Not Your Average IV User

Teamwork makes the dream work.

Very on-brand with the Comeback City, Jacob and Bruce represent the parallels of what personal recovery does for community recovery. Once burdens to the taxpayer, whose main accomplishment was keeping their families worried sick about them, these guys have been able to find their way into long term recovery and make the most out of it.

No longer frequent flyers in jails, treatment centers, or other institutions Jacob and Bruce have done a total 180 and now are contributing not only to their own recovery, but that of their community as business owners.

In Ep. 027, the guys talk about the perils of their individual addictions, how it took them more than one trip into treatment to figure things out, & what it's been like to take a leap of faith and go into business for themselves.

Not Your average IV User is discoverable almost everywhere you listen to podcasts. You can help us out by telling all the people you love that this project exists.

"Ha! Liles! The last place I saw you was…", Anthony started off as he began to tell a story about me slamming a powdery substance into my face in the middle of a crowded field of concert goers.

When we ran back into each other, I was working at a treatment center, one I was alumni of, and Ant (known by many other names, discussed in the episode) was making one of his numerous trips through that spot.

And while that time might not have been the time he maintained his abstinence after treatment, it should be noted that before we recorded this episode I got to give Anthony a momento to commemorate his milestone of 5 years continuous clean time.

In Ep. 026, Anthony opens up about all the things he's put himself and his family through & how despite the fact that it might of taken 20 attempts at getting things on track into recovery - he'd do it all again.

Not Your average IV User is discoverable almost everywhere you listen to podcasts. You can help us out by telling all the people you love that this project exists.

I've known Terra for a long time. She was one of the people that came before me in my areas recovery community and kept the door open for me until I decided to show up.

During her time clean, she's gone through some tough stuff - some for better and some fore worse; from going to graduate school losing her father (I've got a soft spot for Dads), but she always seems to keep her recovery at the forefront.

To me, what best captures Terra's experience is a work story.

We work at the same treatment center and were fortunate enough to open a new facility recently in a community we have not served for some time. It always feels good to be able to offer a solution to people that want it, and I believe individuals should be able to access treatment where they live. After about a years' worth of work - the day was here, the ribbon cutting. We were going to open to clients the following Monday.

We had staff and community members there to celebrate with us and wish our initiative well. Terra also had some extra support of her own, members of her family who were very excited about their loved ones accomplishment, as she had been names the Director of the facility. Her mom told her something along the lines of, "I've taken you to different treatment places to get help, I definitely wasn't going to miss you opening one."

Treatment Works.

We recover.

Not Your average IV User is discoverable almost everywhere you listen to podcasts. You can help us out by telling all the people you love that this project exists.

What reservations am I holding on to? In treatment and recovery, a reservation refers to a set of circumstances where someone has not totally committed to sobriety should that particular situation arise. A chance that "if this happens…" an individual may turn back to drug or alcohol abuse; a situation where the person doesn't think they would make it through clean. Reservations largely revolve around major, life altering events that seem unbearable or unsurvivable to a person.

In Ep. 023, Paula talks about learning to survive loss, living life on life's terms, and that despite the fact that Cleveland rocks - she's never been around a recovery community like the one that exists in Portsmouth, OH. Not Your Average IV User is discoverable almost everywhere you listen to podcasts. You can help us out by telling all the people you love that this project exists.

"OH YEA, THOUGHT WE WAS DONE? NAH." (in my best DJ Drama voice)

Fresh off of 2022 Summer Bummer at the Vern Riffe Center for the Arts, headlining artist Lil Brows sat down with his partner in crime, Chin, to talk about being in Portsmouth, how they connected and bonded through music, and drop some advice on identifying what you want and going after that goal.

Lil Brows, the artist formerly known as AP to the local crowd, is a second time guest - who discussed his addiction and recovery at length in Ep. 012. He opens up about his last seven years clean and what that's meant to him personally & professionally.

