From celebrated BYU running back to full-blown opioid addiction, Alema Harrington opens up about his powerful journey through pain, identity, relapse, faith, and redemption.

Alema shares how pressure, injury, and painkillers at BYU led him into a secret addiction that cost him his marriage, his career, and nearly his life. But when everything fell apart, God found him — through treatment, brotherhood, and a new understanding of what true surrender looks like.

In this episode, Alema and Smaqs talk about:

• Growing up in a proud Samoan family

• Becoming a football star and landing at BYU

• His first introduction to narcotics

• The moment addiction completely took over

• Relapses, withdrawals, and losing everything

• Finding God again in treatment

• Why resentment is one of the biggest relapse triggers

• The power of brotherhood and asking for help

• Why returning home to serve others became his calling

• How he became a SUDC and joined Renaissance Ranch

• The importance of slowing down and listening to God

This is a deep, faith-filled conversation about honesty, surrender, and the way God rebuilds us when the world writes us off.

👉 Sponsor: https://renaissanceranch.net/
👉 Follow Smaqs: https://www.instagram.com/smaqs.mafia.uso/
👉 Follow the Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/caged.no.more.pod/
👉 Guest IG: @alemaharrington

💬 Question for you: What part of Alema’s story gave you the most hope or strength? Drop your thoughts below 👇