Not Your Average IV User
Max Liles is a person in long term recovery, licensed social worker and independent chemical dependency counselor who invites guests to debunk myths and blow through stereotypes about addiction, treatment and recovery. These conversations disguised as interviews are meant to make you think and empower you to take personal responsibility for the changes you make in your own life.
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NYAIVU Ep. 037 - Ricky Shaw
03/22/2024
NYAIVU Ep. 037 - Ricky Shaw
The man of few words speaks, a lil bit.
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NYAIVU Ep. 036 - Laticia "TRISH" Wright, really her name is Tish.
10/02/2023
NYAIVU Ep. 036 - Laticia "TRISH" Wright, really her name is Tish.
“What I was born into, I do not have to become.” The poverty. The abuse. The drug centered lifestyle. In Ep. 036 Tish takes us from being the person who through the best house parties to being homeless. She opens up about growing up alongside her parents, ultimately losing her mom to a drug overdose, and making the decision to not continue that pattern in her daughters life. We interviewed Tish’s daughter, Rylee Jo, in Ep. 034 - also a must listen. Not your Average IV User is streaming almost everywhere you listen to podcasts. You can help us out by telling all the people you love that this project exists.
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NYAIVU Ep. 035 - Paul Solotaroff, Senior Writer Rolling Stone Magazine
07/20/2023
NYAIVU Ep. 035 - Paul Solotaroff, Senior Writer Rolling Stone Magazine
In the late winter of 2023, I had just finished a workout with the 9a CrossFit class. A tall fella stood at the end of the gym - dressed in all black, with a fresh pair of J’s on. I thought, “This is my guy.” This was Paul. Paul has been a senior writer at Rolling Stone for thirty years. He covered the NFL concussion scandal, including the Aaron Hernandez story, was the first to report the horror-show conditions at Walter Reade Hospital, and has written a series of stories that helped free innocent men who were doing life without parole in state prisons. He is the winner of two Genesis Awards and more than a half-dozen selections to the Best American Sports Writing anthologies, produced the Documentary hit “How to Fix a Drug Scandal” & has been a Pulitzer Prize and National Magazine Award finalist. Over the next weeks after we met, Paul spent time in Southern Ohio to learn about the breadth of the opioid epidemic and the overdose crisis and the small town, grass roots approach to reintegrating individuals with substance use disorders back into the community. Paul told that story in the most recent drop of Rolling Stone magazine. In Ep. 036, Paul talks about his experience in shedding light in the stories that happen in the dark. Not Your Average IV User is streaming almost everywhere you listen to podcasts. You can help us out by telling all the people you love that this project exists.
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NYAIVU Ep. 035 - The Teachings of Jake Bradshaw (totally not a cult)
06/17/2023
NYAIVU Ep. 035 - The Teachings of Jake Bradshaw (totally not a cult)
Healthcare is all about measurements: survival rates, success rates, no show rates, outcomes. But the addicted population can be terribly difficult to get and keep any data on. A lot of us receive treatment in facilities where our information is protected by federal law (HIPPA & 42 CFR Pt. 2, for all my industry nerds out there). A lot of us stay clean in fellowships that are centered in anonymity. A lot of us go back out a few times before we get it right and good luck tracking us down out there. And some people are famous, even in an anonymous fellowship. Jake’s curriculum vitae is stacked: co-owner of Forward Health Ohio, the voice of Humans of Addiction, internationally syndicated content expert of advocacy around addiction, treatment, and recovery. He’s also known as the guy that got picked up by the Fed’s outside a 12 step meeting. In Ep. 035, JB talks growing up in a small town, the early days of the dark web, and about a minor project he completed with the New York Times (who even reads the paper?!) Not Your average IV User is discoverable almost everywhere you listen to podcasts. You can help us out by telling all the people you love that this project exists.
