Brad Jensen: Using Heroin While His Mom Drove | The Hopeaholics Podcast


In this episode of The Hopeaholics Podcast, Brad Jensen,  widely known online as “The Sober Bodybuilder,” joins the Hopeaholics Podcast for a brutally honest conversation about addiction, homelessness, recovery, and rebuilding a life from rock bottom. Before becoming a successful fitness coach and helping millions through his content, Brad was trapped in a devastating cycle of heroin, meth, alcohol, and prescription pill addiction that nearly killed him multiple times. In this episode, he opens up about being bullied as a kid, finding confidence through fitness, and how quickly pain pills turned into full-blown addiction. Brad shares stories about smuggling drugs across the border, manipulating the people who loved him, and spiraling into homelessness while desperately trying to survive. He also reflects on the heartbreaking moments that forced him to confront the reality of what addiction had done to his family, relationships, and identity. As the conversation unfolds, Brad explains how sobriety, mentorship, fitness, faith, and personal accountability completely transformed his life and gave him a new purpose. From emotional conversations about forgiveness and making amends to powerful lessons on discipline and recovery, this episode is packed with raw truth and perspective. Whether you’re battling addiction yourself, supporting someone who is, or searching for motivation to change your life, Brad’s story is proof that recovery is possible no matter how far gone things feel.


#thehopeaholics  #redemption #recovery #AlcoholAddiction #AddictionRecovery #wedorecover #SobrietyJourney #MyStory #Hope #wedorecover #treatmentcenter #natalieevamarie


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Timestamps:
00:04:25 - Finding Heroin After Becoming a Personal Trainer
00:05:32 - Being Overweight and Bullied as a Kid
00:06:12 - First Experience With Alcohol at 13
00:10:49 - Gym Mentors Told Him to Quit Drinking
00:11:54 - Taking Pain Pills for the First Time
00:13:00 - “I Had Fully Arrived” After Hydrocodone
00:13:42 - Smuggling Pills Across the Mexico Border
00:15:02 - Girlfriend Calls Him a Drug Addict
00:17:38 - Telling His Mom He Was Addicted to Heroin
00:18:19 - First Rehab Experience at 20 Years Old
00:19:19 - Sneaking Out of Rehab and Relapsing
00:39:39 - Parents Finally Cut Him Off Completely
00:40:30 - Using Meth to Survive and Hustle
00:41:02 - Living Homeless Around Dangerous People
00:41:44 - Withdrawing at His Grandfather’s Funeral
00:42:43 - His Mother Watching Him Inject Drugs
00:43:44 - Realizing He Had to Get Sober or Die
00:57:46 - Learning Gratitude Through Sobriety
00:58:37 - Discovering a Mentor Relapsed After 10 Years Sober
01:10:12 - “You Don’t Have a Drug Problem, You Have a You Problem”
01:20:07 - Making Amends With His Father
01:21:09 - His Father’s Emotional Apology
01:26:06 - Fully Surrendering His Life to God