The Addiction Podcast-Point of No Return

Angela Kenneke’s life changed forever when her daughter Emily died from fentanyl poisoning at just 21 years old. In this powerful and deeply human conversation, Angela shares how her family’s experience with substance use disorder evolved from early warning signs in high school to the devastating moment they were preparing an intervention—only three days too late. Her story is not only one of loss, but of purpose, resilience, and a mission to prevent other families from facing the same tragedy.

Angela explains how stigma, misinformation, and the rapid spread of fake pills have created a dangerous environment for today’s youth. She describes how Emily unknowingly consumed heroin laced with fentanyl, and how this single moment of experimentation became fatal. Drawing from her background as a journalist and investigative reporter, Angela began searching for answers—leading her to create Emily’s Hope, a nonprofit dedicated to prevention, education, treatment scholarships, and community support.

A major part of Angela’s work is the Emily’s Hope K–12 substance use prevention curriculum, now implemented in six states and reaching more than 30,000 students. She outlines how the program uses age‑appropriate, science‑based lessons to teach children about healthy habits, trusted adults, brain development, emotional regulation, and the real risks of substances—including fentanyl‑laced counterfeit pills. Angela also discusses the organization’s upcoming fentanyl education toolkit, youth art initiatives, naloxone distribution, and treatment scholarships that have already saved lives.

This episode is a candid, compassionate look at the fentanyl crisis, the importance of early education, and the power of turning grief into action. Angela’s message to parents is clear: keep the conversation open, lead with love, and start early. Her work honors Emily’s memory while lighting the way forward for families everywhere.

Mirta Miler — known globally as @mimiermakeup — joins us for a powerful conversation about sobriety, confidence, and the unexpected ways recovery reshaped her life and career. With more than 22 million followers across platforms and over 1 billion likes on TikTok, Mirta is one of Europe’s most influential beauty creators. But behind the glam, she faced a deeply personal battle with alcohol addiction.

Growing up in Croatia, Mirta explains that drinking culture was normalized — “especially being Balkan… it’s very normal to drink a lot and also drink daily.” She describes how her addiction wasn’t “textbook,” but showed up as an inability to stop once she started, frequent blackouts, and dangerous situations.

Even as her social media career exploded, alcohol quietly eroded her mental health. She continued creating content flawlessly — even after nights of heavy drinking — but inside, she felt exhausted, unhappy, and disconnected.

Two years ago, she made a spontaneous but life‑changing decision to stop drinking. Sobriety became her greatest “glow‑up,” transforming her confidence, relationships, and sense of self-worth.

Mirta also opens up about the pressures of the content‑creator world — events, festivals, industry parties — where drinking is often expected. She shares how she navigates sobriety in environments where alcohol is the norm, and how she still attends festivals and has fun without drinking.

We also discuss how her audience responded, how sobriety changed her content, and why authenticity, wellness, and inner beauty resonate so strongly with her followers today.

Mirta’s message to anyone in recovery:

And her message to families:

You can find Mirta on all platforms at @mimiermakeup.

Bio: Mirta Miler is a globally recognized beauty expert, trend forecaster, and digital creator with more than 22 million followers across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Known online as @mimiermakeup, she has become one of the leading voices in #BeautyTok, partnering with major brands including L’Oréal, Nivea, and Anastasia Beverly Hills. Named “European It‑Girl” by Glamour and featured in Allure and Numéro, Mirta is celebrated for translating fast‑moving digital trends into real‑world, wearable beauty.

Beyond her beauty influence, Mirta is a passionate advocate for sobriety and wellness. After struggling with alcohol addiction and achieving over two years of sobriety, she now shares how recovery transformed her confidence, mental health, and relationship with beauty. Newly engaged and planning a 2027 wedding, she continues to build a platform centered on authenticity, empowerment, and modern womanhood.

In Part II of our special series on the DEA cannabis rescheduling hearings, expert witnesses Dr. Philip Drum, Dr. Ken Finn, and Dr. Karen Randall continue their detailed breakdown of the medical evidence the DEA is ignoring.