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Not Your Average IV User Episode 34 - Rylee Jo
06/03/2023
Not Your Average IV User Episode 34 - Rylee Jo
NYAIVU has largely hosted individuals in recovery and given them the platform to address stigmas, stereotypes, and preconceived notions about the nature of addiction, treatment, and recovery. Their stories have challenged societal norms and we’ve heard from people who have pushed the bounds on what a good comeback story looks like. We have also been lucky to have a few episodes where we have discussed the same topics with content experts that have done their own diligence in telling stories of communal devastation and personal redemption, giving us a long peek behind the curtain of how the opioid epidemic built up and unfolded. In Ep. 034 we interviewed Rylee Jo, who adds an important voice to our conversation that we have not heard from firsthand to this point – the child of a person with a substance use disorder. Rylee, a brave and bold guest, talks with me about what it was like to figure out that something wasn’t quite right in her home life, how she and her mothers relationship has grown and changed over the years, and offers some advice for other kids that might be going thru the same thing. Not Your Average IV User is streaming almost everywhere you listen to podcasts. You can help us out by telling all the people you love that this project exists.
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Not Your Average IV User Episode 32 - Timmy Stacy
04/07/2023
Not Your Average IV User Episode 32 - Timmy Stacy
Some people are led to places in life that give them a sense of clarity and purpose that fix everything. Timmy recounts that one day in his life, where he changed – and people around him noticed the change. He recalls, “It made for a slow Senior Year of High School.” Unfortunately, that period was only a small harbor of reprieve and Timmy would return to using, going on to the bitter ends of active addiction. Thankfully, treatment works and recovery is possible. In Ep. 032, guest Timmy Stacy talks about his ups and down with his family, traumatic loss, and how Another Chance Ministries transformed his life through their combination of clinical services and faith centered approach to treatment. Today, Timmy is a counselor, pastors at church, and is a representation that returning to an old behavior isn’t a death sentence. Not Your Average IV User is streaming almost everywhere you listen to podcasts. You can help us out by telling all the people you love that this project exists.
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Not Your Average IV User Episode 31 - Melissa Stacy
03/17/2023
Not Your Average IV User Episode 31 - Melissa Stacy
Stories of addiction and recovery demonstrate the resiliency that humans possess; to go from the darkest pits of despair to leading meaningful lives in the light. Ep. 031 Guest, Melissa Stacy, takes on a journey through losing her mother, foster care, the Department of Youth Services, human trafficking, and being hopelessly addicted to being a mom & wife, a counselor, an anti-human trafficking advocate working with universities and law enforcement to provide education and raise awareness - and while this is her first podcast, she's been featured on a documentary produced the British Broadcast Corporation (BBC) around the topic. Not Your Average IV User is discoverable almost everywhere you listen to podcasts. You can help us out by telling all the people you love that this project exists.
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Not Your Average IV User Episode 30 - Philip Eil
03/03/2023
Not Your Average IV User Episode 30 - Philip Eil
NYAIVU has been both humbling and rewarding - having guests discuss their deepest and darkest days so candidly while simultaneously choosing this platform to share their hard won victories and triumphs. In Ep. 030 we welcome Philip Eil, a freelance journalist based in Rhode Island, who has been at work for over a decade chronicling a story closely related to this project. Below, from Philip: “I’m writing a book about Paul Volkman, who was a pain-clinic doctor in Portsmouth from 2003 to 2005 (and for a few additional months in Chillicothe) before he was shut down by the DEA. Volkman went on trial for prescription drug-dealing in Cincinnati and was eventually sentenced to four consecutive life sentences in prison, which I believe is the longest sentence given to ANY U.S. doctor convicted of drug-dealing during the opiate epidemic. One Chicago TV-news station dubbed him the "Pill Mill Killer." Volkman went to college and medical school with my dad, and I’ve been working on this story since 2009. I wrote a magazine article about the case in 2017 (), but there's much, much more to the story. My book is currently tentatively scheduled for publication in Spring of 2024.” Not Your Average IV User is discoverable almost everywhere you listen to podcasts. You can help us out by telling all the people you love that this project exists.
