AllBetter

What happens when a musical business owner wins the lottery twice, wades through the throes of addiction, and then finds his way back to sobriety? How does one navigate the intricate relationship between early patterns of insecurity, substance use, and gambling addiction? Join us as we unravel the extraordinary journey of Zach Cole, who now works in the field of SUD. Witness the power of resilienc...

Ever wondered how one navigates the tumultuous sea of addiction recovery? Join us in an enlightening conversation with Stephanie Fox, the Marketing Director at Mountains Edge Recovery. Get the inside scoop on the partial hospitalization program, the significance of self-care in this field, and how insurance can aid in prolonged recovery periods.  Many of us know someone touched by addiction or are...

Our guest for this episode is Ryan Barba, a former professional golfer whose journey to recovery from addiction is nothing short of extraordinary. Ryan takes us down memory lane with tales from his childhood in North Carolina and Pennsylvania, as well as his passion for golf and skateboarding. He unflinchingly delves into his personal struggles with addiction, guilt, and shame. He also shares his...

Join us as we journey into the extraordinary life of Duncan Maxwell. Hailing from the Netherlands, Duncan's path, which led him all the way to Scranton, Pennsylvania, is a testament to resilience and the transformative power of recovery. We peel back the layers of his past, traversing the cobblestone streets of Amsterdam, the Dutch countryside, the pulsating energy of the EMDR and techno club...

Picture this: A world where AI can create immersive stories faster than any human can. That's the fascinating reality Jonathan Edwards, the award-winning cinematographer and founder of Diamond City Studios, invites us to contemplate in our captivating conversation. We journey together through his trailblazing exploits in the realm of video content creation where AI plays a growing role in cra...

Title: "Not Dying" with Tim Calpin In this episode of Season 3, Episode 58, Joe Van Wie interviews Tim Calpin, a man who went missing for eight months and was at times presumed dead. Tim shares his harrowing experience of living in Kensington, Pennsylvania , a town often associated with opioid-use-disorder, where people are sadly viewed as zombies. Tim discusses his return from the stree...

Chris is a columnist, blogger, editor, writing coach and old-school muckraker for The Times-Tribune. He received a degree in journalism and creative writing from Keystone College in LaPlume in 1997 and began his career with the Times-Tribune the same year. He has been a clerk, regional correspondent, police reporter, feature writer, general assignment reporter, columnist and editor. Chris has won...

Author Spotlight Thirty years ago, I used alcohol, romance, and professional accomplishments to soothe my frayed nerves. After I quit drinking, I found I had a serious thinking problem! Over time, I discovered effective tools from therapy, recovery pro­grams, scientific research, and a variety of philosophical and spiritual teachings to find peace, wisdom, and hope–no matter what is going on in my...

Warrior Spotlight: Meet Kate Favata, Community Relations Liaison I grew up in a middle-class family about 10 minutes from CleanSlate’s Wilkes-Barre center. Growing up, my neighborhood seemed like the perfect suburban community. My parents didn’t lock their doors and loved their country and neighbors. The only reference to drug education we had was Nancy Reagan’s, “Just Say No” campaign and most pe...

For Mary Beth , childhood abuse and other traumas led to substance use disorder (addiction).  Beginning with alcohol at age 12, she spent several years abusing various drugs. She found methamphetamine at 16 and started shooting up at 17. Mary Beth struggled with meth until she was 32 years old. By incorporating ideas from multiple sources to build a secular (not 12-step or faith-based) recovery pl...

Senator Marty Flynn was born and raised in Scranton, PA, and is a graduate of Scranton Preparatory School, class of 1994, where he excelled in baseball, football, and wrestling. He then attended Marywood University, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Legal Studies. While at Marywood, he began boxing, and eventually embarked upon a decade-long professional career. Upon retiring from the...

Dylan was born in San Diego, CA, where he spent the majority of his first 30 years; moving to the NEPA region in 2018. A person in long-term recovery, and a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, Dylan understands the importance of social connectedness and community. Initially getting sober in 2011, Dylan had difficulty finding work and took a volunteer position at Being Alive San Diego where he helped...