Dr. Finn opens with shocking data from Colorado: 70% of dispensaries surveyed encouraged pregnant women to use marijuana during the first trimester, despite this being the most critical period of fetal brain development. He cites the NIH‑funded ABCD study showing that children exposed in utero are experiencing psychotic‑like symptoms as early as age 8–10 — even without using cannabis themselves.

He also explains research showing cannabis use by fathers may alter autism‑related genes, and that states with marijuana programs have 20% higher autism rates.

Dr. Drum expands on the medical and regulatory failures, including rising rates of head and neck cancers, breast cancer, and testicular cancer in Canada following legalization. He reiterates that marijuana has no FDA‑approved medical use, and daily use carries a 30% addiction rate, higher than daily opioid use.

He also details how the DEA mis-transcribed his testimony, falsely claiming he supported Schedule III — which he corrected twice.

Dr. Randall highlights pediatric harm, including infants and toddlers exposed to cannabis products. She notes that DEA lawyers repeatedly dismissed her cases as “diversion,” implying parents were supplying children — a claim she strongly refutes.

The doctors also expose fabricated statements in the DEA’s official brief, including claims they never made.

The episode concludes with a call to action: listeners should contact the DEA Administrator, the Attorney General, and their Congressional representatives to oppose cannabis rescheduling — and families harmed by cannabis should speak out.

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To find out how to contact your congressman/woman: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

To email the attorney general: https://www.justice.gov/doj/webform/your-message-department-justice

Please write to your congressman/woman and to the Attorney General of the US about this issue, in your own words:

"I am extremely concerned that the US Government is considering moving marijuana from a CS I to a CS III substance. This will make it seem like it is approved medicine. It has NOT been approved as medicine by the FDA. There is no approved dose for any indication. No list of side effects. No list of drug interactions. I am aware that marijuana is causing psychosis, depression, anxiety, vomiting, heart attacks, strokes and should not be used during pregnancy. Please stop promoting marijuana and have it continued to be studied BEFORE changing its medical status. I am aware there have been nearly 10,000 studies paid for by US tax payers at a cost of $4.2 Billion. This is more than any other drug and it still does not have one FDA-approved indication that has been proven scientifically. Please stop placing our children at risk".

In this urgent episode, three nationally recognized physicians — Dr. Philip Drum, Dr. Ken Finn, and Dr. Karen Randall — testify before the DEA to oppose the proposal to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III. Their expert witness statements reveal the medical, scientific, and public‑health dangers that rescheduling would create.

Dr. Philip Drum, a national expert on the Controlled Substances Act, explains why marijuana has never met the FDA’s requirement for “accepted medical use.” He cites more than 9,500 federally funded studies and $4.2 billion in taxpayer‑funded research — none of which resulted in a single FDA‑approved indication. He also exposes the false claim that cannabis “cannot be researched,” showing that marijuana is one of the most heavily studied substances in U.S. history.

Dr. Ken Finn, a pain physician with 30 years of experience, describes how marijuana consistently fails to treat pain, despite widespread belief. He reveals that the DEA’s own internal study — the one being used to justify rescheduling — is secretive, flawed, and cannot be reproduced. He also highlights the extremely low percentage of physicians who recommend cannabis in states where it is legal, comparing the pattern to the opioid pill‑mill era.

Dr. Karen Randall, an emergency physician and pediatric specialist, delivers some of the most alarming warnings. She describes the explosion of pediatric cannabis exposure, the rise of cannabis hyperemesis syndrome, and the growing number of children experiencing cannabis‑induced psychosis — including cases as young as seven years old. She shares a devastating case of a 13‑year‑old girl trading sex for marijuana, illustrating the real‑world consequences of liberalized drug policy and the false messaging that cannabis is “safe” or “healthy.”

Together, these expert witnesses argue that rescheduling marijuana to Schedule III will:

• Mislead the public into believing cannabis is safe
• Increase youth access and exposure
• Expand diversion
• Reduce regulatory oversight
• Ignore decades of medical evidence
• Create long‑term harm to developing brains

This is Part 1 of their testimony before the DEA. Part 2 will be released shortly.

