/ Blake Mathews | The Hopeaholics Podcast #340 Jun 29, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of The Hopeaholics Podcast, Blake Mathews shares his story of addiction, adoption, and finding faith through music. Adopted at birth and raised in a Jewish household in Phoenix, Blake started DJing weddings and bar mitzvahs at 13 and built a career in music and nightlife while quietly hiding a worsening addiction for over a decade. By the time he moved to Nashville in 2014 to chase a career in the arts, he was a high functioning alcoholic leaning on psychedelics, convinced they made him a better artist, while the people closest to him had no idea how bad it had gotten.
Blake opens up about hitting bottom in Nashville, calling his dad for help, and getting into treatment within 48 hours, only to relapse after walking away from music entirely and moving back to Phoenix. He found lasting sobriety on a sober hike up a mountain he stumbled onto by chance, and he's been sober since. Today, Blake is the founder of Sober House Records and co-founder of Formerly Intoxicated, a nonprofit bringing music and healing arts into treatment centers and prisons. He shares how a chance encounter with two strangers praying in a coffee shop changed everything, and how he turned his pain into a mission: redemption is real, prevention is possible, and recovery is for everyone. #TheHopeaholics #redemption #recovery #AlcoholAddiction #AddictionRecovery #wedorecover #SobrietyJourney #MyStory #Hope #wedorecover #treatmentcenter #natalieevamarie
Join our patreon to get access to an EXTRA EPISODE every week of ‘Off the Record’, exclusive content, a thriving recovery community, and opportunities to be featured on the podcast. https://patreon.com/TheHopeaholics
Go to www.Wolfpak.com today and support our sponsors. Don't forget to use code: HOPEAHOLICSPODCAST for 10% off!
Follow the Hopeaholics on our Socials:
https://www.instagram.com/thehopeaholics
https://linktr.ee/thehopeaholics
Buy Merch:
https://thehopeaholics.myshopify.com
Visit our Treatment Centers: https://www.hopebythesea.com
If you or a loved one needs help, please call or text 949-615-8588. We have the resources to treat mental health and addiction.
Sponsored by the Infiniti Group LLC:
https://www.infinitigroupllc.com
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:26 Meet Blake Matthews
2:27 Handing flip flops to a barefoot stranger in 100 degree heat
4:33 The fentanyl crisis hiding in plain sight
6:14 The DM Chad got this morning
7:13 Chad's stance on calling it fentanyl poisoning
9:43 Adopted at birth, and the search for belonging
12:12 Functioning addict, DJing weddings since age 13
13:50 Chasing music to Nashville, and hitting a wall
17:21 The night he called his dad
19:09 What his graduation photos actually showed
20:31 Moving home, and walking away from music
22:00 Relapse, one beer with an old friend
23:00 The mountain hike that changed everything
26:40 The recover out loud movement
29:08 Connection as the opposite of addiction
31:35 The lie that drugs make you more creative
33:51 Bringing music into treatment centers and prisons
35:15 The starving artist trap
47:01 First job in recovery, teaching kids life skills
49:20 Leaving it all to go full time into Sober House Records
51:22 Opening his first sober living home
53:39 Raised Jewish, and why Jesus was a bad word
56:19 Two strangers praying in a coffee shop
57:25 The 10pm Bible study that didn't end until 4am
58:21 The night he gave his life to Jesus
1:01:34 Inside his album, Unbury Your Burdens
1:03:11 Still wrestling with depression after finding faith
1:04:22 Stacking wins
1:05:43 The fastest way out of depression
1:09:08 How his family sees him now
1:13:11 What Formerly Intoxicated actually does

From Drinking Everyday to Winning a World Championship w/ Ryan Foley | The Hopeaholics Podcast #339 Jun 25, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of The Hopeaholics Podcast, Ryan Foley shares his powerful story of alcoholism, mental health, surrender, fatherhood, and the unexpected life recovery gave him. Ryan grew up outside of Chicago, went on to attend Cornell University, built a successful career, and eventually worked at companies like Google and Groupon before addiction began taking over his life. For years, he was able to function on the outside while drinking every day, but behind the scenes his body was shutting down. He opens up about drinking a handle a day, waking up in withdrawal, shaking, sweating, and reaching the point where doctors told him that if he kept drinking, he could die.

