Carl Radke | Alcohol & Cocaine Addiction, Sibling Loss, & 12-Step Recovery
Recoverycast: Mental Health & Addiction Recovery Stories
Release Date: 02/04/2026
Reno | From Rave Influencer to Sober Movement Advocate: Overcoming Trauma & Bipolar
Recoverycast: Mental Health & Addiction Recovery Stories
From rave influencer to sober advocate, Reno (@CherryEmojiGirl) gets radically honest about the "cringe" and beauty of recovery. Reno shares her intense journey through polysubstance addiction, including alcohol, cocaine, ketamine, and whippets, while navigating the highs of Southern California's rave scene. She opens up about the deep-seated trauma of being adopted out at birth after her biological mother was convicted of child abuse related to Munchausen by proxy. Reno also discusses the co...
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Riley Whelan Returns | Alcoholism, Relapse & the Path to Emotional Sobriety
Recoverycast: Mental Health & Addiction Recovery Stories
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Samuel Harness | The Voice, Acid, & Fatherhood-Driven Sobriety
Recoverycast: Mental Health & Addiction Recovery Stories
Singer-songwriter Samuel Harness, known for his breakout performance on Season 21 of The Voice, joins Recoverycast to share the raw reality of his journey through addiction recovery and childhood trauma. In this vulnerable episode, Samuel discusses the long-term impact of sexual assault, the complexities of being an adoptee, and the intense pressure of the music industry. From navigating anxiety and depression to his experiences with Adderall, alcohol, and psychedelics, Samuel illustrates how...
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David Manheim | Heroin Recovery, Grief, & Building the Dopey Nation
Recoverycast: Mental Health & Addiction Recovery Stories
From interviewing Coldplay while high to losing his best friend and co-host to a fatal relapse, David Manheim reveals the raw, unfiltered truth about heroin addiction and the grit required for long-term recovery. As the creator of the legendary Dopey podcast, David spent two decades navigating the "frantic energy" of a career at MTV and the legendary tables of Katz’s Deli while battling a severe substance use disorder. In this moving episode of Recoverycast, David discusses the "war stories"...
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Gabe Pietrafesa | Alcoholism, Cocaine Recovery, & Choosing the Band Over the Bottle
Recoverycast: Mental Health & Addiction Recovery Stories
Can you still be funny—or even be yourself—without the substance? Gabe Pietrafesa, longtime guitarist for Young Culture and host of the Trapped on the Internet podcast, joins Recoverycast to share his vulnerable journey through the high-pressure world of the music industry and the internal battle for self-worth.. Gabe opens up about growing up as a "chameleon" and a people-pleaser, navigating a childhood shaped by divorce and a complicated relationship with his father's drinking.. What starte...
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Lucas Curtin | Grief & Loss, Alcohol Addiction, & The Power of Friendship
Recoverycast: Mental Health & Addiction Recovery Stories
How do you keep going when the person you love most suddenly disappears? Lucas Curtin (known online as Fitzgerald Checksworth) opens up about the intersection of cyclical alcohol struggle, sudden grief, and the "snap" in the brain that changed everything. In this vulnerable episode, Lucas shares his journey from being the high school "class clown" to using alcohol to "shut up the voices" of deep-seated anxiety and depression. He recounts the heartbreaking loss of his girlfriend, Marissa, who ...
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Ryan Hampton | OxyContin & Heroin Addiction to Mobilize Recovery Founder
Recoverycast: Mental Health & Addiction Recovery Stories
From walking the halls of the White House to facing homelessness due to a severe OxyContin and heroin addiction, Ryan Hampton’s story is unforgettable. Ryan Hampton was a rising political organizer and White House staffer when a hiking injury introduced him to highly addictive prescription opioids like Dilaudid and OxyContin. What started as a doctor-prescribed treatment quickly spiraled into a decade-long struggle with opioid use disorder, leading him to the streets and eventually to heroin...