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Not Your Average IV User Episode 29 - Julie Eichenlaub
02/17/2023
Not Your Average IV User Episode 29 - Julie Eichenlaub
Substance Use Disorders have the ability to affect a person’s entire existence – mind, body, spirit. While recovery can be a journey of improving and restoring ones mental and physical health, spirituality is a hallmark of numerous recovery pathways like nature, church, or the anonymous fellowships. With that being said, there are those of us that feel the spiritual malady a little deeper and such feel compelled to stay in touch with that part of self a little bit closer throughout our journey. In Ep. 029, Julie talks about her days with the Dooba’s, the appearance of a spiritual guide on her way through a long & tumultuous detox, and encourages listeners to remain open minded to exploring multiple pathways to recovery – taking what they need from each to sustain themselves. Not Your Average IV User is discoverable almost everywhere you listen to podcasts. You can help us out by telling all the people you love that this project exists.
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Not Your Average IV User Episode 28 - Pastor J Troy Gray
01/21/2023
Not Your Average IV User Episode 28 - Pastor J Troy Gray
Sometimes the universe just seems to bring people together. Through a friend of a friend of a friend - I got hooked up with J Troy Gray. Troy is the Pastor at Zion Baptist Church and the CEO & founder of Another Chance Ministries. One thing he and I have in common is feeling called to be active personally and professionally in the addiction treatment field and recovery effort in Ohio. Moreover, we both have life experiences that have led to this involvement. One difference, I am a person with a substance use disorder living in long term recovery - Troy comes to this as a father, a loved one dealing with addiction in his family. In Ep. 028, Pastor opens up about some of his previous ideology around addiction, the accomplishments he has seen happen for people involved in his ministry, and how he sent so much money through Western Union, they cut him off from wire transfers – turns out even WU has their limits on enabling. If it’s odd, it’s God. Not Your Average IV User is discoverable almost everywhere you listen to podcasts. You can help us out by telling all the people you love that this project exists.
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Not Your Average IV User Episode 27 - Jacob Floyd & Bruce Wright (B&F Construction)
01/06/2023
Not Your Average IV User Episode 27 - Jacob Floyd & Bruce Wright (B&F Construction)
Teamwork makes the dream work. Very on-brand with the Comeback City, Jacob and Bruce represent the parallels of what personal recovery does for community recovery. Once burdens to the taxpayer, whose main accomplishment was keeping their families worried sick about them, these guys have been able to find their way into long term recovery and make the most out of it. No longer frequent flyers in jails, treatment centers, or other institutions Jacob and Bruce have done a total 180 and now are contributing not only to their own recovery, but that of their community as business owners. In Ep. 027, the guys talk about the perils of their individual addictions, how it took them more than one trip into treatment to figure things out, & what it’s been like to take a leap of faith and go into business for themselves. Not Your average IV User is discoverable almost everywhere you listen to podcasts. You can help us out by telling all the people you love that this project exists.
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Not Your Average IV User Episode 26 - Anthony Jones
12/22/2022
Not Your Average IV User Episode 26 - Anthony Jones
“Ha! Liles! The last place I saw you was…”, Anthony started off as he began to tell a story about me slamming a powdery substance into my face in the middle of a crowded field of concert goers. When we ran back into each other, I was working at a treatment center, one I was alumni of, and Ant (known by many other names, discussed in the episode) was making one of his numerous trips through that spot. And while that time might not have been the time he maintained his abstinence after treatment, it should be noted that before we recorded this episode I got to give Anthony a momento to commemorate his milestone of 5 years continuous clean time. In Ep. 026, Anthony opens up about all the things he’s put himself and his family through & how despite the fact that it might of taken 20 attempts at getting things on track into recovery - he’d do it all again. Not Your average IV User is discoverable almost everywhere you listen to podcasts. You can help us out by telling all the people you love that this project exists.
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Not Your Average IV User Episode 25 - Terra Fannin
12/08/2022
Not Your Average IV User Episode 25 - Terra Fannin
I've known Terra for a long time. She was one of the people that came before me in my areas recovery community and kept the door open for me until I decided to show up. During her time clean, she's gone through some tough stuff - some for better and some fore worse; from going to graduate school losing her father (I've got a soft spot for Dads), but she always seems to keep her recovery at the forefront. To me, what best captures Terra's experience is a work story. We work at the same treatment center and were fortunate enough to open a new facility recently in a community we have not served for some time. It always feels good to be able to offer a solution to people that want it, and I believe individuals should be able to access treatment where they live. After about a years' worth of work - the day was here, the ribbon cutting. We were going to open to clients the following Monday. We had staff and community members there to celebrate with us and wish our initiative well. Terra also had some extra support of her own, members of her family who were very excited about their loved ones accomplishment, as she had been names the Director of the facility. Her mom told her something along the lines of, "I've taken you to different treatment places to get help, I definitely wasn't going to miss you opening one." Treatment Works. We recover. Not Your average IV User is discoverable almost everywhere you listen to podcasts. You can help us out by telling all the people you love that this project exists.
