John (age 29) is a founder and primary recovery guide at Eric’s House Recovery, an all-male sober living home. John spent 6 years working across the substance use disorder continuum of care at numerous treatment facilities in the Los Angeles area, including Transcend, Authentic Recovery, and START UP RECOVERY. He’s completed his California Alcohol and Drug Counselor coursework (CADC), and he uses his profound knowledge to help individuals rebuild themselves, build meaningful foundations in recovery, and ultimately lives they are excited to live.

In Part I with John – a must listen if you’re new to the show – it’s a conversation about the perils of addiction. In John’s case, it took heroin, car chases, being arrested, having seizures, selling everything in his apartment (numerous times), and being sent to 4 residential addiction treatment centers before turning 21 to finally get the 8.5 years of sobriety John has today.

Today, in Part II with John – it’s a conversation about the reality and joys of sobriety. It’s about how spirituality, working a 12-step program, finding community, and new perspective can pave the road to redemption. It’s about finding strength, courage, and hope. A reminder that you can still experience true laughter, the kind you might not have experienced since childhood, and thought you’d lost forever. In this episode, John shares the humility, redemption, strength, and wisdom he has gleaned by virtue of his recovery. His is a story of suffering and redemption, and it is my hope that his narrative illuminates allows us to delve more deeply into the fundamental mystery of our own existence, and that the rest of us, living in a dopamine-saturated world can look at his experience, relate to it, and learn from it.

There are incredibly profound lessons and insights we can learn from John, and I hope that in hearing his story, we are able to see ourselves, to connect, relate, and perhaps find a modicum of peace. I hope that individuals currently suffering are inspired by a story of courage and hope that resonates so deeply, perhaps it even motivates them to stop using and finally seek help. And, if nothing else, I hope that in seeking a greater understanding of the human condition by listening to John’s experience, we help create greater empathy.

This podcast traverses difficult emotional terrain. If you are struggling, you are not alone. Please reach out for help and call ⁠⁠SAMHSA’s National Helpline⁠⁠ at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). If you are experiencing suicidal ideation, I encourage you to call the ⁠⁠988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline⁠⁠ at 988.