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193 - Vince has been to 10+ treatment centers - What will be different this time?

Real Recovery Talk

Release Date: 10/14/2021

572: I Stayed Sober 15 Year: Here’s the Methods I Still Use show art 572: I Stayed Sober 15 Year: Here’s the Methods I Still Use

Real Recovery Talk

Do you have a family member/loved one srtuggling with addiction? Fifteen years. Zero drinks. Thousands of days in recovery. In this special episode of Real Recovery Talk, Tom reflects on what it takes to reach a milestone few ever see: 15 years of continuous sobriety.  Treatment Prep Guide: SoberLink: Join our Big Book Study! Join our FREE FB Support group!: Download our free guides!: Tom IG: Ben IG: RRT IG: https://www.instagram.com/realrecoverytalkpodcast/

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Real Recovery Talk

Do you have a family member/loved one srtuggling with addiction? Most people think alcoholism is easy to spot — heavy drinking, blackouts, or DUIs. But the truth is, some of the most dangerous signs are the subtle ones you’re probably missing. In this video, I break down five hidden signs of alcoholism that don’t always get talked about but can completely change the way you view addiction. These are the red flags I’ve seen over and over again working with individuals and families for years in the recovery field — and you may even recognize one of them in yourself or someone you...

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Real Recovery Talk

Do you have a family member/loved one srtuggling with addiction?  In this episode of Real Recovery Talk, we sit down with Mattie Johnson, a firefighter who was told he would never ride a fire truck again. Why? Because alcohol nearly killed him. For years, Mattie lived fast — drinking hard, partying, and pushing his limits while working in the fire service. He ignored repeated warnings from doctors: “If you don’t stop drinking, you’re going to die.” The wake-up calls came in the form of multiple ICU visits, coughing up blood, and finally stage 4 liver failure. At one point,...

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Real Recovery Talk

Do you have a family member/loved one srtuggling with addiction? In this episode of Real Recovery Talk, Tom and Ben sit down with Franchesca, who shares her powerful story of getting clean without traditional addiction treatment. After multiple failed attempts at rehab, Franchesca found recovery in the rooms of a 12-step fellowship — and she’s been clean for 13 years. This conversation dives into her early struggles, being a teen mom, losing and regaining custody of her son, detoxing without medical help, and how community, surrender, and honesty saved her life. Whether you’re in...

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Real Recovery Talk

Do you have a family member/loved one who struggles with addiction?:  In today’s episode, Erik takes us through A Vision For You from the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous Treatment Prep Guide:  SoberLink:  Join our Big Book Study!  Join our FREE FB Support group!:  Download our free guides!:  Tom IG:  Ben IG:  RRT IG: https://www.instagram.com/realrecoverytalkpodcast/

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Real Recovery Talk

Do you have someone in your life that struggles with addiction and you feel lost or alone? Join us here!  We are excited for this new adventure, and freaked out a little bit too! 👉 Don’t forget to subscribe for more real conversations about addiction, recovery, and hope. 📩 Questions or need help?  Reach out: [email protected]

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Real Recovery Talk

Do you have someone in your life that struggles with addiction and you feel lost or alone? Join us here! What happens when a woman struggling with addiction becomes pregnant — and discovers there are little to no resources to help her? In this episode of Real Recovery Talk, Tom and Ben sit down with Heather, a researcher and advocate, to unpack the hidden struggles women face when battling addiction, especially during pregnancy. From stigma and lack of support to how treatment centers and families can respond, this conversation pulls back the curtain on an issue most people never talk...