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Not Your Average IV User Episode 24 - Sam Quinones
11/24/2022
Not Your Average IV User Episode 24 - Sam Quinones
Sam Quinones is a journalist, storyteller, former LA Times reporter, and author of four acclaimed books of narrative nonfiction; 2 of which closely connect to the NYAIVU project - Dreamland and The Least of Us. Dreamland won a National Book Critics Circle award for the Best Nonfiction Book of 2015. It was also selected as one of the Best Books of 2015 by Amazon.com, the Daily Beast, Buzzfeed, Seattle Times, Boston Globe, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Entertainment Weekly, Audible, and in the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg Business by Nobel economics laureate, Prof. Angus Deaton, of Princeton University. The Least of Us, released in 2021, was nominated for a National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) award for Best Nonfiction Book of 2021. The Least of Us deepens the story of our nation’s opioid epidemic to include the spread of mass supplies of synthetic drugs (fentanyl and meth). In Ep. 024, Sam joins us to talk about the perfect storm of professional experience that led him to telling the true tale of America's Opioid Epidemic, how that experience evolved into his follow up project, and offers some input on what individuals and communities can do to best support people seeking recovery from substance use disorder. Not Your Average IV User is discoverable almost everywhere you listen to podcasts. You can help us out by telling all the people you love that this project exists.
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Not Your Average IV User Episode 23 - Paula Shabazz
11/10/2022
Not Your Average IV User Episode 23 - Paula Shabazz
What reservations am I holding on to? In treatment and recovery, a reservation refers to a set of circumstances where someone has not totally committed to sobriety should that particular situation arise. A chance that “if this happens…” an individual may turn back to drug or alcohol abuse; a situation where the person doesn't think they would make it through clean. Reservations largely revolve around major, life altering events that seem unbearable or unsurvivable to a person. In Ep. 023, Paula talks about learning to survive loss, living life on life’s terms, and that despite the fact that Cleveland rocks - she’s never been around a recovery community like the one that exists in Portsmouth, OH. Not Your Average IV User is discoverable almost everywhere you listen to podcasts. You can help us out by telling all the people you love that this project exists.
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Not Your Average IV User Episode 22 - Lil Brows & Chin
10/28/2022
Not Your Average IV User Episode 22 - Lil Brows & Chin
"OH YEA, THOUGHT WE WAS DONE? NAH." (in my best DJ Drama voice) Fresh off of 2022 Summer Bummer at the Vern Riffe Center for the Arts, headlining artist Lil Brows sat down with his partner in crime, Chin, to talk about being in Portsmouth, how they connected and bonded through music, and drop some advice on identifying what you want and going after that goal. Lil Brows, the artist formerly known as AP to the local crowd, is a second time guest - who discussed his addiction and recovery at length in Ep. 012. He opens up about his last seven years clean and what that's meant to him personally & professionally. Chin, with the voice of an angel, is the producer of The Fighter and the Kid, Below the Belt, and Kind and the Sting, and an avid Vlogger. Chin loves Portsmouth, the Super 8 Motel, and is not afraid to jay-walk in front of the police. Not Your Average IV User is discoverable on Apple Podcast, Spotify, & almost everywhere else you listen to podcasts. You can help us out by telling everyone you love that this project exists.
