Getting off and staying off drugs can be challenging, especially for those of us who dive in so deep that your body and mind become dependent.

For many of us, that is only a piece of the challenge we are going to face as we are stamped with a stigma where our government will make sure we are held back.

I want everybody listening to remember that know matter where you have been or what you have done, we can do anything we want if we are willing to fight for it.

IF we are arrested, put in prison, and released back into society with all of the same temptations we had before; what can we do.

Today’s episode is going to discuss this topic.

As many know my story, I first entered this crazy world of recovery very young, at the age of 16 after getting arrested twice and choosing rehab instead of juvenile prison.

That was the first of many and aside from not thinking I really had a problem, my crazy mind somehow said that I won’t take it seriously until I am fully physically dependent and lose everything. Didn’t exactly say that to myself, but it is what I did.

Most of us, especially when we are younger, believe that life is going to be boring, it is going to suck, and I will never find enjoyment in life. It was a belief I carried that drugs, particularly meth, gave me confidence, pleasure, and I was more likeable. None of this was true because as I title this high while clean, pleasure comes from me.

After many years of destroying my body, I learned first hand that what I was actually doing was slowly but surely taking all of those positives I felt meth gave me.

As times passed, I became less confident, pleasure eventually faded, and I was far from likeable as I developed the very same symptoms as antisocial personality disorder.

The lies I told myself was killing me. Life did suck getting loaded but I will also admit that life did suck when I was newly sober as the damage I caused made all of those negative things I mentioned worse.

Deep depression, I hated myself worse than others did, and I was far from confident. I struggled as I fought to stay clean. I eventually followed direction as I was told that “all I needed to do was to get a sponsor, work the steps and go to meetings.

“They helped as I gained a network of people, but I became stagnant at times. I didn’t feel that I was getting everything I needed to become happy, confident, and truly stable. I needed more.

I worked hard on myself with self-esteem, caring about myself and finding all those things I felt meth gave me, clean and sober. I found highness while clean.

My guest today, is someone I would loved to have found in my early years of recovery because it possibly could have made life a lot easier as I had to fumble around to figure these things out.

Amy Guerrero is a trauma-informed recovery coach, sober herself, and founder of Thrive In Recovery, which is to help heal trauma, help individuals find success, and create healthy relationships with people.

I see her as someone working at times, to help people learn just the basic life skills that fail to be taught in treatment programs.

Recently, Amy launched Bridge To Trust, a complimentary 3-day interactive experience designed for repairing relationships, heal dysfunctional family dynamics, and experience a deeper connection.

What does recovery mean and is it the same for everybody? My idea of recovery needs to be a personal journey because without a personal interest by the individual, it means absolutely nothing.

We are all unique individuals with different likes, dislikes, goals, and dreams; so why would we have someone else tell us what that looks like for them.

Some know my story as abstinence is the only possible way it will work for me and because I want to be stable, happy, and secure; that only option fits within my goals.

Periodically I come across people and organizations that strive to identify each person as an individual and see what they can do to help them even though it may not even fit within the realm of there goals.

Thinking outside the box requires unique minds and I think today we are going to meet a representative from an organization that seeks to offer this assistance. Stay tuned for Donella Cecrie from purpose of recovery

 Hello everyone. This is Eric McCoy and I am looking forward to getting high on High While Clean.

The greatest failure in the treatment industry stems from the poor aftercare that is either provided and in many cases not provided at all. Clinicians fail their clients by not following our main goal of planning for their discharge the moment they walk in the doors.

When discharge plans are done, most create a plan that has nothing to do with what the client actually plans on doing but instead what the program wants them to do. 90 meetings in 90 days, get a sponsor, go to this outpatient program.

This plan created by the clinician and many times without the assistance of the client. They then meet with the client and tell them what they are going to do.

The client then signs it just to get out the door with as little conflict as possible and has no intention on doing many of those things.

Just to be clear, this isn’t everybody across the board. There are great clinicians in the industry and the plan works for some. But what about those that it doesn’t

Many programs will not learn from this because they identify the client as just not following the plan that was set.

 I have a hard time putting all the responsibility on the client since it is our job ethically to always look out for the best interest of the client. What does that mean? I have an answer which I will get to.

Nothing excites me more when I find an organization and specifically individuals in an organization that answer that question I just asked regarding our ethical duty.

Look out for the best interest of our client. Many believe it is to tell them that they need to do what they outlined because it works. Works for who?

For me to tell a client in a professional environment what they need to do because it worked for me and what my goals and dreams are for them is unethical.

Who’s life is this we are talking about. My guest today is Donella Cecrie from purpose of recovery.

Purpose of recovery, which is currently located in Orange County, CA. that connect with local, state, and national recovery communities to support long term recovery.

There mission is to TO BRIDGE THE GAP, HIGHLIGHT SERVICES, AND CREATE A NETWORK OF RESOURCES

FOR INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES TO HEAL, STABILIZE, AND CREATE GROWTH IN RECOVERY.

 There is a recovery rally coming up on SEPTEMBER 25, 2021

which we will learn about.

Everybody has a story and this podcast is always seeking out new insight, information, perspectives, and opinions. Everybody has a story.

My life is an open book and gladly share with the world my pain, my suffering, and anything that I feel someone can relate to and/or help someone.

Many years ago, during my drug abusing days, I was lost. Despite many of the arguments that these drug abusers just want to get high, and want to live this irresponsible life that will kill you any day, they are wrong.

I wanted out. I wanted to be free from that nightmare. I hated myself, my life, and wasn’t able to see a future.

Some of us start young in life while others wait some years to begin. Either way, it doesn’t look good for anything or anybody.