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Patrick Custer | Alcoholism, Delirium Tremens & Facing a Brain Tumor
Recoverycast: Mental Health & Addiction Recovery Stories
What do you do when the very thing you have feared since you were three years old actually happens—and you have to face it while five years sober? In this episode of RecoveryCast, Brittany Barnard talks with recovery advocate and media personality Patrick Custer about his intense journey through alcohol addiction and a life-altering medical crisis. Patrick opens up about a childhood shaped by hypervigilance and a "fear of God" that led to chronic anxiety. He describes how his first drink didn...
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Tiffany Jenkins | 20 Felony Charges, Pill Addiction, & Healing Through Humor
Recoverycast: Mental Health & Addiction Recovery Stories
Tiffany Jenkins, the New York Times bestselling author and voice behind "Juggling the Jenkins," joins Recoverycast to share her raw journey from facing 20 felony charges to 13 years of sobriety. Tiffany opens up about her childhood struggles with undiagnosed OCD and how a single sip of alcohol in high school led to a decade-long spiral into alcohol, weed, and eventually a devastating opiate addiction. She reveals the harrowing details of staging a burglary in her own home to fund her habit an...
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Jaimie Alexander | Bourbon Addiction, Near-Death Awakening, & Spiritual Recovery
Recoverycast: Mental Health & Addiction Recovery Stories
From Marvel’s Lady Sif to a hospital bed fighting for her life, actress Jaimie Alexander shares the raw truth about her battle with bourbon and burnout. Jaimie, the celebrated lead of Blindspot, opens up about the "lone wolf" mentality that nearly cost her everything. Despite a thriving career, she used alcohol to medicate social anxiety and the extreme physical toll of performing her own high-octane stunts. She recounts the terrifying moment her appendix ruptured, leading to sepsis and a pr...
info_outlineCarl Radke from Bravo’s Summer House shares his raw journey through high-functioning cocaine and alcohol addiction. In this vulnerable episode, Carl opens up about growing up in Pittsburgh where alcohol was the family fabric and how his brother’s struggle with heroin addiction created a life of fear. He details the $2,000-a-weekend cocaine habit he hid behind his reality TV persona and the rock-bottom moment in January 2021 that finally forced him to choose life.
Find mental health and addiction treatment near you: https://recovery.com/
Carl dives deep into the non-linear road of recovery, from the intense pressure of filming while grieving his brother’s overdose to the "hard love" of a New York City AA sponsor. He discusses his memoir, Cake Eater, and his mission to provide alcohol-free spaces through Soft Bar and Cafe. This conversation is a masterclass in turning public shame into private healing and collective inspiration. Whether you are navigating loss or seeking a more intentional way to live, Carl’s story offers a roadmap for redemption and daily discipline.
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⏱️ Chapters
00:00 – The True Cost of a $2,000 Weekend
02:29 – Pittsburgh Roots: Alcohol as the Family Fabric
11:12 – Mental Health: Patterns of Depression and Anxiety
13:37 – The Shadow of Sibling Heroin Addiction
18:54 – The High-Functioning Trap: Cocaine vs. Heroin
26:16 – The Call: Losing a Brother to Overdose
31:11 – Filming Through Grief: Real Life on Camera
35:20 – Rock Bottom: The Breaking Point in January 2021
38:52 – Hard Love: AA and the 12-Step Solution
49:50 – Daily Discipline: Making the Bed and 5 Years Sober
❓ Questions the Video Answers
- How did Carl Radke’s childhood normalize alcohol use?
- What are the signs of high-functioning cocaine addiction?
- How do you process grief when a sibling dies from an overdose?
- What was the financial impact of Carl's substance abuse?
- How does reality TV fame complicate the recovery process?
- Why did Carl Radke join AA and what was his sponsor like?
- What is the mission of Soft Bar and Cafe in Brooklyn?
- How can simple routines like making your bed support sobriety?
- What is Carl's perspective on the disease of addiction now?
- How did Carl Radke handle public shame regarding his brother?
- What are the best daily practices for maintaining sobriety?
- How does Carl Radke define "raw dogging" a marathon?
#CarlRadke #SummerHouse #AddictionRecovery