Get a Grip Podcast

Get a Grip Podcast

By Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes

Get a Grip Podcast is hosted by Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes, both in recovery from addiction and alcoholism. In each episode, they share their unfiltered stories of overcoming addiction, time in pris... more

  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8

4.8

106 ratings


Download on the App Store

Best of Get a Grip Podcast

The most played episodes among Podcast App listeners.

  1. Number 1: I Was a Notre Dame Professor Smoking $800 of Crack Every Day | Ep 206

    In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes sit down with Ted Beauchaine for one of the most unbelievable addiction and recovery stories we've ever heard. Ted takes us back to a childhood spent moving around the country, attending nine different schools before reaching high school, and eventually discovering alcohol. His first experience with drinking quickly spiraled when he consumed half a fifth of 151-proof alcohol—and the consequences that followed were only the beginning. Despite maintaining good grades and building an impressive academic career, Ted's drinking continued to escalate. Cocaine eventually entered the picture, followed by his first experience freebasing cocaine, blackouts, and a serious car accident in Oregon. After his first treatment experience, Ted managed to stay clean for 14 years. But eventually, the underlying issues he hadn't fully understood began catching up with him. Ted discusses living with bipolar disorder without realizing it, the events that led to his relapse, and how cocaine and crack eventually took over his life. Ted describes interviewing at UC Berkeley, getting high afterward, buying crack from a homeless person in San Francisco's Tenderloin, and ending up in Section 8 housing. He received a job offer from Berkeley—but before he could start, his family staged an intervention. He later accepted a position in Long Island and drove for four days while drunk, scoring crack along the way. He experienced severe alcohol withdrawal, including hallucinations, and eventually ended up in a psychiatric ward. Ted continued moving around the country, eventually landing in Ohio, where his crack addiction became even worse. At one point, despite earning $180,000 a year, he found himself broke and living in a one-bedroom apartment. Ted received a job offer from Notre Dame, but his addiction followed him. He describes spending enormous amounts of money on crack, smoking throughout his workday, and even using between classes. His addiction ultimately consumed his career, his finances, and nearly every part of his life. He also opens up about trying to start a family while struggling with addiction, caring for a premature baby while still using crack, and the devastating moment when his career finally came to an end. Today, Ted works in the treatment and recovery field, using his experiences to help others while reflecting on why he can no longer return to his former career as a professor. This is an extraordinary story about addiction, academia, mental health, relapse, success, failure, and ultimately finding a new purpose. Timestamps 🔥 Expect emotion. Expect truth. Expect hope. 🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more powerful stories on addiction, recovery, and resilience. Get a Grip Podcast Social Media: Find our TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio links, and more on our Link Tree below! Get a Grip Social Media Links: https://linktr.ee/officialgetagrippodcast For Collaboration and Business inquiries, please use the contact information below: 📩 Email: [email protected] 👇 Let us know your thoughts in the comments. #getagrip #redemptionstory #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #addictionrecovery #recoveryjourney #trauma #childhood #oxy #dealer #soberlife #wedorecover #childhoodtrauma #healing #inspiration #awareness #kingpin #trafficking #hustle #opioidcrisis #neardeathexperience #fyp #prison #bar #mistake #change #survivor #survival #tv #television #inspire #parole #officer #school #teacher #students #study #student #changinglivesdaily

    1h 52min
    Listen Later
  2. Number 2: How Hiding My Sexuality Kept Me Shooting Oxy and Heroin Until I Finally Came Out | Ep 205

