Hard Knox Talks: Your Addiction Podcast

Send us Fan Mail “I tried to stab my brother, then I went for the cop's gun. I was just done with it all.” Todd is a podcaster, author, and person in recovery from Indian Head, SK. He spent years lost in addiction, he had endless plans to end it all. Down the path of suicidal ideation it got darker and darker, but it wasn't until it nearly went pitch black that Todd found what he needed,...

Send us Fan Mail From undercover drug enforcement to the guns and gangs unit, to Detective Sergeant specializing in complex investigations with the Saskatoon City Police Service, there isn't much Matt hasn't seen. As a husband and a father of 4 Matt knows the fears that people face when thinking of the terrible things that happen on these mean streets. He's seen more than you want t...

Send us Fan Mail Cody is a motivational speaker, his purpose comes from pain. "I was committed and I jumped, but I woke up on the floor. The belt broke." Cody survived a horrific car crash. And while the crash didn't kill him, the trauma nearly did. "The 2 most defining moments of my life were the day I jumped, and the day I found my purpose." Tune in this week and listen...

Send us Fan Mail "They gave me 6 months to live, that wasn't enough to shake me." Quinn has been in it. Drug dealing, gun violence, robbery. He's walked a dark road. "I was contemplating a triple homicide. But in that moment I had a moment of clarity that changed my life." Join us this week for this conversation about Quinn's life and how he went from dying in a...

Send us Fan Mail From the Knockin' Doorz Down Podcast, Jason LaChance has a story to tell. "After going through a divorce, and becoming a single father I started my journey of confronting that I was an alcoholic. As I began to embrace my addiction and speak with others openly about it, I realized I needed a change to have a more purposeful life helping others." We aren't standi...

Send us Fan Mail C is a writer and advocate interested in prison/criminal justice reform, LGBTQ rights, harm reduction and government/cultural criticism. She has studied history/theology with the Third Order of Carmelites and completed degrees in Systematic Theology. She is currently studying law. C has also had walked a jaded path to where she is today. From foster care, to sex work and substance...

Send us Fan Mail In 1989 Joe Roberts was living on the streets of Vancouver as a homeless skid row addict. Through perseverance, determination and his resilient human spirit, Joe pulled himself out of darkness and despair, to become a highly respected business and community leader. Today, Joe travels the world carrying his message of hope in an honest, relatable, raw, and unforgettable way. You wo...

Send us Fan Mail Megan is an X-Ray Tech, she works in an ER. She is also a woman in recovery from substance use disorder. "Seeing the realities of addiction at work every day really helped me look in the mirror and see my own challenges." Now that she has found a safer way to live, she has turned to service and the community noticed. So join us this week live and interactive, as we #take...

Send us Fan Mail "Harm reduction is kindness, this world is cruel enough." Jennifer is a front line Nurse for Alberta Health Services, she has had many powerful experiences working along peer support workers in harm reduction environments. I was fortunate enough to sit in on her TED X style talk at the Canadian Society of Addictions Medicine Conference in Saskatoon, SK this past November...

Send us Fan Mail Dwayne was our very first guest on Hard Knox Talks almost 2 years ago. As a person in long term recovery and a seasoned addictions services provider he brings some very meaningful insight to the table. From going over the weir in Calgary and losing his friend, to being the healer and advocate his is today Dwayne's words will surely bring healing and wisdom to this conversatio...

Send us Fan Mail Ben is a law professor at the University of British Columbia Peter A. Allard School of Law. He is also the author of the book "Overdose: Heartbreak and Hope in Canada’s Opioid Crisis" “Overdose is a necessary and searching investigation into a devastating epidemic that should never have happened. Benjamin Perrin painstakingly shows that it need not continue if we, as a s...

Send us Fan Mail "Hi, I’m Dan Karaty and I’m an alcoh-… Well, if I’m being honest, it’s more complicated than that." Dan’s career started as a dancer on Broadway and on award show stages with Britney Spears. After transitioning to a choreographer, he worked with Britney Spears, NSYNC, Jessica Simpson, Kylie Minogue, Justin Timberlake and Usher. Although he quickly became known for his wo...