Expert Witness – Controlled Substances Act & Drug Scheduling Dr. Philip Drum is a national expert on the Controlled Substances Act, drug scheduling, and FDA medical‑use standards. In his testimony to the DEA, Dr. Drum explained how Schedule I substances are defined, why marijuana has never met the FDA’s requirement for “accepted medical use,” and why the claim that cannabis “cannot be researched” is false. He cited more than 9,500 federally funded studies and $4.2 billion in taxpayer‑funded research on marijuana — none of which resulted in a single FDA‑approved indication. Dr. Drum also detailed the abuse‑potential differences between Schedule I, II, and III substances, and warned that moving marijuana directly to Schedule III ignores decades of scientific evidence.

Expert Witness – Pain Medicine & Clinical Evidence Dr. Ken Finn is a pain physician with over 30 years of clinical experience treating patients in Colorado. He has evaluated thousands of patients using opioids and marijuana for pain and testified to the DEA that marijuana consistently fails to treat pain, despite widespread public belief. Dr. Finn highlighted that the DEA’s own internal study supporting rescheduling is secretive, flawed, and cannot be reproduced. He also noted that fewer than 5% of physicians in legal‑cannabis states have ever recommended marijuana, with a small number of doctors issuing the majority of recommendations — a pattern reminiscent of the opioid pill‑mill era.

Expert Witness – Emergency Medicine & Pediatric Cannabis Harm Dr. Karen Randall is an emergency physician with specialized expertise in pediatric medicine and adolescent behavioral health. In her testimony to the DEA, she described the dramatic rise in pediatric cannabis exposure, including cases of cannabis‑induced psychosis in children as young as seven years old. She detailed the growing prevalence of cannabis hyperemesis syndrome, a condition causing uncontrollable vomiting that can lead to hospitalization, electrolyte imbalance, and even death. Dr. Randall also shared a devastating case of a 13‑year‑old girl trading sex for marijuana, illustrating the real‑world consequences of liberalized drug messaging and the false belief that cannabis is “safe” or “healthy.” She warned that rescheduling marijuana to Schedule III will increase youth access, worsen diversion, and send a dangerous message to the public.

Dr. Tony Dice, Navy SEAL, firefighter, paramedic, therapist, author, and CEO of Bishop & Dice Defense, joins us to share one of the most powerful recovery stories we’ve ever featured. Tony describes how his early desire to “be a hero” led him into fire rescue, ambulance work, and ultimately the Navy SEAL teams — where camaraderie, trauma, and culture normalized heavy drinking and emotional suppression.

Tony explains how addiction took root long before he realized it, escalating from alcohol to cocaine, ecstasy, and eventually crystal meth. He describes the moment his addiction broke him: being unable to leave a room for hours to pick up his young son during a swine flu exposure. That moment led him to treatment at the Farley Center, where he embraced 12‑Step recovery and rebuilt his life.

Tony breaks down why 12‑Step recovery works, connecting each step to established therapeutic models:

• Steps 1–3 → Stages of Change
• Steps 4–5 → Narrative Therapy
• Steps 6–9 → Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Steps 10–12 → Existential Therapy

This framework became Tony’s Holistic Change Model (HC‑Mod), now used to help therapists understand the deep psychological transformation that occurs in 12‑Step programs.

Tony also discusses:

• Why high‑performers (military, first responders, law enforcement) often hide their struggles
• How adrenaline, trauma, and emotional compulsivity fuel addiction
• Why “competent heroes” are often the last to seek help
• How Bishop & Dice Defense builds trust with agencies before introducing mental health support
• Why his book After the Trident is helping veterans and first responders heal

Tony’s story is a testament to resilience, service, and the power of recovery — and a reminder that even our strongest heroes need help too. His bio is impressive.

Tony is a nationally recognized counselor, presenter, and addiction specialist. He developed the Holistic Change Model (HC‑Mod), which maps the 12‑Step recovery process to established therapeutic frameworks, helping clinicians better support clients in recovery. He has presented at national and international conferences, published in the field of mental health, and teaches addiction and human services at Old Dominion University.

His book, After the Trident: A Navy SEAL’s Battle with Secret Shame and Addiction, chronicles his journey from service‑related trauma and addiction to recovery and purpose.

Jo McGuire is an advocate, policy advisor, speaker, and writer dedicated to safe and drug‑free workplaces, families, and communities. As Executive Director of the National Drug and Alcohol Screening Association (NDASA), she oversees an international membership of professionals in the drug and alcohol testing industry, with a strong focus on safety‑sensitive employees, best practices for workplace drug testing, and high‑quality training programs.