    In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes sit down with Nick Newman for an incredibly raw and personal conversation about addiction, IV drug use, sexuality, relapse, recovery, and the moment he finally stopped hiding who he was. Nick starts by taking us back to his childhood and high school years, eventually discovering his parents' stash of opiates. What began with partying and prescription pills eventually turned into daily drug use, taking him from college and a career in real estate to full-blown addiction. Nick opens up about transitioning to IV drug use and what it was like shooting Dilaudid, mixing Percocet 30s with Dilaudid, and the dangerous trades and decisions that came with his addiction. Multiple attempts at treatment and even a "grand escape plan" to move away couldn't keep him from finding drugs. He shares the unbelievable story of driving into a canal while trying to get pills, attending a Scientology treatment center, relapsing, and eventually progressing to shooting heroin and cocaine. But there was another battle happening underneath the addiction. Nick reveals how struggling with his sexuality and keeping that part of himself hidden became intertwined with his drug use. He talks about relationships, being told to "pray the gay away", secretly dating a man, and eventually admitting to his girlfriend—and then everyone else—that he was gay.For Nick, coming out wasn't simply about sexuality. It became part of finally confronting the truth about himself and understanding some of the reasons he had continued running back to drugs. His addiction continued to evolve, including benzodiazepines, fentanyl, kratom, and another terrifying incident at the Cleveland Clinic. Nick describes using heroin and fentanyl at the hospital, overdosing during detox, and experiencing what he describes as the worst Narcan experience of his life. Even after reaching two years sober, Nick experienced another devastating relapse following a breakup and eventually turned to methadone. He shares what finally made his last relapse different, how therapy helped him begin addressing the underlying issues, and what recovery looks like for him today.This is a brutally honest conversation about addiction, identity, shame, relapse, and the freedom that can come from finally telling the truth. 🔥 Expect emotion. Expect truth. Expect hope. 🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more powerful stories on addiction, recovery, and resilience.Get a Grip Podcast Social Media: Find our TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio links, a more on our Link Tree below! Get a Grip Social Media Links: ⁠https://linktr.ee/officialgetagrippodcastFor Collaboration and Business inquiries, please use the contact information below: 📩 Email: [email protected] 👇 Let us know your thoughts in the comments. #getagrip #redemptionstory #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #addictionrecovery #recoveryjourney #trauma #childhood #oxy #dealer #soberlife #wedorecover #childhoodtrauma #healing #inspiration #awareness #kingpin #trafficking #hustle #opioidcrisis #neardeathexperience #fyp #prison #bar #mistake #change #survivor #survival #tv #television #inspire #parole #officer #school #teacher #students #study #student #changinglivesdaily

    2h 5min
    Listen Later
  3. Number 3: How My Fentanyl Addiction Turned Into Xylazine Addiction | Ep 201

    In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes sit down with Briana Noda for a raw and deeply personal conversation about growing up around addiction, becoming a mother, fentanyl and heroin addiction, xylazine, incarceration, and finding a way into recovery. Briana opens up about her childhood and what it was like growing up with addiction in her family. She shares how both of her parents struggled with drugs and how her grandfather was involved in selling cocaine. Despite everything around her, Briana had plans to join the Navy—until she found out she was pregnant. Her story continues with prescription painkillers, becoming a mother, and eventually moving back in with her father. Briana describes how her drug use progressed and the first time she experienced fentanyl pills, including taking an entire 30mg pill and losing consciousness. From there, Briana's addiction escalated from fentanyl pills to heroin. She explains why she preferred snorting heroin over injecting it, the brutal reality of withdrawal, and eventually moving to Florida in an attempt to escape the cycle. But moving didn't solve the problem. Briana found herself using heroin and crack in Florida while trying to survive with her boyfriend. She talks about stealing license plates, getting back to Ohio with a stolen plate, having her car towed, and eventually facing felony charges. One of the most frightening parts of Briana's story begins when she unknowingly starts using xylazine. She describes falling asleep in a car, police being called, her boyfriend falling asleep while driving, and eventually experiencing severe xylazine withdrawal after going to jail. Briana also shares the terrifying experience of suffering what appeared to be a seizure and ending up in the emergency room, as well as the charges her boyfriend faced involving xylazine. After years of addiction, legal trouble, dangerous situations, and withdrawal, Briana finally began moving toward recovery.This is an honest conversation about how addiction can develop within families, how quickly fentanyl and other substances can change someone's life, and what it takes to finally break the cycle. 🔥 Expect emotion. Expect truth. Expect hope. 🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more powerful stories on addiction, recovery, and resilience.Get a Grip Podcast Social Media: Find our TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio links, a more on our Link Tree below! Get a Grip Social Media Links: ⁠https://linktr.ee/officialgetagrippodcastFor Collaboration and Business inquiries, please use the contact information below: 📩 Email: [email protected] 👇 Let us know your thoughts in the comments. #getagrip #redemptionstory #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #addictionrecovery #recoveryjourney #trauma #childhood #oxy #dealer #soberlife #wedorecover #childhoodtrauma #healing #inspiration #awareness #kingpin #trafficking #hustle #opioidcrisis #neardeathexperience #fyp #prison #bar #mistake #change #survivor #survival #tv #television #inspire #parole #officer #school #teacher #students #study #student #changinglivesdaily

