Do What You Can Live With: Navigating Through Addiction and Recovery

Summary In this episode of the Do What You Can Live With podcast, host Brandi Mac and her daughter Brooke discuss their journey through addiction and recovery. They explore the challenges of aftercare, the importance of support systems, and the personal struggles they faced during recovery. The conversation delves into family dynamics, healing, and the growth they have experienced together. They e...

  Summary In this episode, Brandi Mac discusses the complexities of long-term recovery from addiction, focusing on the challenges faced by families and loved ones. She shares her personal experiences and insights on the lack of resources, the impact of societal expectations, and the importance of support systems. Brandi emphasizes the need for comprehensive aftercare programs and critiques current...

In this episode of the Do What You Can Live With podcast, Brandi Mac shares her personal health struggles, the importance of real human connections, and her experiences in the recovery space. She discusses the ethical responsibilities of advocates, the challenges within the treatment industry, and her reluctance to charge families for help. Brandi emphasizes the need for genuine support and the co...

Overdoses are declining in the United States. That is worth celebrating. But what most families do not realize is this: the drug supply is changing fast. And in many ways, it is becoming more unpredictable and more dangerous. In this episode of Do What You Can Live With , Brandi Mac breaks down what is happening behind the headlines: • Why fentanyl purity is dropping and what that actually means •...

Alcohol is the most normalized drug in America and one of the deadliest. In this episode of the Do What You Can Live With Podcast , critical care nurse practitioner and author Brandi Mac exposes how the trillion-dollar alcohol industry shaped the language we use around addiction, influenced federal policy, and helped keep alcohol socially acceptable while millions of families quietly suffer. Alcoh...

What does "rock bottom" really mean when you love a child in active addiction? In this episode of the Do What You Can Live With podcast, I sit down with Melissa Ledesma, a mother who lost her daughter, Angel, to a cocaine overdose in 2023. Not fentanyl. Not opioids. Cocaine. Melissa shares the truth about grief that lingers years later, the shock of reading an autopsy report that did not match pub...

What does it actually take to love your child through active  addiction without losing yourself? Steffy Bailey has been doing  this work for a decade. At the time of this conversation, her son  Nehemiah was approaching six months sober. This conversation goes  past surface-level hope into what fractured marriages, strained  sibling dynamics, protecting grandchildren, and breaking  generational cyc...

In this episode, I talk about the moment I finally let go of trying to control my daughter's addiction and what radical acceptance looked like in real life. I share how fear was running my parenting, how close I came to losing myself completely, and how surrendering shifted our entire relationship. I also share a story from yesterday that still feels unreal: taking my daughter — almost two years i...

Keywords recovery, addiction, advocacy, community, personal growth, storytelling, resilience, Kensington, self-care, support Summary In this episode, Brandi Mac shares personal updates about her family, including her daughter's recovery journey and her own struggles with work-life balance. She discusses her advocacy efforts, including a recent event called Rise for Recovery, where she engaged with...

In this episode, Brandi Mac discusses the complexities of addiction and recovery, emphasizing the broken treatment system, the importance of sober homes, and the need for medicated assisted treatment. She shares personal experiences related to her daughter's recovery from addiction and highlights the significance of hope, compassion, and community support in the recovery process. Brandi advocates...

Summary In this episode, Brandi Mac discusses the complexities of loving someone struggling with addiction, focusing on the importance of setting and adjusting boundaries. She shares personal experiences and insights on how to navigate toxic relationships, the evolution of boundaries over time, and the significance of self-reflection and communication. Brandi emphasizes that while tough love is of...

In this raw and personal episode, Brandi Mac shares what happened when she stopped following the "tough love" narrative and started doing what she could actually live with. From the heartbreak of watching her daughter struggle with addiction to the moment she shaved her head as an act of surrender, Brandi reflects on how peace came not from control, but from radical acceptance. This episode is for...

Summary: In this episode, Brandi Mac discusses her daughter Brooke's journey to sobriety, reflecting on the challenges of addiction, the impact on family relationships, and the importance of appropriate treatment. They explore the nuances of drug use, the effectiveness of medicated assisted treatment, and the experiences within treatment facilities. The conversation emphasizes personal growth, hea...