Chin, with the voice of an angel, is the producer of The Fighter and the Kid, Below the Belt, and Kind and the Sting, and an avid Vlogger. Chin loves Portsmouth, the Super 8 Motel, and is not afraid to jay-walk in front of the police.

Not Your Average IV User is discoverable on Apple Podcast, Spotify, & almost everywhere else you listen to podcasts.

You can help us out by telling everyone you love that this project exists.

How many chances does someone deserve at treatment? If we were talking about any other ailment outside of substance use disorders it would be a pretty straight forward answer...

As long as a medical professional believes that there is the potential positive outcome, and as long as the individual needing medical intervention is motivated to continue - treatment would go on until the disease state is managed, eliminated, or the person is deceased.

Addiction treatment gets a reputation of being a place that just offers somewhere to hide out for users; a way for them to dodge more severe consequences, a means to stay out of jail - and at certain points, maybe it does meet that need.

One of the reasons I believe people with substance use disorders go back to treatment after relapses is they know its a safe place. Where they feel welcomed. Where they feel cared about. Where in time away from the chaos of a drug centered lifestyle - something might start to change that leads them to a higher motivation to get waht they actually need.

In Ep. 021 Robby, the legend known as Country, talks about the impact of losing his mother and grandmother, growing up an outlaw in a small town, and how something finally clicked that led him from going back and forth from using to treatment into long-term recovery. He also shouts out some very special people who have helped him along the way.

Not Your Average IV User is discoverable almost everywhere you listen to podcasts. You can help us out by telling all the people you love that this project exists.

Addiction is full of contradictory and paradoxical behavior. From numerous guests, we've heard stories of growing up around or being exposed to a drug centered life at an early age. Often times it's recognized by the person as being not something that is desirable - and they make the commitment to themselves: "I am going to do something different." Natasha never planned on becoming inmate W090737 - but to paraphrase her, she became everything she never wanted to be and then some. In Ep. 020 Natasha talks about moving in with the Oxy Contin dealer, her different methods of trying to manager he disease, and how she was ultimately able to maintain long term abstinence and reintegrate back into her own family and larger society. Today, Natasha is a college graduate (Go Bobcats) and a Licensed Social worker. Not Your Average IV User is discoverable almost everywhere you listen to podcasts. You can help us out by telling all the people you love that this project exists.

How do you spot a successful outcome?

Is it…

Dozens of trips to treatment…

Relapses and continued use after having some time clean…

Multiple incarcerations including jails, community based correctional facilities, & prison - all linked back to a drug centered lifestyle?

Or is it…

Getting the job you always wanted…

Having multiple years of recovery…

Starting your own business…

Going back to school for a bachelors degree?

If you're interested - the guys in this episode have everything above covered.

Progression in treatment and recovery is not always linear, and what's important is that person feels comfortable enough to comeback and access help when they need it.

In Ep. 019, we sit down and talk with Shadow Arthur & James Potter (our first dual guest extravaganza). They talk about getting wrapped up in the progression of the disease early, how despite their experience with getting help not going to plan at first - that eventually they were able to find stability in long term recovery, & discuss the formation of The LaB, the print and design business they operate together.

Not Your Average IV User is discoverable almost everywhere you listen to podcasts. You can help us out by telling all the people you love that this project exists.

"It all kind of circled around the need to be accepted and be liked in whatever environment I was in." Drugs and alcohol can be the magic that helps us feel comfortable in our own skin & offer us connection with people around us. It can also be that divisive force that results in a total loss of self and walls is off from the people who love & care about it most. And if it's true that 90% of people will experiment in their lifetime - how will we recognize who will be the individuals that go on to the bitter ends of developing a substance use disorder? The person that's heavily involved in youth group? The athlete? The student with the academic scholarship? In Ep. 018, Ali talks about the perils of growing up worried about what other people think, how despite her best efforts - she couldn't pull off using any substance successfully, & what life is like as an engineer in the behavioral health field. Not Your Average IV User is discoverable almost everywhere you listen to podcasts. You can help us out by telling all the people you love that this project exists.