Jo was appointed to the Colorado Governor’s Task Force to regulate Amendment 64 due to her expertise in workplace marijuana policy. She has represented her industry at the United Nations, the Latin‑American Safe and Drug‑Free Workplace Congress, and in Washington D.C. as a leading advocate for employer rights and public safety.

She holds a B.S. in Sociology and Cannabis Studies from Colorado State University–Pueblo, where she was named a distinguished alumni.

Jo joins us to explain a critical issue affecting public safety. If raw cannabis is reclassified as a Schedule III drug, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) will lose the ability to test safety‑sensitive employees for marijuana use — including airline pilots, air traffic controllers, school bus drivers, truckers, and more.

Jo shares her journey from school safety into workplace drug testing, her role on Colorado’s Governor’s Task Force during Amendment 64, and her advocacy in Washington D.C. She explains why Schedule III classification undermines decades of progress in reducing workplace accidents, how high‑potency marijuana complicates impairment, and why recovery‑friendly workplaces must coexist with drug‑free policies.

Listeners will learn:

• Why DOT’s THC testing program is at risk
• How legalization trends reversed accident reductions
• Why “responsible use” isn’t the issue — impairment is
• How federal workers in safety‑sensitive roles could be left unprotected
• What citizens can do now to demand a safety carve‑out

Jo also provides specific language listeners can use to contact their representatives and senators to protect transportation safety nationwide.

Please send the text/email below to your lawmakers in DC. You can make it your own but this is the basic message.

Did you know that when marijuana becomes a Schedule III drug, the U.S. Department of Transportation cannot preserve its federally regulated marijuana-testing program through DOT authority alone if HHS is no longer authorized to include marijuana in its federal testing guidelines and certified laboratory system?

That gap must be closed before any final rescheduling rule takes effect for marijuana. The National Drug and Alcohol Screening Association (NDASA) calls on each Senator and Representative to secure an explicit safety carve-out that preserves uninterrupted marijuana testing for every Federally-regulated safety-sensitive position.

The stakes are public, not merely administrative. Federal testing protects passengers, schoolchildren, workers, communities, infrastructure, and the traveling public from the consequences of drug-related impairment in aviation, commercial motor vehicles, rail, public transit, and pipeline and hazardous-materials operations. This includes air traffic controllers, pilots, truck drivers, school bus drivers, subway operators, railway engineers and many, MANY more that need to operate unimpaired by substances.

Why action is required now

The Federal drug testing program is legally bound to use only SAMHSA certified labs under the authority of HHS. HHS's current authorized federal workplace panels are expressly framed as panels of Schedule I and II drugs. HHS may not certify the labs to test for any drugs in Schedule III status. If marijuana is transferred to Schedule III and HHS consequently lacks authority to retain it on the federal panel, an HHS-certified laboratory could no longer perform a federally authorized marijuana test even though DOT continues to view marijuana as a safety risk. Without a carve-out, the current transportation safety system will be forced to remove marijuana from the Federal drug testing panel.

Please take action NOW to protect America’s traveling public!

For more information, contact [email protected]

This episode of The Addiction Podcast — Point of No Return features Minnesota‑based creator and impact storyteller Josh Liljenquist, known online as Joshlilj, whose “Live to Love” mission turns online attention into real‑world help. With more than 34 million followers, 2.7 billion YouTube views, and over $1.9 million in documented public support, Josh has built a community that steps in when people face homelessness, addiction, medical emergencies, housing instability, or sudden hardship.

Josh talks about the early days of his outreach—meeting people living on the streets, learning from their resilience, and discovering that addiction is often rooted in trauma, life experiences, and the need for human connection. He shares the deeply personal story of Aaron, one of the first people he met during outreach. Their friendship grew over four years as Josh provided basic necessities, companionship, and unconditional support. When Aaron finally said, “Today’s the day—I want to go to treatment,” Josh describes it as the most meaningful moment of his work.

Josh also discusses his broader mission: helping families in crisis, supporting sick children, assisting people after disasters, and creating fundraisers that have changed lives—including raising $50,000 to help a formerly addicted man secure stable housing and hiring him full‑time so he could keep his home.