Meet Kirk Larkin,    His mission is to help people suffering from substance use disorder. He is able to do this with a decade of experience working directly with families to help loved ones find the treatment centers that work best for them.  We discuss the many topics that are very concerning in the field of Drug and alcohol treatment, especially "Body Brokering". We also chat about hav...

Aileen Van Wie is a  licensed psychologist in the state of Florida and is currently employed at an inpatient psychiatric hospital. Aileen graduated with a doctorate in clinical psychology (PsyD) in May 2021 and, after completing a year-long postdoctoral residency, she also became licensed in August 2022. She has worked at a community mental health center, addiction recovery center (inpatient, IOP,...

Joseph F. Reichmann, Psy. D. i s a clinical psychologist currently residing in Southeast Pennsylvania. He earned his doctorate in psychology from Marywood University. He was commissioned into the Navy in 2014 in order to complete his predoctoral internship at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. He completed his postdoctoral training and served an additional three years at Naval Medical C...

S.A. Blair is a woman in long term-recovery since September 9th, 2016, rebuilding her life after over a decade of self-destruction. With her passion for writing in one hand and her passion for helping people in the other, she wrote her first book, The Difference: a memoir . This book details the heart-wrenching downward spiral into her heroin addiction, recalling multiple expulsions and arrests, s...

 Meet Lori Chaffers, M.S.W., is the new Executive Director for Outreach – Center for Community Resources. Previously, Lori served as the Program Director of the Office of Social Service Research & Development at Lackawanna County Office of Youth and Family Services. Lori was one of the founding co-chairs for the Lackawanna County System of Care, and served on a number of community coalitions a...

Adam Zbegner (PART 2) is a father, husband, and intellectual in recovery. We became friends over twenty years ago from our involvement in a recovery community. We have spent many hours chatting, reviewing books, music, and playing Risk (The Game of Global Domination). Today we meet to discuss a book we decided to read and review this winter titled " The Case Against Reality " How Evoluti...

Adam Zbegner is a father, husband, and intellectual in recovery. We became friends over twenty years ago from our involvement in a recovery community. We have spent many hours chatting, reviewing books, music, and playing Risk (The Game of Global Domination). Today we meet to discuss a book we decided to read and review this winter titled " The Case Against Reality " How Evolution hid th...

Meet Kati Mckendry Clinical Director, MS, LPC, CCS Katie’s primary role is to oversee the clinical programming and staff at Little Creek Lodge and Little Creek Outpatient Services. Katie works to constantly improve the treatment offered at LCL and LCOPS, in order to meet with individual and community needs of the clients we serve. She works closely with the staff to ensure clients and their famili...

Patrick Sandone (Founder and CEO) of Guide App – Patrick is a successful entrepreneur who built and sold his SaaS startup, Net Driven, after building a 100-person team. Prior to Net Driven, he ran his family business, Sandone Tire, for three years and nearly doubled revenues adding more than $10 million by implementing new technology solutions. He is also a former venture capitalist with Monitor C...

Michael Arcangeletti, Executive Director of Clearbrook and Banyan Philadelphia has been working in the field of addiction treatment since 2010. He is a licensed social worker that completed his graduate degree at Marywood University, an undergraduate drgree in Philosophy from Miserordia University and is a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor through the Pennsylvania Certification Board. He has he...

Meet Wyoming County District Attorney Joe Peters  Joe Peters rose from street cop to serving two presidents as a leader in the efforts to combat drug trafficking and battle international terrorism. As a Federal Prosecutor, Joe’s accomplishments include the convictions of Philadelphia Mob Boss “ Little Nicky ” Scarfo , his underboss, and 16 mob soldiers in a 3-month trial before an anonymous and se...

Danelle Marushock is a Certified Recovery Specialist Supervisor with six years of experience working in the drug and alcohol field. Danelle is committed to connecting with individuals by meeting them where they are at in their own journey by offering support, compassion and understanding Sober since December 26 2015, Danelle is active in her recovery community. When not at The Recovery Bank, you c...

      About 14 years ago, I found myself in car with my friend Mark Loughney. I picked him up randomly as he was completing a hike through Dunmore, PA, and we decided to hit a meeting. He had a backpack & supplies, but the pack wasn't filled with granola. It was unexpectedly filled with many insects, and foraged beatles collected with great care, and affection. We discuss this today, beat...