Addiction Talk

Joining “Addiction Talk” is actress, recovery advocate and former Miss USA, Tara Conner. Many remember the controversy surrounding Tara back in 2006: months after being crowned Miss USA and participating in the Miss Universe pageant, she tested positive for cocaine.

Publicly, this was a surprise, but for Tara, it was a long time coming. In her early teens, after the death of her grandfather and her parents’ divorce, Tara had her first drink. Not long after, Tara began experimenting with other substances, like Percocet, Xanax and other opioids. It was also during this time that Tara experienced a sexual assault, which exacerbated the pain she was already feeling.

By the time the Miss USA pageant came around, Tara’s substance use was well underway. In fact, she was under the influence during the competition.

Tara’s substance use was widely reported on in 2006, but she was able to finish her reign after seeking treatment.

Today, Tara has been in recovery for more than 16 years and continues to raise awareness around the country that addiction is a disease and that a healthy, productive and sober life is possible.

Sharing her story on “Addiction Talk” is Melissa Urban, the co-founder and CEO of Whole30. Whole30 is the popular food plan designed to help its users learn more about food sensitivities and how food affects them. Urban is also a seven-time “New York Times” best-selling author, including the instant best-seller “The Book of Boundaries.”

Many are aware of Melissa’s dedication to health and wellness, but it was the tribulations early in her life that led her to where she is today.

According to Melissa, she appeared to have everything going for her, but at 16, she experienced a sexual assault that understandably devastated her. Feeling alone, hopeless and broken, at age 18, she tried drugs for the first time. Soon, her substance use escalated and she was using heroin, cocaine, psychedelics and pills to numb her pain.

At 26, after being urged to seek help by her partner, Melissa entered treatment. Though she experienced a relapse after a year, Melissa entered treatment again and has been in recovery for more than 20 years.

Many already know of Nic’s story: the Golden Globe and SAG nominated-film “Beautiful Boy” was based on his New York Times best-selling memoir, “Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines” and his father, David’s, bestseller of the same name.

In this episode Nic shares his incredible recovery story. 

In honor of Fentanyl Awareness Day, Addiction Talk will host Mae Van Der Weide, a talented fashion model who began using cannabis at age 16, and later progressed to using fentanyl due to the high pressures of the modeling industry. Today, Mae celebrates three years in recovery and uses her platform to share her experience with others who are also struggling with addiction.

Cameron Douglas, actor and son of Hollywood legend Michael Douglas, fought against heroin and liquid cocaine addiction, numerous rehabs and interventions, and even resorted to drug dealing to support his habit. Join us on Addiction Talk as he shares his inspiring story of finding his way back home.

On this episode of “Addiction Talk,” we will hear from a panel of experts who have all been personally affected by Narcan and the overdose crisis. Nathan “Narcan Nate” Smiddy, Robin Vang Bigelow and Philip Van Guilder will share their harrowing experiences and illustrate the importance of accessibility to Narcan.

Joining “Addiction Talk” is actor, activist and model, Kevin Kreider, who is best known as one of the stars of the Netflix series, “Bling Empire.”

Though he comes from a loving and kind family, Kreider struggled with his identity beginning at a young age. Kevin was born in Seoul, Korea, and at age three, was adopted and grew up in Philadelphia. It wasn’t long after this that the bullying and beatings began due to his ethnicity.

Because of what he experienced in his youth, Kevin threw himself into fitness and had success as a personal trainer. Though he changed himself physically, he relied upon alcohol to shape his personality. After a short while, he signed with one of the most prestigious modeling agencies in New York City. Years of non-stop work, stress, an alopecia areata diagnosis and alcohol consumption proved to be too much and Kevin sought help.

Just a few years into his recovery, Kevin delivered a TED talk called “Redefining Asian Masculinity” that went viral. His other videos on Asian masculinity began to garner attention and were responsible for his participation in “Bling Empire.”

Today, Kevin has been sober for more than eight years and is the founder and CEO of Sans by Taejin Beverage, a nonalcoholic drink and mixer. His mission with his company is to empower and destigmatize sobriety.

On this International Women’s Day episode of Addiction Talk, we celebrate the achievements of three women who, through recovery from addiction, have overcome adversity and have made it their mission to empower other women.

Irene Rollins is a pastor, certified emotional health coach, recovery activist and the author of “Reframe Your Shame: Experience Freedom from What Holds You Back.”

As a pastor, mother and wife, Irene looked like she had it all: a successful church that she led with her husband, Jimmy, and three amazing children. After not drinking for more than a decade, Irene introduced alcohol back into her life and quickly fell into the grips of addiction.

Irene never believed she drank problematically and believed that she only drank to alleviate her stress, but she became increasingly dependent on the substance. Turmoil within her marriage and family followed until a close circle of friends and family intervened and she accepted help.

It was during treatment that Irene began to address the root causes of her drinking and understand that the unresolved childhood trauma that she never attended to affected her greater than she imagined.

Today, Irene has been sober for a number of years and leads a ministry with her husband called Two Equals One.

In honor of Black History Month, joining “Addiction Talk” are Khadi A. Oluwatoyin and J. Nicole Jones from the Sober Black Girls Club, a collective that provides resources and support for Black girls, women, femmes and non-binary folks who are in recovery or considering sobriety.

Khadi founded Sober Black Girls Club in 2018 after addressing her own struggles with alcohol. It was during college that she discovered alcohol quelled the depression she’s experienced since childhood, but it wasn’t until after graduating from law school that she began drinking excessively. She sought help for her alcohol use in 2018, and noticing the lack of culturally adequate support for sober Black women, she created Sober Black Girls Club.

Sober Black Girls Club also has an accompanying podcast of which J. Nicole is the co-host. J. Nicole’s experience with alcohol began during her freshman year of high school, where heavy drinking was common among her friend group and the basketball team she was a member of. Her basketball career extended into college where the drinking was also commonplace. Though people expressed their concerns over her drinking, she ultimately wanted to better herself and became sober at age 23 during her senior year of college.

In this episode, they both share their respective journeys, why cultural support is critical for those seeking sobriety and the importance of community and growth in recovery.