Stay tuned for my guest today. He is an author of “The Naked Guy in the Attic.” and has a powerful story of hope.

Drug abuse has many faces and it can be hard to pick them out until it is tyoo late.

Having worked with many people over the years; you come across some who didn’t embrace this demon, or to even go darker, sell their soul until later in life. For those who can say that they started young as I did, it wasn’t usually the same reason we started as those who began later in life.

I started to self-medicate depression, felt a pleasure that I never thought existed, it gave me confidence, more outgoing, and it masked all of my fears and feelings I wasn’t comfortable with. For those later in life, it was usually a major event that triggered the desire to try it.

This way they could numb or avoid the pain. The similarities that we all had was that it worked, or at least seemed to work in achieving what we thought we needed. Now solving it in the world of drugs is not the way most think of as a solution but pushing it far enough way to forget about it or not feel anything about it.

For my listeners who haven’t experienced the horrors of chemical dependency, I am fighting hard against the stigma and am working to get people to understand the grip it takes. As words can hardly describe the power; I have a guest today who fits the face of a powerful meth addiction that began later in life and it was triggered by a major event.

Methamphetamine, for those that haven’t used it, creates a powerful illusion that life is perfect, the drug induced pleasure is so powerful that you can’t even imagine there is a problem with it until it is too late. How can you argue that energy, focus, pleasure, and confidence are bad.

Feelings go away and emotional pain no longer seems to matter. As you continue using the drug, tolerance builds, requiring more of the drug until you have walked out of homeostasis into a new norm called allostasis. Allostasis requires the drug to keep moving and without it, you are completely incapable of functioning at all.

Did I know that this would happen when I started? No. I felt that this solution would last forever. Did all of my education in school teach me this. No. In school; I was taught, just say no. What was I to say no too? Energy, focus, pleasure, and confidence. We continue to fail our people. Fear tactics without real education tells us nothing.

on May 12, 2021, Oliver “Ollie” Taylor, a 17-year-old trans male, was kidnapped and shot in Oregon. This was the 26th reported violent death of a transgender or gender non-conforming person in 2021.

Why?

These victims were killed by acquaintances, partners or strangers, some of whom have been arrested and charged, while others have yet to be identified. Some of these cases involve clear anti-transgender bias.

Why?

I don’t understand the reasons, but it is clear that many perpotrators of hate live in fear and don’t have the ability to think for themselves which I am going to explain. My guest today is a transgender male who hosts an amazing podcast which he will tell you about. Please stay tuned.

My name is Eric McCoy and I am getting ready to get high.

I almost seem to get a little more brazen in my declaration of getting high as bold and no shame in my game.

I am looking forward to the day that I can declare this but feel no need to explain what I mean.

Today I am not. If this is your fist time listening, watch or listen to our other videos and you will gain an understanding of what I am talking about.

For those that know me, I have very little, if any care about what people think of me.

This hasn’t always been so but through many years of learning to care and to love myself, that doesn’t seem important anymore.

I am about to say something that I rarely ever say because I never think about it but I don’t define myself as racist and have no hate or dislike for anybody because of physical qualities, your appearance, color, gender, sexual orientation, etc.

By me saying that, I sound racist and anybody that has to clarify that, they typically are.

There is a reason I am discussing this which I will get into in a moment.

Hatred and in the context I am discussing regarding racist qualities is one of the greatest insights related to weakness.

My book, “Pain, Failure and Misery are the Stepping Stones to success covers an enormous amount of information and even goes way beyond substance abuse.

In one chapter, I delve into personal power and thinking for oneself and not through the minds of others.

It is clear that hatred is taught as young children that have never been brain washed by a parent can  sit in a room with all nationalities, races, genders, and colors with no conflict nor thought on differences.

By looking at that, we have mindless people that can’t think for themselves full of hate.

We could also look at hatred within agendas.

Religion’s by many of those that practice, are grounded within judgement and hatred.

My interest in discussing this is leading to my guest who is a trasnsgender man who I am proud to call my friend.

I see a man of courage. For many transgender people, living openly can be its own act of defiance in a society that continues to set rigid cultural norms for gender identity and expression.

Transgender people face stigma surrounding who they are from an early age. Often rooted in inaccurate beliefs and politically-motivated attacks on transgender identities.

Transgender people face devastating levels of discrimination and harassment in the workplace.

Transgender people are especially vulnerable when it comes to accessing social services and health care, including finding doctors who respect and affirm their identities.

We can go on and on regarding inequalities such as family issues, legal equality in the definition of hate crimes, and even facing disproportionate rates of poverty and homelessness in the United States

Lona Currie, my guest is the host of a podcast called Recovery Soul food.

Since I don’t care what people think.

He is my friend and partner as we fight for what we believe in. Lona, thank you for coming on today.

Education is so important, especially as ignorance and hatred go hand in hand. I was curious on you growing up. As many of my listeners know and we talked about this on your podcast, my son was born a female. Many people out there believe that this is a choice that you make. How do you respond to that.

The pain that families face is something that isn’t thought much about by the loved ones who abuse drugs.

Those that use have lost full control of themselves but sadly have full control over the emotions and even behaviors of those that love them.

Parents sacrifice their time, energy, and existence to focus on another person and raise them to the best of their ability.

Unfortunately, the person that has been focused on tends to lack any appreciation and feels entitled as what I define in my book as the ability to metaphorically “nail the parents to a cross for an excruciating sacrifice.”

Not all stories end in tragedy. I was able to step out but for many years, I thought and I am sure my parents wouldn’t have been surprised if they had to bury me.

I am very excited to introduce my listeners to an amazing woman who dealt with that fear of losing her daughter.