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Not Your Average IV User Episode 21 - Robby Swaro
09/15/2022
Not Your Average IV User Episode 21 - Robby Swaro
How many chances does someone deserve at treatment? If we were talking about any other ailment outside of substance use disorders it would be a pretty straight forward answer... As long as a medical professional believes that there is the potential positive outcome, and as long as the individual needing medical intervention is motivated to continue - treatment would go on until the disease state is managed, eliminated, or the person is deceased. Addiction treatment gets a reputation of being a place that just offers somewhere to hide out for users; a way for them to dodge more severe consequences, a means to stay out of jail - and at certain points, maybe it does meet that need. One of the reasons I believe people with substance use disorders go back to treatment after relapses is they know its a safe place. Where they feel welcomed. Where they feel cared about. Where in time away from the chaos of a drug centered lifestyle - something might start to change that leads them to a higher motivation to get waht they actually need. In Ep. 021 Robby, the legend known as Country, talks about the impact of losing his mother and grandmother, growing up an outlaw in a small town, and how something finally clicked that led him from going back and forth from using to treatment into long-term recovery. He also shouts out some very special people who have helped him along the way. Not Your Average IV User is discoverable almost everywhere you listen to podcasts. You can help us out by telling all the people you love that this project exists.
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Not Your Average IV User Episode 20 - Natasha Arnett
09/01/2022
Not Your Average IV User Episode 20 - Natasha Arnett
Addiction is full of contradictory and paradoxical behavior. From numerous guests, we’ve heard stories of growing up around or being exposed to a drug centered life at an early age. Often times it’s recognized by the person as being not something that is desirable - and they make the commitment to themselves: “I am going to do something different.” Natasha never planned on becoming inmate W090737 - but to paraphrase her, she became everything she never wanted to be and then some. In Ep. 020 Natasha talks about moving in with the Oxy Contin dealer, her different methods of trying to manager he disease, and how she was ultimately able to maintain long term abstinence and reintegrate back into her own family and larger society. Today, Natasha is a college graduate (Go Bobcats) and a Licensed Social worker. Not Your Average IV User is discoverable almost everywhere you listen to podcasts. You can help us out by telling all the people you love that this project exists.
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Not Your Average IV User Episode 19 - The LaB: James Potter & Shadow Arthur
08/11/2022
Not Your Average IV User Episode 19 - The LaB: James Potter & Shadow Arthur
How do you spot a successful outcome? Is it… Dozens of trips to treatment… Relapses and continued use after having some time clean… Multiple incarcerations including jails, community based correctional facilities, & prison - all linked back to a drug centered lifestyle? Or is it… Getting the job you always wanted… Having multiple years of recovery… Starting your own business… Going back to school for a bachelors degree? If you’re interested - the guys in this episode have everything above covered. Progression in treatment and recovery is not always linear, and what’s important is that person feels comfortable enough to comeback and access help when they need it. In Ep. 019, we sit down and talk with Shadow Arthur & James Potter (our first dual guest extravaganza). They talk about getting wrapped up in the progression of the disease early, how despite their experience with getting help not going to plan at first - that eventually they were able to find stability in long term recovery, & discuss the formation of The LaB, the print and design business they operate together. Not Your Average IV User is discoverable almost everywhere you listen to podcasts. You can help us out by telling all the people you love that this project exists.
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Not Your Average IV User Episode 18 - Ali Liles
07/21/2022
Not Your Average IV User Episode 18 - Ali Liles
“It all kind of circled around the need to be accepted and be liked in whatever environment I was in.” Drugs and alcohol can be the magic that helps us feel comfortable in our own skin & offer us connection with people around us. It can also be that divisive force that results in a total loss of self and walls is off from the people who love & care about it most. And if it’s true that 90% of people will experiment in their lifetime - how will we recognize who will be the individuals that go on to the bitter ends of developing a substance use disorder? The person that’s heavily involved in youth group? The athlete? The student with the academic scholarship? In Ep. 018, Ali talks about the perils of growing up worried about what other people think, how despite her best efforts - she couldn’t pull off using any substance successfully, & what life is like as an engineer in the behavioral health field. Not Your Average IV User is discoverable almost everywhere you listen to podcasts. You can help us out by telling all the people you love that this project exists.