Summary: In this conversation, Dr. Taylor Nichols discusses his journey from emergency medicine to addiction medicine, emphasizing the importance of harm reduction and addressing stigma in healthcare. He shares insights on pain management, medication-assisted treatment options like Sublocade and Brixadi, and the significance of patient autonomy. The discussion also touches on the challenges famili...

Summary Brandi Mac discusses her journey as a mother of a child with substance use disorder and her own healing process. She talks about the challenges of navigating her daughter's recovery and the impact it has had on their relationship. Brandi also shares her experience with perimenopause and the importance of addressing hormonal imbalances. She emphasizes the need for families to take ownership...

Happy New Year everyone! Brooke and I figured we would start 2024 off with part 2 of her interview. This episode goes more into what happened in Maryland especially concerning her medicated assisted treatment and much more. All of the questions came from followers on social media. The next episode we will be discussing sex trafficking.  Email us @ collateraldamagesucks@gmail.com Resources and webs...

This podcast is raw and real. My daughter came home one week ago to detox and together we made the decision to restart her medicated assisted treatment. This will likely be several parts and a great way to end 2023. Brooke and I want to wish each of you and your family's a very Happy Holiday.  Thank you for sticking around.    https://www.brandimac.com/      

https://www.brandimac.com/ This episode I talk about what it was like having our daughter in active drug use home for Thanksgiving for the first time in 5 years. The day even included family pictures. Those who may be new here my daughter is 23 and struggles substance use disorder. She is an IV drug user and we have been raising our grandson since his first birthday. I also talk about the potentia...

Many have seen the drama on social media when it comes to Sam and I. He not only made a 1 sided podcast but also went live last night sharing a 1 sided view. Hopefully this will answer some of the questions many of you have had.    If you want to learn more about the story there is a playlist called "Sam Davis and Marc" on my Tiktok profile when this all started.  Brandi Mac Tiktok TikTok Link  

This week another mom who has shared her daughters struggles with addiction has experienced the call so many of us fear. Her 20 year old daughter lost her battle to addiction. Please pray for Melissa and the rest of her family grieving the loss of Angel.  Melissa's TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@the.real.melissa Brandi Mac's TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@the_original_brandi_mac Go fund me Go fun...

This episode features an interview with Dr. Stacy Murphy who owns Navigating Addiction which provides family education for treatment centers. Stacy also know what its like love a child with substance use disorder. Her daughter has 11 years of sobriety and understands the struggles that many of us go through.  If you love the podcast please leave a review and follow! Dr. Stacy Murphy  Navigating Ad...

This episode is going to discuss what a bodybroker is, kickbacks, how the affordable care act contributed to many rehab facilities becoming the new "pill mill" following the oxycontin epidemic.  I am sure there are some amazing rehabs but sadly it's impossible to determine which ones those are. If you have been impacted by the "Florida Shuffle" or had an experience with a "body broker" I would lov...

How we got our grandson   AA/NA online meetings: https://aa-intergroup.org/meetings/ Smart Recovery: https://meetings.smartrecovery.org/meetings/ Brandi Mac TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@the_original_brandi_mac   Interested in being on the podcast? Email us @ collateraldamagesucks@gmail.com Join email list to be notified when a new episode drops @ https://collateral-damage-podcast-with-brandi-m...

This is "Rambling with Brandi Mac." I am going to warn you now...there is background noise from the car, but my portable mic should arrive soon decreasing the background noise for future episodes.  This episode includes some bread crumbs on the TikTok creator being interviewed for our first interview series. I talk about being naive in the beginning of this journey #motherofanaddict, when some in...

Have you ever loved someone with substance use disorder and felt alone? Are you currently using or in recovery and feel like your family lacks understanding? Yea well welcome to my f$cking life! I'm Brandi Mac and my daughter battles addiction and her family? Well we are collateral damage and frankly it sucks. This podcast will cover all aspects of addiction with interviews of those in recovery, a...