World renowned, ultra-marathon runner Charlie Engle shares his journey from addiction to recovery. After a decade long addiction to alcohol and crack cocaine, Charlie hit his rock bottom in a near fatal, six day binge and dramatic police arrest. As Charlie embraced sobriety, he turned to running and this became his lifeline and his salvation. In running he found a purpose, passion and faith in the process of recovery. For Charlie, running long distances parallels the recovery journey, the highs and lows, challenges and obstacles and most importantly the desire to quit. “When I am finished with that 100 mile race, my hope is that I’ll have wanted to quit two or three times but I’ll find a way not to”. Charlie’s story is an inspirational account of one man’s path to freedom from addiction, one day and one step at a time. Charlie Engle, author of Running Man, is an endurance athlete, having won or placed in some the world’s most punishing long distance footraces. In 2007, Matt Damon produced and narrated Running the Sahara, a film about Charlie Engle and his successful bid to become the first person to run 4500 miles across the Sahara Desert. Charlie’s current project, 5.8, will see Charlie swim, free dive, run, paddle and mountain bike from the lowest on the planet, the Dead Sea, to the highest tip of the earth, Mount Everest.

 

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Ash and Jodie take a look back at some of the key themes from Season 1 and 2 of Addicted.

 

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In this episode of the Addicted podcast, Ash talks with Kim Ledger, the father of renowned Australian actor, Heath Ledger. Kim shares his family’s grief at the death of their beloved son to an accidental overdose in 2008, his personal pain and work with Scriptwise to spare other families that same fate. For people who find themselves with illness, pain or injury and who, like Heath, are emotionally and physically exhausted, medication provides relief. It is an escape from the affliction. A pause, if you like. A chance to rest. Few people realise the dangers of combining these drugs with other medications and alcohol. There’s an illusion that prescription medications are safer than other substances of addiction. Kim Ledger’s message is that they aren’t. When faced with pain or illness, every human is wired to want to escape that pain, to numb that pain. Prescription medications provide a pathway to numbing, even if temporary. They are a blessing for those in serious pain, but the truth is that some medications are very dangerous in combination with other drugs and alcohol. For at least three Australians each day, a desire to numb leads to accidental death or serious dependence. There is so much said in this podcast about grief - the immeasurable pain, the uncontrollability, the fear of not knowing what to say to the person gripped by loss, and the things that blindside us in moments of unimaginable sadness. Kim’s story is everything that the family of an addict fears.... the powerlessness, the hopelessness and the nightmare. It’s the inability to change a situation, while all the while living with the constant fear of catastrophe. This is a powerful episode and an important conversation.

 

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In today’s episode we continue our series of chats from the 2018 Australian and New Zealand Addiction Conference on the Gold Coast. Steve Stokes is an addiction counsellor, psychologist and therapist with over 20 year’s experience and his own history of addiction. He reveals his story and how he now helps others, including me, because I’ve come across him somewhere before…..  

 

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Nasir Sobhani is affectionately known as ‘The Streets Barber', spending his time on Melbourne’s streets offering free haircuts and shaves to the homeless and less fortunate. He shares his story of addiction with Ash and how he battled through his obstacles in life to become an inspiring role model.

 

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Ash went to the recent Australian and New Zealand Addiction Conference on the Gold Coast. In this episode he speaks with Kate Seselja from The Hope Project. The Hope Project is changing the way society views struggle, destroying stigma and challenges the systems that cause human harm. Human struggle is a global issue so Kate –an Ambassador of World Kindness Australia and a certified United Nations Advocate for the Sustainable Development Goals targets SDG #3 Good Health and Well Being for all, has worked both here and abroad. HOPE stands for Help Other People Everyday with a focus that no one gets left behind.

 

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Ash and Jodie Bradnam answer more of your questions sent to the Addicted Podcast Facebook page

 

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In this episode Ash chats to Julia Karpathakis and Shonica Guy about Pokie addiction.

 

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Olympic swimmer Daniel Smith tells the full story of his major battle with addiction.

 

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Ash and Jodie Bradnam return with Season 2 of Addicted and answer your questions sent to the Addicted Podcast Facebook page

 

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