He explains how his website, JoshLiljenquist.com, allows people to submit requests for help, and how his team evaluates each situation with dignity, consent, and follow‑through. The episode closes with Josh’s current mission: helping a man from Kansas find a kidney donor after surviving cancer three times and losing his retirement savings to dialysis costs.

This conversation highlights compassion, practical action, and the belief that every person—no matter their circumstances—deserves to be seen as a human being, not a problem. It’s a powerful reminder that recovery is possible, change is possible, and kindness can ripple outward in extraordinary ways.

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Rachel Docekal from the Hanley Foundation to discuss the evolution of addiction treatment and the critical importance of early intervention.

Key Topics Discussed:

• The Evolution of Care: How treatment models have shifted from the 1980s to today’s evidence-based practices, including the importance of gender-specific programs and standalone mental health support.
• Prevention vs. Education: Moving beyond the "Just Say No" campaigns of the past to provide young people with actual coping skills and the confidence to resist peer pressure,.
• Safety & Communication: Practical, actionable advice for parents, including using "code words" and "maybe later" techniques to help children escape high-pressure, unsafe situations.
• Recognizing Red Flags: Why parents should trust their intuition when they notice behavioral changes in their children—such as changes in hygiene, friend groups, or daily routines—and why direct, honest conversation is essential for safety.
• Finding the Right Help: Dr. Docekal explains that Hanley Foundation serves as a resource for families nationwide, even if they aren't treating a patient at their facility, by directing them toward quality, reputable care in their local areas.

Darryl Strawberry is known worldwide as one of baseball’s greatest sluggers, a four‑time World Series champion and eight‑time All‑Star. But behind the fame, he struggled with addiction beginning at age 14, when he first smoked marijuana and drank alcohol. As he explains, “most of the time it’s because of the deep pain that’s going on on the inside” — and substances became his escape.

His career was impacted by drinking, drugs, and amphetamines, eventually slowing him down and threatening everything he had built. The turning point came through his wife Tracy, who refused to give up on him. “You don’t have to tolerate the behavior, but you still have to love people,” Darryl says, crediting her compassion and persistence for helping him surrender and begin recovery.

Now more than 22 years sober, Darryl and Tracy lead a national ministry focused on faith, healing, and hope. They speak in churches, schools, prisons, and treatment centers, encouraging people to avoid the path of addiction and embrace recovery. He emphasizes that sobriety requires more than abstinence — it demands a spiritual awakening and a change in behavior.

Darryl’s new book, Another Life, shares his journey from “a mess to a message,” showing how recovery can lead to transformation and purpose. He continues to inspire audiences by reminding them that no matter how far they’ve fallen, freedom and hope are possible.

Resources:

• Book: Another Life (Amazon)
• Ministry: Strawberry Ministries
• Speaking: Fellowship of Christian Athletes, national recovery events

Heather Bacchus is a Minnesota mother, author, and advocate whose life changed forever when her son Randy died by suicide at 21 after cannabis‑induced psychosis. Randy began using marijuana at 15, believing it was safe and creative. By 17 he was diagnosed with cannabis use disorder, and despite therapy and treatment, his condition worsened. At 21, he experienced psychosis and paranoia, leaving behind journal entries and videos documenting his decline.

Heather and her husband Randy founded Be Extraordinary. Be You., a nonprofit dedicated to educating parents, youth, and communities about the dangers of high‑potency THC. They present Randy’s video in schools, showing students the real impact of marijuana on a developing brain. Heather emphasizes that today’s cannabis is far stronger than in past decades, with THC levels reaching 80–99%, and that psychosis is a real risk.

She is also the author of A Higher Love: A Journey Through Addiction, Cannabis‑Induced Psychosis, Suicide and Redemption, which blends her family’s story with scientific evidence and a call to action. Heather speaks nationally, testifies before lawmakers, and partners with organizations like Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) to push for safeguards and awareness.

Her message to parents: do your research, learn the science, and approach your children with love, not anger. Addiction is powerful, but prevention and education can save lives.

Resources:

• Website: Be Extraordinary. Be You
• Book: A Higher Love (Amazon, IngramSpark)
• Advocacy: Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), Parent Action Network