Send us Fan Mail "In June of 1996 I woke up in a hospital bed, stripped to the waist with an IV in my arm. I had no idea how I got there." Mark is a person in long term recovery. 26 years. Today Mark uses his lived experience and his education to help others. "I graduated in June with a degree in sociology (honours) and a certificate in criminology and addictions." What is he d...

Send us Fan Mail "My mom called me, my dealer had reached out to her, at work. I owed him money." Colin is a Chef, been at it over 10 years. 5 of those years he was lost in addiction. "A couple of my friends overdosed and died, I didn't want to go out like that." Today, he wants top carry his message of hope and healing on this cold Christmas night. "I learned that it...

Send us Fan Mail "My clean date is December 5th 2001 that is also the anniversary of my suicide attempt." G. Dad is an artist and a festival vendor. "I made my first tie-dyes in a hotel bathtub in late 1985, fall tour with a guy named “veggie” and his buddy “chicken.” We ruined that bathtub before we checked out and then we went and ruined a laundromat around the corner and boom tha...

Send us Fan Mail "I didn't know I was in Trouble until I was in the hospital. But even knowing didn't stop me." Jill is the founder and CEO of a substance use research company in British Columbia, BC. "I was dying, I'll never forget my Father crying as he begged me to go to treatment." Today Jill has achieved long term abstinence from the substances that just abo...

Send us Fan Mail Rand has been working in the addictions field in Saskatchewan for 40+ years. His focuses typically on youth and while he does agree that harm reduction saves lives, he believes unfettered access to a regulated supply would bring more harm than good. So what's the answer then? How do we accommodate those who are lost in active addiction with no desire to change? These are ques...

Send us Fan Mail "I woke up in a jail cell, I just kept wishing it was a bad dream." Jason is a person in recovery. He is also the Vice President of revenue operations for a health care tech company, and a published author. "It took months for me to realize there was another way to live." With his lived experience, Jason also gets real loud about his journey in hopes that his e...

Send us Fan Mail Nathaniel Day is the Medical Director of the Virtual Opioid Dependency Program in Alberta. He's passionate about helping people who struggle with substance because he's seen the system fail people first hand. Join us this week for an engaging and interactive conversation about why led him to develop this program, how it works, and perhaps some ways we can advocate to bri...

Send us Fan Mail Allan is a successful keynote speaker and Men's mental health advocate in Saskatoon, SK. He is also a published best selling author and person in long term recovery from substance use disorder. In Fact, we're going to be hearing him read a little from one of his books, MENtal Health: It's Time To Talk. So join us for this engaging conversation about hardships and he...

Send us Fan Mail Starla Pelletier is a person living with HIV here in Saskatoon, SK. She is joining us to share her journey. "I've never talked publicly about this, but I am who I am and there is no reason to hide. AIDS is not a death sentence." Dr. Larissa Kiesman is a leading expert on this topic, also in Saskatoon, and she works diligently to face the associated challenge with HI...

Send us Fan Mail "I was living in a cellar because I was on the run, I couldn't go home." Tracy is a person in long term recovery. "I promised my unborn baby that he would never grow up with addiction in his house hold, I've kept that promise for 8 years, and counting." Join us this week as we have a conversation about her life both in addiction, and in finding a safe...

Send us Fan Mail Social worker, consultant, educator at the University of Regina, and Fierce harm reduction advocate Erin Beckwell is joining us this week to get real about what is happening in this province. We're going to talk about as much as we can and we're going to put her in the hot seat to find out how she really feels about drug policy in Saskatchewan, and how we can move closer...

Send us Fan Mail Boyce is a person in recovery from substance use disorder. Jenny is his wife that stood by him as best she could all along the way. Tune in this week and listen to their story and how peer support groups helped them both find the meaningful and productive lives they have today. You won't want to miss this one friends as we address this family affliction, with family solutions...

Send us Fan Mail Melanie's Family runs Prairie Sky Recovery Centre in Leipzig, SK. She is also a person in recovery from both a substance use disorder and an eating disorder. Join us this week to hear about what it was like for her growing up around AA but still falling into the grips of addiction. "The solution was always right there, I just never realized it." You won't want...