Ryan also shares his experience being diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 20 years old, the shame he carried around mental health, and why getting sober was the only way he could truly begin treating what was underneath. Today, Ryan is nearly five years sober, a husband, father of two with a third baby on the way, a performance coach, and a world champion professional sailor. He shares how recovery brought him back to athletics, led him into a completely different career, and gave him a life he never thought was possible. From surrendering in treatment to launching "Big Tuesday," a movement encouraging men to lift heavy, stay disciplined, and take ownership of their health, Ryan's story is a reminder that recovery does not just save lives — it can completely transform them.
#thehopeaholics #redemption #recovery #AlcoholAddiction #AddictionRecovery #wedorecover #SobrietyJourney #MyStory #Hope #wedorecover #treatmentcenter #natalieevamarie

Join our patreon to get access to an EXTRA EPISODE every week of 'Off the Record', exclusive content, a thriving recovery community, and opportunities to be featured on the podcast. https://patreon.com/TheHopeaholics

Go to www.Wolfpak.com today and support our sponsors.

Don't forget to use code: HOPEAHOLICSPODCAST for 10% off!

Follow the Hopeaholics on our Socials:
https://www.instagram.com/thehopeaholics
https://linktr.ee/thehopeaholics

Buy Merch:
https://thehopeaholics.myshopify.com

Visit our Treatment Centers: https://www.hopebythesea.com
If you or a loved one needs help, please call or text 949-615-8588. We have the resources to treat mental health and addiction.

Sponsored by the Infiniti Group LLC:
https://www.infinitigroupllc.com

The 10-Car Crash That Exposed Her Secret Addiction w/ Elisa Saunders | The Hopeaholics Podcast Jun 22, 2026

Show notes

The 10-Car Crash That Exposed Her Secret Addiction w/ Elisa Saunders | The Hopeaholics Podcast
In this episode of the Hopeaholics Podcast, Elisa Saunders shares an incredibly raw story of addiction, trauma, survival, and the long road to recovery after decades of chaos behind the scenes of both alcoholism and the treatment industry. Elisa spent nearly 30 years drinking while maintaining the image of a functioning professional, all while cycling through alcohol, Xanax, cocaine, and the kind of self-destruction that nearly killed her. She opens up about the pain of childhood abuse, the emotional wounds that followed her into adulthood, and how addiction became both an escape and a prison she couldn’t break free from. The conversation dives into her time working in the treatment world during some of its most corrupt years, where she witnessed body brokering, fraud, and the exploitation of vulnerable people seeking help. Elisa also shares the terrifying consequences of her own addiction, including a DUI, a devastating ten-car pileup, and the moment she realized she was either going to get sober or die. Even after getting clean, she reveals the brutal emotional reality of early recovery, including the shame, depression, and suicidal thoughts she had to fight through without numbing herself. Today, Elisa uses her story and experience to advocate for ethical treatment, real recovery, and better solutions for people trapped in addiction.
#thehopeaholics #redemption #recovery #AlcoholAddiction #AddictionRecovery #wedorecover #SobrietyJourney #MyStory #Hope #wedorecover #treatmentcenter #natalieevamarie
Join our patreon to get access to an EXTRA EPISODE every week of ‘Off the Record’, exclusive content, a thriving recovery community, and opportunities to be featured on the podcast. https://patreon.com/TheHopeaholics
Go to www.Wolfpak.com today and support our sponsors. Don't forget to use code: HOPEAHOLICSPODCAST for 10% off!
Follow the Hopeaholics on our Socials:
https://www.instagram.com/thehopeaholics
https://linktr.ee/thehopeaholics
Buy Merch:
https://thehopeaholics.myshopify.com
Visit our Treatment Centers: https://www.hopebythesea.com
If you or a loved one needs help, please call or text 949-615-8588. We have the resources to treat mental health and addiction.
Sponsored by the Infiniti Group LLC:
https://www.infinitigroupllc.com
Timestamps:
00:05:09 - 30 Years of Drinking While Working as a Schoolteacher
00:05:32 - Booze, Xanax and Cocaine Becoming Her Routine
00:08:17 - Entering the Wild West of the Treatment Industry
00:08:54 - The Real Story Behind Body Brokering in Florida
00:10:29 - Watching Corrupt Treatment Operators Get Busted
00:11:09 - Seeing People Brokered Out of AA Meetings
00:12:30 - Testifying Against Her Half Brother After Childhood Abuse
00:16:58 - Realizing She Could Never Stay Stopped
00:18:50 - The DUI That Exposed How Out of Control Her Life Had Become
00:19:12 - Causing a Ten-Car Pileup and Hiding It as a Teacher
00:22:22 - Reaching the Point Where She Knew She Was Going to Die
00:22:47 - Going to Treatment Because Jail Was the Alternative
00:24:50 - Getting Sober and Still Wanting to Kill Herself
00:25:58 - “I Never Felt Good Enough” Without Alcohol
00:58:57 - The Recovery App She Believes Could Help Save Lives