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Real Recovery Talk

Do you have a family member/loved one who struggles with addiction?:  In today’s episode, Erik takes us through Working with Others: Part 2 from the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous Treatment Prep Guide:  SoberLink:  Join our Big Book Study!  Join our FREE FB Support group!:  Download our free guides!:  Tom IG:  Ben IG:  RRT IG: https://www.instagram.com/realrecoverytalkpodcast/

info_outline 564: Build Your Sobriety Like a Business show art 564: Build Your Sobriety Like a Business

Real Recovery Talk

Do you have a family member/loved one srtuggling with addiction?  I was listening to a guy on a podcast talk about what it really takes to build a successful business. He said most entrepreneurs spend the first few years working seven days a week, sixteen hours a day, pouring absolutely everything into it. And I thought—man, that’s exactly what early sobriety should look like. You get out what you put in. If you treat your recovery like it’s part-time, you’re going to get part-time results. But if you go all-in, the payoff is massive. So today, we are breaking down three...

info_outline 563: Make your sobriety count! George Graduated with 2 Masters Degrees! show art 563: Make your sobriety count! George Graduated with 2 Masters Degrees!

Real Recovery Talk

Do you have a family member/loved one srtuggling with addiction?  In this episode of Real Recovery Talk, we sit down with George, who recently graduated with not one — but two master’s degrees. His story is a powerful reminder that getting clean and sober isn’t the end of the road — it’s the start of an entirely new life. George opens up about his journey through addiction, the turning points that led him to sobriety, and how he’s used his recovery as a launching pad for personal and professional transformation. From rebuilding his self-worth to achieving academic excellence,...

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In today's episode, Ben and I talk with Vince, a 25-year-old recovering addict from Philadelphia. He stole a bottle of vodka and drank the entire bottle in sixth grade. In the summer of his freshman year of high school, Vince started smoking pot. Cocaine became a weekend sports celebration during his junior year of high school. Vince became an addict after his team coach gave him a prescription narcotic drug in his second college year.

Vince was involved in sports as early as he could remember. His family consisted of three sisters, one of the older and two of them younger than him. Both of his parents were supportive of him and good, hard-working people. "Growing up, I was instilled with morals and values." He was brought up to respect elders, women, and to have good social manners.

"I remember going to this fight in third grade. Everybody started cursing and fighting. Immediately after that, I said my first curse word, then I went home and started watching fighting videos." He isn't sure if this one incident brought him down a negative road, but his life was very different after this experience. The next year in fourth grade, he ended up getting kicked out of school for fighting. "I was fighting and cursing and doing things kids that age shouldn't be doing."

He felt a purpose playing sports as he was always asked to play with the older kids in the next league up. "Everything on the outside just mattered so much, and I thought that was who I was. I thought that I was based on all external things." However, if anything went wrong, he immediately turned to anger and aggression, which he remembers his father modeling for him at an early age.

His school discipline record was horrible. However, the school let him slide because of his athletic abilities. Vince remembers not having any consequences for fighting during his high school years. This enabled him to continue this behavior, along with smoking pot with his friends.

Listen in as Vince tells his story of how he lost his scholarship to Rutgers, what happened when he became addicted to opiate drugs, and his multiple attempts at getting sober.

At Rock Recovery Center, we take a humanistic approach to recovery, teaching our clients how to live independently in a sober world. We care about the success and safety of each and every one of our clients from the moment they step into our center to the future of their well-being.

Check out my new website where you can download any episode right from my site along with other useful information for those in recovery.

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Show Notes:

  • [03:09] Vince talks about his past experiences growing up in Philadelphia.
  • [07:11] His first experience drinking in sixth grade.
  • [13:33] Social acceptance and drug culture.
  • [15:21] Personal identity associated with career for men.
  • [18:25] Vince had his first experience with opiate drugs his senior year in high school.
  • [19:45] He started stealing from his family to buy more opiate drugs.
  • [25:11] The “Florida Shuffle” moving on from the treatment facility to another facility.
  • [28:40] Ben talks about the incredible recovery culture in Florida.
  • [33:10] Why Vince having his daughter wasn’t enough to keep him sober.
  • [37:01] Sobriety and addiction and how these two can easily interchange. 
  • [40:13] What is different for Vince in this recovery process?
  • [43:42] His biggest fears for the recovery process.
  • [45:27] Vince’s spiritual AA experience.

Episode Links and Resources