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Not Your Average IV User Episode 17 - Missy Burgess
07/07/2022
Not Your Average IV User Episode 17 - Missy Burgess
“There used to be a 1-800 number, you pay someone $50 and they’d give you the number… You could call and in 3 days you would have whatever shipped to your door.” Self described as a late bloomer who was really trying to avoid all the bad stuff that she had seen and heard about alcoholism and addiction Missy opens up about how, unfortunately for her, as a person with a substance use disorder - we often become the thing we don’t want to be like. In Ep. 017, we visit being raised in AA, knowing the Serenity Prayer by the age of 6; to modifying MRI’s in the heyday of pain clinics; to having over a decade clean in the birthplace of the pill mill. Not Your Average IV User is discoverable on Apple Podcast and Spotify. You can help us out by telling all the people you love that this project exists.
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Not Your Average IV User Episode 16 - Josh Williams
06/23/2022
Not Your Average IV User Episode 16 - Josh Williams
A hallmark sign of substance use disorders are the repeated failures of fulfilling major life roles and the continued use despite those consequences. The types of shortcomings that sacrifice jobs, lead to criminal records, and disconnects families. In Ep. 016, Josh talks about watching his life go by on the fringes of society and how treatment & long term recovery have offered him an opportunity to get back into the fold of his own life: an employee; a son; and most important to him - a Dad. Josh’s story is the epitome of how generational chains can be broken & how an entire family can benefit from recovery. Not Your Average IV User is discoverable on Apple Podcast and Spotify. You can help us out by telling all the people you love that this project exists.
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Not Your Average IV User Episode 15 - Makenzie Hull-Gruber
06/09/2022
Not Your Average IV User Episode 15 - Makenzie Hull-Gruber
Drugs are a lot of fun... Until they're not It's important for people to know that in some instances, individuals start using drugs because it offers a value to their life. Drugs can sometimes show up as a benefit. However, at some point, people with substance use disorders reach a point of diminishing return. The drug stop working like they used to. The drug turns on an individual - from being a benefit, to be a totally destructive force in their lives. In Ep. 015, Makenzie talks about the fade from positive to negative regarding her drug use, some things she's done to get into and stay in recovery, and talks about the importance of taking care of your own needs. Not You Average IV User is discoverable on Apple Podcast and Spotify. You can help us out by telling all the people you love that this project exists.
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Not Your Average IV User Episode 14 - Garett Stamper
05/28/2022
Not Your Average IV User Episode 14 - Garett Stamper
Garett is just a guy.
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Not Your Average IV User Episode 13 - Sarah Wilson
05/13/2022
Not Your Average IV User Episode 13 - Sarah Wilson
Chronic homelessness is defined as a person being homeless for more than one year or experiencing being homeless four or more times in a three year span. On any given night in the U.S. there are around 100,000 people living chronic homelessness. For more than 5 years, Sarah cycled through various public parks, hospitals, and treatment - just trying to find some reprieve. In Ep. 013, Sarah talks about the struggles of trying to survive on the streets, how accessing treatment gave her a chance at a new life, and how she has leveraged those resources into being fully reintegrated back into her community. Today Sarah is an avid CrossFitter, Head Bitch in Charge at Spartan Solutions (her words), and Pride of the Portsmouth v. China initiative. Not Your Average IV User is discoverable on Apple Podcast and Spotify. You can help us out by telling all the people you love that this project exists.
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Not Your Average IV User Episode 12 - Austin Pollard
04/28/2022
Not Your Average IV User Episode 12 - Austin Pollard
We don’t have any say-so about what sort of situation we’re born into. You don’t pick your family history and dynamics. You don’t decide to be from a small town. You don’t choose to grow up in the cradle of the opioid epidemic. But, whatever cards we’re dealt are the ones we’ve got to play. In Ep. 012, Austin - more popularly known these days as Lil Brows, talks about what it was like in the early days of “experimenting” with his friend circle, how he was finally able to conceptualize what he needed to do to stay sober, and discusses his recent stardom as an independent recording artist. Austin’s story is one that highlights a couple key points that can be monumental in creating your own success: Where your from is not a limitation. If you’ve got a dream - follow it. Get out of your own way. Not Your Average IV User is discoverable on Apple Podcast and Spotify. You can help us out by telling all the people you love that this project exists.
