One Day at a Time: In Recovery in Baltimore

In this final episode of the series, Theo reflects on his two years as host of One Day at a Time, he shares some exciting personal and professional news, and he gives some timely advice for listeners who are struggling with addiction.

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Luke and his big brother didn’t get along, until they started smoking marijuana together. But what started as a bonding experience became a slippery slope for Luke’s addictive personality. Next came pills, then heroin. Luke is about to celebrate seven years clean, and he talks with Theo about what he’s learned along the way.

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When he was young, John recalls that the other kids around him had normal aspirations. But he says that, as far back as he can remember, his only goal was to get drunk and high. John talks with Theo about the toll of his long-term addiction and the lessons he’s learned in his past six years clean.

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Chrissy stayed clean for 23 years, and life was good. Then one day she popped an extra prescription pill, and things went downhill fast. She’s in recovery again and working to rebuild her life. Peppy spent a year clean, but a relapse put him in long-term recovery, where he’s focusing on surrendering and accepting help. Theo talks with Chrissy and Peppy about their winding roads to recovery.

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Theo talks with his guest, Bill, about relapses, humility, and lessons learned from the example of a lost love.

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After a ten-year stretch of multiple relapses, Michael remembers saying to God, “Either take my life or change it.” Michael talks with Theo about his long journey out of addiction and his ongoing efforts to deal with the wreckage of his past.

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For Joe, drugs were a convenient escape from childhood trauma, but when he was introduced to crack cocaine at age thirteen, he slipped fast into the grip of addiction. By age 17, Joe was sent to prison for robbery and assault. When he got out, eight years later, he discovered a new addiction – fentanyl. Joe talks with Theo about the near-death overdose that ultimately spurred him into recovery, where he finally had to face a lifetime of unresolved personal pain.

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Theo’s guest, Sheila, suffered an abusive childhood that led to shyness, depression and low self-esteem. In high school, she found a way to an escape and feel comfortable in her own skin: alcohol, marijuana, and then heroin. Her addiction kept her from graduating high school. She ended up getting pregnant, and finally as a young mother she realized that she needed to get clean, for herself and for her son. Sheila talks with Theo about what it takes to break out of what is comfortable and move on to what’s meaningful.

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Lee Ann spent many years as a functional addict, abusing alcohol and marijuana, but when a neighbor introduced her to crack cocaine, her life crumbled in a hurry. She lost her job, emptied her 401k to pay for her habit, and her house went into foreclosure. Lee Ann talks with Theo about her humbling road to recovery and what it's taken to put her life back together.

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When Mike got out of the Army, it was at the height of the US cocaine epidemic. He was already abusing other drugs and alcohol, but when he started shooting cocaine, he lost control of his life. Mike lost his marriage, his job, and kids, and his home, and he ended up of the streets of Baltimore. Mike joins Theo to talk about his long road to recovery, his lessons learned, and his 31 years clean.

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