Don't Die Wisconsin

Recorded live at the 3rd annual Addiction Information Resource fair in South Milwaukee, Patrick and Kevin share their experience with the fine people of said city. Ryan was off galavanting in foreign countries and couldn't be present for this amazing event. He wishes to say that given the choice to do over again, he'd still rather be on the beach in Mexico. Mediated by South Milwaukee's Mayor, this event was a great opportunity for the remaining 2/3s of DDW to get their message of hope to another audience. Thanks to all who attended.

In this episode the dudes discuss a question from one of our listeners. They talk about suicidal thoughts and Narcan, and loving people until they (hopefully) love themselves.

Then the guys talk about their heroes. And ask "who are the heroes for the millennial generation?" Ryan discusses his distaste for all things Kardashian and the vacuous nature of social media icons. Fun stuff!

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Finally! We get to hear (more or less) Yoda's story in its entirety. "Yoda" being our own Kevin Schaefer. This dude packed about 30 years of hard living into, about, 15. The years following his drug and alcohol consumption are the most interesting, though. From inactive, "white knuckle" sobriety to a spiritual awakening at around year 5; to a journey across Asia, ending in Korea where he spent time with buddhist monks in a monastery; to his full and rich life today, married with two wonderful kids. There's a reason we call him "Sensei."

In this episode the boys tackle a newer phenomenon of the interwebs involving taking videos of people nodded out or overdosing and posting it to social media sites. To complicate matters further, how do those people then recover, knowing their lowest moment was captured and is out there for millions to see? They also talk about men going to therapy and tackle live questions...well, one live question.

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God only knows what this one is about. The boys talk about their interview on the This Life Podcast with Dr Drew. They talk about their meeting with the Emergency Department of the Medical College of Wisconsin. They briefly talk about the history of opiates and their impact on the arts which leads to a frank discussion about how much of a dick Andy Warhol was. Finally Kevin, Patrick, and Ryan talk about the drugs they miss most and how to process that in sobriety. Sheesh.

After a nearly 2 month sabbatical, the boys are finally back! It's our 1 year anniversary and we spent it talking about our event back in September which raised around $2,000 for Lifepoint needle exchange; we spent it talking about where we pictured ourselves and the podcast a year ago and compared it to where we are today; and we talked about tripping in school and how much fun that is. Thanks for being patient with us!!

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In the world of treatment facilities and support groups, abstinence is the golden rule. This week the boys get into why they think that is. They also get into the shame that can inadvertently be placed on recovering people when they don't perfectly adhere to abstinence: either when they relapse and try to return or if they are using harm reduction as a means of recovery.

The guys also pay respects to Dan Biggs of Chicago's Recovery Alliance and one of the true revolutionary heroes of harm reduction. The guys build a new outlook on the foundation of harm reduction and are guided by Dan's words that "it's all positive change."

Opioid-related overdose deaths increased from 144 in 2012 to 337 in 2017. 88% of those deaths happen to those in the age range of 20-59. Where do these numbers come from? The COPE Report. A carefully and skillfully collected research report detailing all of the ins and outs of drug related deaths and interventions in Milwaukee county. Join us as we try really hard to keep up with Phd researcher and professor Brooke Learner from the Medical College of Wisconsin. Guaranteed you will be smarter after listening to this episode.

"Some live a life of indecision Strung out in the petty schisms I heard GBH I made a decision Punk rock is my religion"

Lars Fredrikson, Rancid.

Just like drugs revealed to us our problems, music has and continues to be one of our biggest guiding solutions. In this, our second "Lust For Life" episode we talk about our love for music and the concerts that changed our lives. Some when we were using and many in recovery. In addition to the positive role music plays in our lives, the team also shares some of their life changing and hilarious adventures in recovery abroad.

Editor's note: Life has been super crazy for Ryan. Long hours at work and an ever-changing living situation has made it difficult for him to stay caught up with editing and publishing our episodes. This episode was recorded about a month ago. Apologies for only putting it out now.

This episode is dedicated to Chris from Dopey Podcast who passed away this week. We at DDW are huge fans of the show, and he will be greatly missed. A massive amount of love goes out to Chris' family and to Dave in this impossibly difficult time. We're thinking about you.

In this episode Ryan talks about his recent dental emergencies, pain, and dealing with taking opiates in sobriety. How do you know the difference between unmanageable pain requiring painkillers and that crazy voice which is still alive and well in most recovering addicts. Kevin and Patrick offer words of wisdom and encouragement. Kevin offers his own recent experience with pain management.