    1h 24min
    Listen Later
  4. Number 4: I Walked the Streets for 15 Years to Feed My Crack Addiction… Then I Lost My Children in Sobreity | Ep 201

    In this heartbreaking and powerful episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes sit down with Tina Lester for an incredibly honest conversation about addiction, prostitution, incarceration, recovery, and unimaginable loss. Tina's story takes us back to her childhood and the beginning of her addiction to crack cocaine. She opens up about using crack while pregnant with her son, eventually becoming involved in prostitution to support her addiction, and the dangers she faced while working the streets. Tina shares some of the most frightening experiences of her life, including an encounter with a client that left her fearing for her life and the complicated relationship between prostitutes and pimps. Her addiction and lifestyle eventually led to a prostitution charge and time in women's prison, where she experienced situations that would stay with her long after her release. At one point, Tina says she made millions of dollars as an escort—but despite the money, the lifestyle came at an enormous personal cost. After getting out of prison, she relapsed and found herself back in the cycle of addiction.Then Tina's story takes an even more devastating turn.She opens up about losing her daughter to heroin addiction and learning about her death from a nurse. She then suffered the unimaginable loss of her son, who died in a motorcycle accident while under the influence. Tina also discusses the loss of her daughter to fentanyl, including the devastating reality of drugs containing extremely high concentrations of fentanyl. The losses didn't stop there. Tina shares the pain of losing her grandson and her brother and what it was like trying to process all of that while battling addiction and eventually finding recovery. Despite everything she has experienced, Tina continues to move forward and share her story. She reflects on her years walking the streets, the consequences of addiction, the people she lost, and the lessons she hopes others can learn from her life. This is a raw story of addiction, survival, grief, and the devastating impact substance use can have on an entire family—but it's also a story about resilience and the possibility of finding a way forward. 🔥 Expect emotion. Expect truth. Expect hope. 🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more powerful stories on addiction, recovery, and resilience. Get a Grip Podcast Social Media: Find our TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio links, a more on our Link Tree below! Get a Grip Social Media Links: ⁠https://linktr.ee/officialgetagrippodcast For Collaboration and Business inquiries, please use the contact information below: 📩 Email: [email protected] 👇 Let us know your thoughts in the comments. #getagrip #redemptionstory #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #addictionrecovery #recoveryjourney #trauma #childhood #oxy #dealer #soberlife #wedorecover #childhoodtrauma #healing #inspiration #awareness #kingpin #trafficking #hustle #opioidcrisis #neardeathexperience #fyp #prison #bar #mistake #change #survivor #survival #tv #television #inspire #parole #officer #school #teacher #students #study #student #changinglivesdaily

    58min
    Listen Later
  5. Number 5: How I Made It From 90 Days to Over 1 Year Sober From Fentanyl & Heroin | Ep 203