The Opposite of Addiction Isn’t Sobriety with Stefanos Sifandos | The Hopeaholics Podcast Jun 18, 2026

Show notes

The Opposite of Addiction Isn’t Sobriety with Stefanos Sifandos | The Hopeaholics Podcast
In this episode of the Hopeaholics Podcast, Stefanos Sifandos joins the show for a deep and thought-provoking conversation about trauma, relationships, addiction, personal growth, and the journey toward true emotional freedom. As an internationally recognized relationship coach, author, and speaker, Stefanos has spent years helping people understand the hidden wounds that shape their behaviors, beliefs, and connections with others. He opens up about growing up in a household marked by violence, chaos, and emotional struggle, and how those early experiences led him on a lifelong search for healing and self-discovery. The conversation explores the powerful link between addiction and disconnection, why so many people avoid their emotions, and how unresolved childhood experiences continue to influence adult relationships. Stefanos also shares his perspective on attachment, vulnerability, masculinity, fatherhood, and the importance of developing a deeper relationship with yourself. Throughout the episode, he explains how generational trauma gets passed down, why meaningful connection is essential for healing, and what it takes to break destructive patterns that keep people stuck. With a unique blend of personal experience, psychology, spirituality, and practical wisdom, Stefanos offers insights that challenge conventional thinking and encourage lasting transformation.
#thehopeaholics #redemption #recovery #AlcoholAddiction #AddictionRecovery #wedorecover #SobrietyJourney #MyStory #Hope #wedorecover #treatmentcenter #natalieevamarie
Join our patreon to get access to an EXTRA EPISODE every week of ‘Off the Record’, exclusive content, a thriving recovery community, and opportunities to be featured on the podcast. https://patreon.com/TheHopeaholics
Go to www.Wolfpak.com today and support our sponsors. Don't forget to use code: HOPEAHOLICSPODCAST for 10% off!
Follow the Hopeaholics on our Socials:
https://www.instagram.com/thehopeaholics
https://linktr.ee/thehopeaholics
Buy Merch:
https://thehopeaholics.myshopify.com
Visit our Treatment Centers: https://www.hopebythesea.com
If you or a loved one needs help, please call or text 949-615-8588. We have the resources to treat mental health and addiction.
Sponsored by the Infiniti Group LLC:
https://www.infinitigroupllc.com
Timestamps:
00:13:24 - Growing Up Overweight, Insecure and Finding Fitness
00:14:37 - Violence, Chaos and Trauma Inside His Childhood Home
00:16:17 - Why His Difficult Childhood Sparked a Lifelong Study of Relationships
00:23:12 - The Human Need for Belonging
00:23:32 - Why the Opposite of Addiction Is Connection
00:24:13 - Addiction, Isolation and the Emotions We All Share
00:25:15 - Discovering He Was Neurodivergent
00:35:03 - Why Society Teaches Us to Avoid Feeling
00:36:23 - How Generational Trauma Gets Passed Down
00:57:16 - Living in Denial and Hiding in the Shadows
00:58:46 - Insecurity, Jealousy and Going Through Your Partner’s Phone
01:01:13 - How Fatherhood Opened His Heart
01:05:08 - Working With His Wife and Confronting His Ego
01:06:33 - The Meaning Behind His Book Tuned In and Turned On
01:07:12 - How Childhood Shapes Adult Relationships, Love and Attachment

California’s Failed Addiction Policies Explained with Laurie Davies | The Hopeaholics Podcast Jun 15, 2026