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Not Your Average IV User Episode 11 - Josh Lawson
04/07/2022
Not Your Average IV User Episode 11 - Josh Lawson
One of the first questions I got asked when forming the idea of Not Your Average IV User: “Who is the audience?” “Everyone.”, I thought. Have we not all been, in some way, effected by the opioid epidemic and overdose crisis? In reality, though, I know you can’t be everything to everyone. That’s especially hard when you’re content revolves around one of the most hotly debated, controversial, and polarizing topics around. Every episode of NYAIVU invites an individual guest to tell their story; to hopefully address specific topics or stigmas about addiction; to provide some education about substance use disorders, their treatment, & recovery pathways; to give a little hope. Our first 10 episodes have revolved around people who are actually in recovery. In Ep. 011, we welcome Josh Lawson, our first non-recovery guest to talk about his experience. Josh refers to himself and a recovery ally. He has done work in the faith based and community development space to support those in recovery - and has recently thrown his hat in the ring as a candidate for County Commissioner. Not Your Average IV User is discoverable on Apple Podcast and Spotify. You can help us out by telling all the people you love that this project exists.
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Not Your Average IV User Episode 10 - Brooke Morgan
03/24/2022
Not Your Average IV User Episode 10 - Brooke Morgan
Around 90% of people who become addicted had their first drink or drug before they were 18 years old. Recently, a phenomenon in the helping field, professionals are seeing the age of our patients and clients rapidly decrease (people coming into care much younger) and the severity of their symptoms is rapidly increasing (people presenting much sicker). In short - people with substance use disorders are getting much more addicted, much younger. What is the prognosis for individuals who seek treatment before their brain is even fully developed? In Ep. 010, Brooke talks about her experience in treatment at 20 years old, some good advice she got along the way, plus how she has leveraged that into continued sobriety and the creation of a sustainable lifestyle that not only positively impacts her - but a pretty large group of badass women around her. Not Your Average IV User is discoverable on Apple Podcast and Spotify. You can help us out by telling all the people you love that this project exists.
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Not Your Average IV User Episode 9 - Matt Whisman
03/03/2022
Not Your Average IV User Episode 9 - Matt Whisman
The opioid epidemic and overdose crisis has put the potential and actual consequences of drug addiction right in our face. These issues cross all demographic, geographic and political lines. Are people in active addiction not aware of the risk? From Matt in Ep. 009: “I actually for some reason, I just always believed bad things wouldn’t really happen to me. I wouldn’t die. I wouldn’t go to prison. So when I went, the reality of the situation was setting in when we were in line to eat… and it comes across the news, WSAZ - 6 people arrested.” I met Matt at a Community Based Correctional Facility. I worked there. He lived there.When he left that facility he went to a treatment program. When he left the treatment program, he went to a transitional living house. When he left transitional, he moved into a sober house. Today, Matt is a Dad, Counselors Assistant, certified personal trainer, competitive powerlifter, and my co-worker. Not Your Average IV User is discoverable on Apple Podcast and Spotify. You can help us out by telling all the people you love that this project exists. Jot something down
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Not Your Average IV User Episode 8 - Michael Valetine
02/18/2022
Not Your Average IV User Episode 8 - Michael Valetine
While the opioid epidemic is the most invasive risk to life our nation faces today, it’s not the first time we have seen the country pull its resources to navigate a drug problem. In the 1980’s crack cocaine ravaged communities in a similar fashion to opiates, and we saw a major response. We militarized the police. We created mandatory minimum sentencing. We built prisons. The opioid epidemic saw a very different strategy employed to try to combat the issue. The federal government passed the affordable healthcare act (Thanks Obama). States adopted Medicaid expansion. Treatment center opened and expanded. Courts started mandating medical interventions to address substance use disorders. While it’s nice to think that this more humanized approach to combating opiates is because we learned from our mistakes, it’s important to acknowledge and examine that the crack epidemic largely effected urban, black communities and opioids largely impacted suburban, white communities. In the biz, we call this a disparity. In Ep. 008, Michael opens up about his experience in the streets, the under-representation of the black community in treatment centers and recovery, and how he was ultimately able to wrap his head around the idea that there were people outside his circle who had his best interest in mind regarding his long term sobriety. Not Your Average IV User is discoverable on Apple Podcast and Spotify. You can help us out by telling all the people you love that this project exists.
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