Got a Light?

For 37 years, Sal lived a life consumed by addiction, violence, crime, and incarceration. What began as a 13-year-old boy experimenting with methamphetamine eventually became decades of destructive decisions, prison sentences, gang involvement, and relationships torn apart by addiction. Born in Chico, California, and raised in Shasta County, Sal grew up surrounded by instability, substance use, an...

Sam’s journey is a powerful testament to survival, resilience, and the transformational power of connection. Born into a world shaped by addiction, Sam was taken from her mother at three years old, navigating abusive foster homes before moving into a family environment marked by severe physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, deep isolation, and strict control. Finding a temporary escape in competit...

Chris grew up in Orange County, California, throwing an 85 mph fastball at fourteen with a bright future ahead. Behind the athletic talent, however, was a childhood fractured by severe physical abuse and a deep-seated need for control. Within weeks of trying crank (methamphetamine) at age fourteen, Chris was kicked off his basketball team, ran away from home, and was arrested for four first-degree...

Kelly’s story is a powerful reminder that addiction does not discriminate and that even after years of darkness, a life of freedom, purpose, and redemption is possible. Raised in a loving, hardworking family in Redding, California, Kelly never imagined that experimenting with OxyContin during his senior year of high school would lead to more than a decade of addiction. What initially gave him conf...

This episode is different. There’s no guest and no interview, just the story behind why Got a Light? exists. Addiction has shaped my life since childhood. I lost my father to suicide when I was 12 after his struggle with a methamphetamine addiction. In the years that followed, I watched my mom struggle with alcohol, drugs, depression, overdoses, suicide attempts, DUIs and treatment. For a long tim...

From Under the Bridge to a Life of Purpose | Matthew’s 35-Year Journey Through Addiction and Recovery. For 35 years, Matthew lived in the grip of addiction. Alcohol, drugs, homelessness, broken relationships, jail, shame, and isolation became his reality. His darkest moments were spent living under a bridge, convinced he was beyond saving and hoping he simply wouldn’t wake up the next morning. Tod...

In this episode of Got a Light?, Rich sits down with Bryce, who is nearly one year sober after a devastating addiction to nitrous oxide, also known as whippets. Bryce shares how boredom, pain, and easy access led him into a habit that quickly took over his life. What started as a way to numb physical pain eventually cost him money, relationships, freedom, and nearly his ability to walk. After expe...

In this powerful episode of Got a Light?, Rich sits down with Nick, a 36-year-old father of five who has been sober for over six and a half years. Nick shares a raw and honest account of addiction, homelessness, incarceration, abandonment, trauma, and ultimately redemption. At his lowest point, Nick was homeless, estranged from his family, separated from his children for nearly a decade, and convi...

In this powerful episode of Got a Light?, Rich sits down with Quintin, a Marine Corps veteran whose battle with cocaine addiction began after leaving the military and losing the identity, structure, and brotherhood that had shaped his life. Quintin opens up about the darkness of addiction: using cocaine nearly every day, going days without sleep or food, losing weight, borrowing money, damaging re...

Rich sits down with his friend Dan, a college football coach who shares the story of how alcohol slowly became part of his identity, ultimately leading him to a devastating rock-bottom moment that nearly cost him everything. What began as social drinking turned into a lifestyle built on false confidence, hidden anxiety, and destructive decisions. After a traumatic personal failure forced him to co...

In this powerful episode of Got a Light?, Rich sits down with Bryan to talk about alcoholism, shame, suicidal thoughts, recovery, faith, family, and redemption. Bryan shares the reality of reaching a place where he no longer wanted to drink but could not stop. He opens up about the insanity of addiction, hiding bottles, trying to manage his drinking, going through withdrawals, and the crushing sha...

In this powerful episode of Got a Light, Rich sits down with his longtime friend Tyler for a raw conversation about addiction, relapse, recovery, and rebuilding a life from the ground up. Tyler opens up about growing up as the life of the party, how alcohol and cocaine slowly took control, and the moments when partying turned into lost jobs, DUIs, broken trust, isolation, and deep shame. He shares...

In this episode I sit down with Adam to talk about addiction, childhood trauma, faith, recovery, and rebuilding a life from the ground up. Adam shares his journey from growing up around addiction, falling into heroin, meth, and pills at a young age, facing prison time, and ultimately finding sobriety through faith, accountability, the Good News Rescue Mission, and community. This conversation is a...