The Truth About Addiction

Growing up in Sydney West, Nathan was surrounded by drugs and criminals. At a young age, he idolised and longed for the lifestyle where everyone else had all the ‘good stuff’. Nathan got into drugs and gangs by the age of 15. He found that while using, he didn’t care about anyone or anything. He would get extremely violent and get involved in many fights. Nathan ultimately spent 12 years in total in maximum security prisons, where at one point, he was stabbed 9 times and survived the ordeal.

Nathan fell in love with painting during his incarceration. He finally found what arts could do for him, emotionally and spiritually. He could understand himself and could freely express himself in positive lights, in contrast to how drugs affected him. Nathan is now delivering his empowering artworks to collectors all around the world. 

Check out his gallery at  https://nathanpaddison.com/
Instagram @nathanpaddisonart

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Sonya, in her young world, had the perfect life until her father left when she was 8 years old. Sonya’s mother was a functioning alcoholic. Sadly, her mother got involved with another heavy alcoholic, although Sonya was happy to find love from a ‘father’ that she had been craving for. Her step father gave her everything she asked for, including cigarettes and ecstasy. She finally understood that he was doing so in order to groom her. 

Sonya recounts her story of experiencing traumas as a teenager, being sexually abused by her step-father, getting pregnant, having an abortion and the baby’s father passed away due to an overdose. Sonya was trying to fill up the void by having male attention, so she moved on quickly between relationships. When she finally found her drug of choice, cocaine, things rapidly took a turn for the worse.

Sonya had a story to tell and to inspire. Listen to how she went through detoxing and her desperate fight to have her baby boys back in her life. Now Sonya uses her lived experience to help other women who are going through the same thing she did, to help them unify with their children. 

‘All of our pain has a purpose’.

Instagram @sonyajohnson0719   
YouTube @hopeshotrecovery

www.thetruthaboutaddiction.com.au

Benjamin Lerner is a Vermont-based Composer, Writer, Radio Host, and Recovery Advocate. With music and words run in the family, Benjamin is a classical piano prodigy, with an outstanding flow of lyrical rap. 

‘I came from privileged.’ - Benjamin. He was a smart kid, aced his papers easily and knew what he wanted in life. Until the alcohol caught up. With heavy alcoholism, drugs use, dropping out of schools and multiple car crashes under the influence, Benjamin had been to multiple rehabs and was introduced to meetings. He believes that if his mum wasn’t in recovery, he wouldn’t be where he is now. 

Benjamin narrates his journey in addiction and sobriety through his empowering words and music. Check out his album, CLEAN - the ultimate hip-hop meets classical, and radio program, CLEAN Jams, which focus on rap, hip-hop, and recovery. Working an average of 80 hours a week on his radio show, magazines, and social networks, Benjamin always sets time aside to have deep discussions with people about their mental health and recovery. He is, all in all, just a superb human being.

Instagram @benjamin.lerner 
https://benjaminlerner.com/ 

Caroline has a great message in her book Downstairs Church: Finding Hope in The Grit of Addiction and Trauma Recovery. Not an ordinary story of a woman finding recovery, Caroline has gone through many significant traumas in life. She found alcohol and drugs and fell in love with the new ways of ‘escapism’. When Caroline first attended meetings, she felt connected with other people’s stories and a sense of belonging. 

Caroline started her recovery journey at 28 years of age, she is now 41, married, with a partner who is a scientist and beautiful twin babies. With 20 years in leadership within social work and ministry, Caroline has won and dedicated her time in many addiction recovery programs across the globe. Join her storytelling platform Bright Story Shine, and follows her journey on Instagram @carolinebeidler_official

https://www.carolinebeidler.com/

www.thetruthaboutaddiction.com.au 

Leonard left school in year 7. He couldn’t read or write at that stage. He was getting in and out of prison as a teenager and picked up his first drugs in between those sentences. As the addiction got serious, his crime got serious too. Leonard had been in A, D and H Division at Pentridge, Bendigo, Ballarat, Dhurringile and various other Correctional Centres, but the worst prison for him is ‘the prison of the mind’. 

