Odyssey House Journals

“SEX & METH WERE THE LOVES OF MY LIFE”

Sean Ackroyd spent his growing up years feeling worthless because of his parent's divorce. He thought it was his fault. He was also hiding the fact that he was gay while living in a highly religious community, so he turned to things that made him feel good.

“I’LL ALWAYS MISS HIM,” SAYS THE MOTHER OF A SON WHO DIED FROM AN OVERDOSE

Nancy Holland hopes her story will help other parents dealing with an addicted loved one. She realized her teenage son was an addict. He went through wilderness therapy in Utah, then a residential treatment center, then sober living, but her son still died from an overdose at age 21. Watch a clip at the bottom as Nancy shares her last memories of when her son got out of sober living, or you can watch the full podcast on Odyssey’s YouTube Channel by clicking on this link:

https://youtu.be/TaZGqBoo5wo

ONE OF THE MOST HEART-WRENCHING PODCASTS I’VE EVER DONE

Jared Jenson is a gentle giant who loves his family. He’s a rancher in Duchesne County whose 21-year-old daughter died a horrible death in the county jail as she went through opioid withdrawal. In 4 short days in the county jail, she went from being a beautiful young woman to being an emaciated lifeless body in her cell.

A FIRST! MOM AND HER SON TALK ABOUT HIS ALCOHOL ADDICTION

Sean Zeigle wanted to drink like “normal” people, but soon learned he couldn’t. His mom, Stacie Johnson, continued to support him through years of alcohol abuse, numerous trips to detox and rehab. Now he’s been sober for nearly a year and he plans to stay that way.

HE WAS HOMELESS ADDICTED TO METH AND HEROIN-LOOK AT HIM NOW!

Ramsay Bryan lost everything, his home, his family, literally his soul as he sank into the depths of addictive darkness. In this week’s Odyssey House Journals he talks about how he climbed out of that darkness and is now 4 years sober, an Odyssey grad and is truly happy.

HE’S A POSITIVE FORCE FOR RECOVERY, BUT IT TOOK A SPIRITUAL MOMENT TO GET THERE

Andy Torgersen grew up with horrible anxiety. No self-esteem, always lonely and afraid of life. In this week’s Odyssey House Journals he says when he first started drinking that all went away, but that later turned into full-blown alcoholism, and years later he finally lost all hope and checked himself into detox.

A UTAH COP TALKS ABOUT HIS BATTLE WITH ALCOHOLISM

It took a lot of courage for John Beck to share his struggles on the latest edition of Odyssey House Journals, but he hopes his story will inspire others to get some help if they need it to find recovery. His inner strength, a superhuman wife and FTR, a sober fitness program, all combined to help him in his quest for sobriety.

IS IT POSSIBLE FOR CONVICTED FELONS TO REALLY LIKE THEIR PROBATION OFFICER?

In Greg Petersen’s case the answer is yes. He works in a highly selective and coveted federal diversion program (UACT) that can keep individuals out of prison and set them on a positive path for life. In this week’s Odyssey House Journals you will see a side of the criminal justice program you’ve probably never heard of.

A WOMAN AND A SPIRITUAL AWAKENING SAVED HIS LIFE, BUT UNTIL THEN HE WAS A HARD CORE CRIMINAL

When he was 10 years old a group of teens invited him to play football. Little did he know they were in a gang and did drugs. In this week’s Odyssey House Journals Micah Niles says he finally found acceptance with them, but it also led him down a dark path of drugs, crime and prison. He fought through it with help from the love of his life and a treatment program.

“I WAS HALF NATIVE AMERICAN AND HALF CHILEAN AND I NEVER FIT IN ANYWHERE”

So Elias Corrial turned to drugs and alcohol to feel comfortable around people his age. In this week’s episode of Odyssey House Journals, he tells a chilling tale about how that ultimately led him to prison.