The Addiction Podcast-Point of No Return

Well obviously my name is Josh. Basically in a nutshell as it were I was a careered musician and was very successful in many capacities. I once owned a recording studio with Gordon Raphael (producer of the strokes & Regina Spektor) after getting my own record deal I worked on my debut album with Anthony Braun Perry and Scott Montoya (both from the band the growlers) and was well on my way. I h...

On October 4, 2016, the trajectory of Jeff's life changed with one phone call. Prior to that day, Jeff was living the American Dream. He had a great family, was a successful entrepreneur running a financial services firm in Iowa, and was seemingly coasting through life. The morning of October 4, 2016 Jeff received the phone call that is every parent's worst nightmare. His oldest son, Seth, had die...

"Big Al" Szolack (born 1950) is a retired American basketball player best known for his time spent on the Washington Generals, the traveling exhibition team who plays against, and always loses to, the Harlem Globetrotters. He played for just the 1974–75 season, one in which the Generals lost all 245 contests. Szolack became a favorite among the Globetrotters and was selected as the "unwitting" par...

Aaron Reed accepted an International teaching position at a prestigious prep school in S.E. Asia, and in 2006, he and his wife relocated their lives to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.  Soon after the birth of his daughter in 2009, he found myself swallowed into the belly of the city's drug scene with a raging meth addiction.  Within months he was recruited as a drug mule working for both the Nigerian and Kh...

Dr. Tracy Strawberry is an international speaker, published author, CEO,  and wife of baseball legend Darryl Strawberry. After many years of battling addiction, alcoholism and other life controlling issues, Tracy surrendered her life to Jesus Christ and experienced a radical life transformation through the power of God and the process of change. By sharing her testimony openly, with biblical solut...

Robert grew up in small town Georgia, admittedly more interested in sports and the outdoors than academics. He graduated high school in 1998, attended Marion Military Institute from 1999-2000 and earned a Bachelor of Science from the United States Air Force Academy in 2003. Earning the rank of 2nd Lieutenant at graduation, Robert went on to flight training, first at Vance AFB, then being awarded h...

Author Peter E. Murphy looks forward to celebrating his 50th year of sobriety after waking up in a gutter when he was 21. He has since fashioned a life of service to others by leading hundreds of workshops for thousands of writers and teachers in the United States and abroad. In addition to being the founder of Murphy Writing of Stockton University, Peter has been a consultant to numerous organiza...

Andrew Zimmern knew from a young age he wanted a career in food. After attending The Dalton School and Vassar College, he cooked in New York City restaurants for Anne Rosenzweig, Joachim Splichal and Thomas Keller, amongst others. Andrew helped open and run a dozen restaurants, and at the same time was also an addict spiraling out of control. After a year spent living on the streets, an interventi...

Danny Strong is a multi-award winning writer, director, actor, producer who is the creator, showrunner and director of the hit Hulu series Dopesick, starring Michael Keaton and Rosario Dawson. He was also the co-creator, executive producer, writer and director for the hit FOX series Empire. He also wrote the screenplays for the films Recount, Game Change, The Butler, Rebel in the Rye (which he als...

Rick Mountcastle served as a federal prosecutor for more than 32 years, first at the Department of Justice and later at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Virginia. As a senior trial attorney in DOJ's Criminal Tax Enforcement Section, he prosecuted criminal tax cases throughout the United States.  In 1993, Rick was awarded DOJ's highest honor, the Attorney General's Award for t...

Mary Sue is a film editor, filmmaker and video journalist. She specializes in Avid editing, and also shoots and produces her own independent films. Mary Sue has worked on feature documentaries as well as TV segments, news clips, ads, promos and online content. Mary Sue divides her time between Brooklyn, New York and Ireland.  Mary Sue Connolly is an Irish filmmaker and former Editor/Producer for C...

Pam Gaslow designed catalogs for J. Crew, performed stand-up comedy, even worked as Henri Bendel's only female security guard. Pam Gaslow has had an eventful life -- including once being threatened by her family with disownment over her Depressed Hot Girl blog -- and it's about to get even more so with her first-personal confessional, "DON'T BRING YOUR VIBRATOR TO REHAB: A Somewhat Comedic Memoir....