His recovery journey began when Leonard was first introduced to meetings in 1989. Leonard went through multiple relapses, and in the final stint of his arrest for supplying drugs, Leonard got bail to a private rehab, where he stayed clean and recently just celebrated 17 years clean and sober.

Leonard is now the Founder and CEO of Vicdor Living Centre, a not-for-profit organisation that provides support for people in their recovery journey of substance abuse. 

http://www.leonardottone.com/vlc 

www.thetruthaboutaddiction.com.au 

Johnny Lewis is well known as Australia’s greatest fight trainer, who has trained six World Boxing Champions. To me, he is a good old family friend that I have known forever since my childhood days. ‘I’m not a toughie, I’m a sook.’ - Johnny Lewis

John grew up in Erskineville, with the Erskineville Oval being his proud backyard. John never has a bad thing to say about anything. His intention is always to help, and that’s what he’s been doing his whole life, being a good friend, good trainer, good neighbour, great humanitarian and just a good human being as a whole. John thinks the Indigenous People are the best race on earth and always shows his love for them. 

Today at 78 years young, he is still training fighters with a passion and a champion mindset.  

www.thetruthaboutaddiction.com.au 

On today’s episode, I had a really good chat with my friend and tattooist, Rhys Gordon, whom I have known for nearly 30 years. We discussed tattoos, our addiction in tattoos and our ‘beginnings’ before tattoos became the ‘normal’ form of self expression.  

I had a chance to extensively narrate my story of the journey to getting my bodysuit done. Tattoos actually opened up doors for me to meet many good people, people that have my complete respect and kept as friends in my heart. 

We discussed the different eras of tattoos, the tradition and modern tattoists, and the big names in the industry: Paul Braniff, Filip Leu, Ron Ackers, Mike Malone, Ed Hardy, Jack Rudy, Greg James, Freddy Corbin, Kari Barba… 

On another note, do yourself a favour, visit Little Tokyo in Sydney. Here, you will find the best tattoo studio in the world, and Rhys is the man - the only person that I have let tattoo myself and my family in the past 20 years. 

@littletokyo @rhysgordon

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Lucky Diamond Rich is well known as the most tattooed person on earth. This street artist, performer and Guinness World Records holder is one of the most recognisable person you ever come across. 

Lucky, an Indigenous Australian man, grew up around domestic violence. When a community circus group went to his school in West End, Brisbane to teach basic circus skills, he took to it like a duck to water. Lucky’s escapism was through arts and circus performing. 
 Lucky never discovered substances until the legal age of 18, when he found alcohol to be ‘the best thing ever’. His self esteem came from being accepted by people, when he performed, when people told him what he wanted to hear. He was a people pleaser. Lucky traveled around the world performing and partying hard for a long time, which gradually led him down to the path of destruction. 

In this episode, Lucky narrates his life story from his childhood, to the discovery of his passion in circus, drugs and tattoos, and finally the gift of recovery. Lucky is 6 years clean and sober. 

Instagram @theofficialluckyrich

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Disclaimer: Photo of Lucky was taken from Guinness World Records webpage

Mary remembers her father as the most dedicated, passionate doctor and a loving father. When her father went to AA to stop the drinking, Mary decided that she would do the same, stop drinking and partying as well. In her early 20s, Mary dreamt of being a lawyer, so here she is today, an absolutely beautiful, intelligent, thriving strong woman who is a highly respected barrister. She is also a devoted mental health and human rights advocate. 

Mary talks about her childhood, her family, about working on herself, finding spirituality and her healing journey, and most of all, being your authentic self.

Youtube @marykeaney
Instagram @likejimisaid

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‘Everybody in the fire brigade knew I was a junkie’. Dan Resnick disclosed his early days as a fire fighter who was always nodding off on heroin. From the age of 15, Dan was smoking pot everyday, then gradually acid and heroin were introduced into his life. Heroin was his love, and so ‘that started off his journey as a junkie’.

Dan shares some funny stories on his multiple detox attempts, doctor shopping for prescription drugs, and the one time when he was beguiled into being the voluntarily unpaid/unsuspected international drug mule. 

Dan is 35 years clean today.