Show notes

California’s Failed Addiction Policies Explained with Laurie Davies | The Hopeaholics Podcast
In this episode of the Hopeaholics Podcast, California Assemblywoman Laurie Davies joins the show for an important conversation about addiction, fentanyl, homelessness, mental health, and the policies shaping recovery across the state. Representing California’s 74th Assembly District, Laurie has become a leading voice in the fight to improve treatment access, protect recovery programs, and address the devastating impact of the fentanyl crisis. She shares how personal experiences with addiction, mental illness, and loss have influenced her work and strengthened her commitment to helping vulnerable families. The conversation explores the unintended consequences of policies like Proposition 47, the challenges surrounding homelessness and accountability, and why many people seeking treatment still struggle to find available beds when they are finally ready for help. Laurie also discusses insurance fraud in the treatment industry, legislative efforts to protect patients, and the importance of expanding quality recovery resources throughout California. Throughout the episode, she offers a candid look at what is happening behind the scenes in government and what still needs to change to save lives. From mental health reform and public safety to recovery, faith, and personal responsibility, this conversation tackles some of the most urgent issues facing communities today.
#thehopeaholics #redemption #recovery #AlcoholAddiction #AddictionRecovery #wedorecover #SobrietyJourney #MyStory #Hope #wedorecover #treatmentcenter #natalieevamarie
Join our patreon to get access to an EXTRA EPISODE every week of ‘Off the Record’, exclusive content, a thriving recovery community, and opportunities to be featured on the podcast. https://patreon.com/TheHopeaholics
Go to www.Wolfpak.com today and support our sponsors. Don't forget to use code: HOPEAHOLICSPODCAST for 10% off!
Follow the Hopeaholics on our Socials:
https://www.instagram.com/thehopeaholics
https://linktr.ee/thehopeaholics
Buy Merch:
https://thehopeaholics.myshopify.com
Visit our Treatment Centers: https://www.hopebythesea.com
If you or a loved one needs help, please call or text 949-615-8588. We have the resources to treat mental health and addiction.
Sponsored by the Infiniti Group LLC:
https://www.infinitigroupllc.com
Timestamps:
00:13:42 - Protecting Treatment Centers and Stopping Fraud
00:14:52 - The Insurance Fraud Crisis Hurting Treatment Centers
00:18:32 - New Legislation to Protect Addiction Treatment Patients
00:22:23 - How Prop 47 Changed Addiction and Homelessness
00:24:18 - Prop 36 Passes but Goes Unfunded
00:28:40 - Why Consequences Can Help Save an Addict’s Life
00:30:52 - Homelessness, Addiction and Accountability
00:35:01 - Addiction as a Spiritual Problem
00:36:47 - Her Family’s Experience With Severe Mental Illness
00:40:56 - The Crisis of Finding Treatment Beds in California
00:41:24 - Every Hour Matters When Someone Asks for Help
00:42:05 - Losing a Loved One to Fentanyl
00:42:49 - Why She Carries Narcan Everywhere
00:52:21 - “You’re Only One Person Away From a Fentanyl Death”
00:56:14 - The Audit That Exposed Major Oversight Failures

The Day He Finally Got Tired of Being Homeless w/ CRASH | The Hopeaholics Podcast Jun 11, 2026

Show notes

The Day He Finally Got Tired of Being Homeless w/ CRASH | The Hopeaholics Podcast