    In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig sits down with Tony Newton for a raw and honest conversation about childhood trauma, addiction, crime, relationships, and the journey from fentanyl and heroin addiction into recovery.Tony opens up about a difficult childhood, including being sexually assaulted and being exposed to drug use by his own parents. He also talks about having aspirations of becoming a drug dealer at a young age and how those early experiences eventually led him deeper into the world of addiction. Tony shares how his substance use progressed from prescription pills to heroin and eventually fentanyl. Along the way, his addiction brought serious legal consequences, strained relationships, and decisions that would change the course of his life. He also talks about traveling to California while his wife was pregnant, attempts to get clean followed by relapse, and the moment he realized he needed to make a serious change.The conversation takes an unexpected turn when Tony tells the story of getting caught stealing a phone from Walmart after his picture was posted on Facebook. He also discusses his relationship, stealing iPhones, and the world of fraudulent checks and how those choices kept him trapped in a cycle of addiction and survival. But this story isn't just about what went wrong.Tony talks about where he is today and what recovery looks like after making it past 90 days and continuing to build more than a year of sobriety from fentanyl and heroin. This is a conversation about facing your past, surviving addiction, learning from your mistakes, and discovering that a different life is possible. 🔥 Expect emotion. Expect truth. Expect hope. 🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more powerful stories on addiction, recovery, and resilience.Get a Grip Podcast Social Media: Find our TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio links, a more on our Link Tree below! Get a Grip Social Media Links: ⁠https://linktr.ee/officialgetagrippodcastFor Collaboration and Business inquiries, please use the contact information below: 📩 Email: [email protected] 👇 Let us know your thoughts in the comments. #getagrip #redemptionstory #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #addictionrecovery #recoveryjourney #trauma #childhood #oxy #dealer #soberlife #wedorecover #childhoodtrauma #healing #inspiration #awareness #kingpin #trafficking #hustle #opioidcrisis #neardeathexperience #fyp #prison #bar #mistake #change #survivor #survival #tv #television #inspire #parole #officer #school #teacher #students #study #student #changinglivesdaily

    58min
    Listen Later

Get a Grip Podcast episodes:

FAQs about Get a Grip Podcast:

How many episodes does Get a Grip Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 223 episodes available.

More shows like Get a Grip Podcast

Other People’s Lives by Other People’s Lives

Other People’s Lives

3,256 Listeners

Coffee Convos with Kail Lowry and Lindsie Chrisley by PodcastOne

Coffee Convos with Kail Lowry and Lindsie Chrisley

22,373 Listeners

Crime Junkie by Audiochuck

Crime Junkie

369,976 Listeners

Dumb Blonde by Bunnie DeFord

Dumb Blonde

8,483 Listeners

Rotten Mango by Stephanie Soo

Rotten Mango

26,039 Listeners

Karma & Chaos with Kail Lowry & Becky Hayter by PodcastOne

Karma & Chaos with Kail Lowry & Becky Hayter

8,800 Listeners

Matthew Cox | Inside True Crime Podcast by Rhapsody Voices

Matthew Cox | Inside True Crime Podcast

434 Listeners

Barely Famous by PodcastOne

Barely Famous

5,584 Listeners

We're All Insane by Devorah Roloff

We're All Insane

885 Listeners

True Crime with Kendall Rae by Mile Higher Media & Audioboom Studios

True Crime with Kendall Rae

6,189 Listeners

The Connect- with Johnny Mitchell by Johnny Mitchell

The Connect- with Johnny Mitchell

560 Listeners

Locked In with Ian Bick by Ian Bick

Locked In with Ian Bick

786 Listeners

VladTV by DJ Vlad

VladTV

263 Listeners

Rise Above with Kevin Lanning by Kevin Lanning

Rise Above with Kevin Lanning

246 Listeners

The Wild Chaos Podcast by Bam - The Wild Chaos

The Wild Chaos Podcast

139 Listeners