Brian is a graduate of Penn State University and The University of Pittsburgh School of Law. He has been in long term recovery from alcohol, cocaine and bulimia since April of 2007. Recognized for his memoir, The Addicted Lawyer: Tales of the Bar, Booze, Blow, and Redemption, an unflinching look at how addiction and other mental health issues shattered his successful career, he frequently speaks o...

Ed Bisch's son died of an overdose of Oxycontin.  Ed didn't sit by.  He started researching Oxycontin and its manufacturer - Purdue Pharma; AND the family behind it - The Sacklers.  He has been fighting this battle for years and doesn't see giving up until both the company and the family are made to take responsibility for the countless deaths due to oxycontin addiction and overdose. In December 2...

Ashley Bedsole:  I am a stay at home mom to four kids, 3 boys and a little girl. I homeschool my oldest 2 boys and my two toddlers.  I also  run the household. I started my blog in August of 2021- a year after my father passed away. I started off writing about grief and loss, family life, addiction and recovery. Once I started writing about the experience my husband and I had in treatment together...

With the recent series on Hulu - Dopesick (based on the book by Beth Macy) - there is even more light to be shed on the shady tactics by Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family.  This podcast features kick-ass, freedom fighter mom Cynthia Munger; and best selling author of the book - Pharma - Gerald Posner.  Together they discuss the recent bankruptcy ruling and what's in store for the Sacklers going...

Mike Grant recently published a book called (Re)Making A Sandwich. It's a creative nonfiction memoir that follows him for 6 years as he goes through treatment to fulfill the requirements of an intensive diversion program for habitual drunk drivers. Early in his recovery he started running as a way to manage emotions and stress. He was running to parks with his son who was 4 when he got sober, whic...

Leigh was born and raised in Los Angeles by his parents, a teacher and librarian. He obtained both his undergraduate and law degrees from Cal where he was student body president during each tenure. Leigh has represented many of the most successful athletes and coaches in football, basketball, baseball, hockey, boxing, golf, etc., including the number one overall pick in the NFL draft for an unprec...

Constance Scharff, PhD is an internationally recognized speaker and author on the topics of addiction recovery and mental health. She most recently served Rock to Recovery, a music-based addiction and trauma treatment program, as VP Business Development, and Science and Research Chair. Previously, Dr. Scharff was Senior Addiction Research Fellow and Director of Addiction Research for a luxury addi...

My name is Tracy and I am a 54 year old single mom in CT. I was in a car accident in 2000 that resulted in back surgery, and subsequently the prescription of opioids which lasted 20 years. I took them as prescribed as I thought I needed them for pain and trusted the doctors. Over the years I had asked about getting off of them and when I would try I would be so sick so fast and too ashamed to cope...

Candace Plattor is an Addictions Therapist in private practice, where she specializes in working with the family and other loved ones of people who are struggling with addiction, in her unique and signature Family Addiction Counselling and Therapy Program. As a former opioid addict with 34 years clean and sober now, Candace has learned that overcoming addiction is a family condition: everyone in t...

Admiral (ret) Sandy Winnefeld and his wife, Mary, founded SAFE (Stop the Addiction Fatality Epidemic) after their son died of an accidental fentanyl overdose.  They later hired Brandee Izquierdo - herself an addict in recovery - to run the organization.  Together they are making a huge difference in tackling the addiction pandemic.  Learn more here:  https://www.safeproject.us/

A strong proponent of balancing advocacy and accountability, Dr. Kraft consults at the collegiate and professional levels championing the development of critical thinking skills in relation to mental health. As the founder and CEO of Camille Kraft Consulting, Camille has had the privilege of working with a first-turned-third round NFL draft pick and a former 14-year NFL veteran battling substance...

Joseph Carlucci Adevai is Senior Pastor and Founder of Grace Church of North Brunswick, NJ. He is also the former CEO of Serenity Springs Recovery a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in Edgewater, Fla. He worked on Wall St. for 25 Years and retired in 2009 as SVP of a $70 billion-dollar company. He pastors full time and still invests to support his family. He has been married to Alicia Adevai...

After spending almost 20 years struggling with addiction Paul finally made the conscious decision change. With 1 year left on his decade long prison stay he began to work on himself from the inside out. Through internal work and a shift in his mindset he has been able to stay clean while building a successful coaching business. Today he is able to help others become their best self though fitness,...