In this episode of the Hopeaholics Podcast, Crash shares the incredible story of how he went from living homeless on the streets of Santa Ana for years to finding recovery, purpose, and a new life in sobriety. After first experimenting with heroin as a teenager, Crash spent more than a decade trapped in addiction, cycling through homelessness, arrests, failed treatment attempts, and countless moments that could have ended his life. He opens up about sleeping on the streets, losing hope, and believing that recovery simply wasn't possible for someone like him. The conversation dives into the realities of addiction, what life is actually like for people living unhoused, and the devastating toll drugs take on families, friendships, and self-worth. Crash also shares the turning points that led him to treatment, the people who refused to give up on him, and the moment he finally became willing to change. Today, he dedicates his life to helping others escape the same darkness by connecting people struggling with addiction to treatment and recovery resources. His story is a powerful reminder that no one is too far gone, no matter how hopeless their situation may seem.
#wedorecover #TheHopeaholics #redemption #recovery #AlcoholAddiction #AddictionRecovery #wedorecover #SobrietyJourney #MyStory #Hope #wedorecover #treatmentcenter #natalieevamarie
Join our patreon to get access to an EXTRA EPISODE every week of ‘Off the Record’, exclusive content, a thriving recovery community, and opportunities to be featured on the podcast. https://patreon.com/TheHopeaholics
Go to www.Wolfpak.com today and support our sponsors. Don't forget to use code: HOPEAHOLICSPODCAST for 10% off!
Follow the Hopeaholics on our Socials:
https://www.instagram.com/thehopeaholics
https://linktr.ee/thehopeaholics
Buy Merch:
https://thehopeaholics.myshopify.com
Visit our Treatment Centers: https://www.hopebythesea.com
If you or a loved one needs help, please call or text 949-615-8588. We have the resources to treat mental health and addiction.
Sponsored by the Infiniti Group LLC:
https://www.infinitigroupllc.com
Timestamps:
00:04:21 - First Experiences With Heroin at 15 and 17
00:05:06 - Living Homeless on the Streets of Santa Ana for Seven Years
00:06:04 - Dropping Out of School and Spiraling Into Addiction
00:07:33 - More Than a Decade Living on the Streets
00:09:53 - Waking Up at His Dad’s House After Hitting Rock Bottom
00:10:27 - First Attempt at Rehab in Florida
00:11:00 - Relapsing Immediately After Treatment
00:18:07 - 110 Days Sober and Rebuilding His Life
00:18:52 - “I Hit Rock Bottom and Found a Basement”
00:19:50 - Helping Other Homeless Addicts Get Into Treatment
00:20:20 - The Viral Recovery Story That Started a Movement
00:21:58 - How Victor and Fresh Start Rescue People From the Streets
00:30:56 - Helping 15+ Friends Get Clean Together
00:31:50 - What Recovery Looks Like Today
00:32:32 - Accepting a Higher Power in Recovery
00:36:01 - The Reality of Open Drug Use in Santa Ana
00:36:25 - Getting Swept, Arrested and Losing Everything
00:37:19 - Why Hope Matters More Than Resources
00:38:11 - Getting a Taste of Sobriety for the First Time
00:39:01 - Becoming an Inspiration to Friends Still Struggling
00:43:14 - Why Service Is Essential to Recovery
00:44:06 - The Story Behind the Nickname “Crash”
00:44:55 - Opiates Left His Neck Permanently Bent Forward
00:57:24 - Celebrating Sobriety and Looking Toward the Futur

The Fentanyl Crisis Is Worse Than You Think w/ Luis Romero | The Hopeaholics Podcast Jun 08, 2026

Show notes

The Fentanyl Crisis Is Worse Than You Think w/ Luis Romero | The Hopeaholics Podcast
In this episode of the Hopeaholics Podcast, Luis Romero shares his incredible journey from heroin addiction, gang involvement, and felony charges to becoming a powerful voice in recovery and fentanyl awareness. With over 13 years sober, Luis opens up about the darkest moments of his addiction, the impact of losing his father at a young age, and how searching for belonging led him down a destructive path. He shares the life-changing decision to stay in treatment longer than planned, the challenges of being a "dry drunk," and the personal growth that allowed him to become someone his family could be proud of. We also dive into the fentanyl epidemic, the dangers of counterfeit pills, fentanyl-laced drugs, and the heartbreaking losses that inspired Luis to launch Fuck Fentanyl San Diego and dedicate his life to saving others. This conversation is filled with powerful recovery insights, raw honesty, and an important message about grief, purpose, and honoring the people we've lost by living a meaningful life. If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, this episode offers hope, perspective, and proof that lasting recovery is possible.
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Timestamps:
00:03:30 - Why He Started Fuck Fentanyl San Diego
00:06:57 - 13 Years Sober and Life After Heroin
00:14:59 - Living an Animalistic Life Chasing Heroin
00:16:08 - Family Taking Him In During Addiction
00:17:14 - Heroin Addiction, Gangs and Catching a Felony Case
00:18:08 - Running From Police After a Party Gone Wrong
00:26:45 - Staying in Treatment an Extra Four Months to Survive
00:33:30 - Recovery Turned Him Into Someone His Family Could Be Proud Of
00:34:10 - The Pain of Being a Dry Drunk for Nine Years
00:43:24 - Losing His Father at 10 and the Impact on His Addiction
00:45:24 - His Father Died of a Heart Attack at 33
00:46:31 - Seeking Validation Through Gangs After Losing His Dad
00:48:11 - How His Friend’s Death Sparked His Mission and Podcast
00:58:04 - Why Illicit Fentanyl Is Pure Poison
01:00:39 - The Shocking Reality of Fake Fentanyl Pills
01:01:48 - A Celebration Turned Fatal After Fentanyl-Laced Cocaine
01:05:24 - Honoring Loved Ones Instead of Letting Grief Destroy You
01:06:02 - Living Life in Honor of His Father and Best Friend

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