Hard Knox Talks: Your Addiction Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Kevin’s alcoholism hid in plain sight. Raised in a culture where heavy drinking was normalized and rewarded, alcohol slowly became a necessity rather than a choice. Years of bartending and constant access accelerated the damage until his body began to fail — hallucinations, blackouts, internal bleeding, and repeated hospitalizations ending in a diagnosis no one expects: end-stage...

Send us Fan Mail Ernie Leon grew up surrounded by addiction, gang violence, and incarceration in South Phoenix. Raised by parents struggling with heroin addiction, exposed early to drugs, gangs, and loss, his life moved quickly into crime, meth addiction, and the prison system. What followed was years of violence, survival, and deep spiritual conflict. Meth didn’t just take Ernie deeper into addic...

Send us Fan Mail If you want to witness the transformative power of Jesus Christ this Christmas season, this one is for you. Shannon Stevens’ addiction began long before drugs entered her life. Childhood sexual abuse, the violent murder of her grandmother, and years of living in fear left her nervous system locked in survival. By 12, drugs and alcohol became a way to numb terror she couldn’t yet n...

Send us Fan Mail Ellie’s life unraveled fast — from early abuse and family chaos to substance use and a deadly overdose that left her without a heartbeat for several minutes. Revived after six hits of Narcan, she woke up with a second chance and a mission: to live. In this raw and powerful story, Ellie shares how addiction nearly killed her and how recovery gave her a reason to keep breathing. She...

Send us Fan Mail When Chelsea Brown’s partner was diagnosed with schizophrenia and later took his own life, her world collapsed overnight. Within weeks, she went from a stay-at-home hockey mom to sleeping in trap houses, using meth, and running for her life. What followed was years of violence, addiction, and survival — including being shot in the head by an abusive partner, miscarriages from repe...

Send us Fan Mail When Boston was deep in meth psychosis, he believed he was opening a portal to the demonic. Covered in self-inflicted wounds, living in trap houses surrounded by violence, he thought there was no coming back. But what he experienced next changed everything. Boston’s story bridges addiction, faith, and the supernatural. From years of using and surviving near-death experiences to wr...

Send us Fan Mail When Arend was pistol-whipped during a drug deal gone wrong, it wasn’t the first time he’d stared down a gun. But it was one of the moments that forced him to look at what his life had become. Raised by a single mother in a home marked by violence and survival, Arend grew up watching abuse, bouncing between cities, and learning early how to hide pain. By grade seven, he was drinki...

Send us Fan Mail At three years old, Derek Racette burned a trailer to the ground — the same trailer where he had been sexually assaulted by a family member. Decades later, after years of addiction, violence, and loss, he finally understood why. Derek’s story traces a lifetime of pain, power, and redemption — from growing up in a home filled with addiction and violence, to becoming a teacher, drug...

Send us Fan Mail Lexi Gibson’s story begins in foster care, shaped by violence, addiction, and the ache of never feeling wanted. By her teens, she was homeless, gang-involved, and surviving through chaos. Years later, in a dark field, stripped and left for dead, she thought her life was over — but that moment became her turning point. From addiction and violence to recovery and motherhood, Lexi’s...

Send us Fan Mail When Tanya Ironchild hit her knees on the bathroom floor, she didn’t just drop to pray — she surrendered to something greater. After years of addiction, violence, and spiritual warfare, Tanya’s breaking point became her turning point. Born and raised in Regina, Saskatchewan, Tanya’s early years were marked by chaos — witnessing violence in her home, enduring sexual assault, and gr...

Send us Fan Mail Cesar Cardona grew up torn between two worlds — New York and Jacksonville, Black and Spanish, intellect and street life. Rejected by both sides of his family, he found belonging in violence, drugs, and gangs. By 15 he was running guns and robbing people; by 20 he owned a house and was selling sex to survive. But after nearly losing his life in a brutal assault, Cesar’s path took a...

Send us Fan Mail Growing up surrounded by addiction, Myrna knew recovery long before she ever needed it. Born into a family of AA members but raised amid chaos, violence, and neglect, she found herself repeating the same cycles she swore she’d escape. From losing everything in addiction, including her children, to fighting through family court and finding faith through service work, this is a raw...

Send us Fan Mail Adam Boyd grew up in chaos — the child of an alcoholic, bullied and angry, pulled into street life early. By adulthood, he’d been falsely imprisoned, lost contact with his children, and was drowning in alcohol and gambling. At his lowest, he weighed 600 pounds, couldn’t walk, and was drinking himself to death. But then something shifted. In this episode, Adam shares the real story...

Send us Fan Mail Trish's story is one of deep trauma, family violence, addiction, and survival. From hiding in closets during violent outbursts as a child, to discovering her biological father through a birth certificate, to losing her cousin Neil Stonechild in the notorious “Starlight Tour,” her pain ran deep. She survived brutal domestic abuse, was found unconscious in a bathtub by her daug...

Send us Fan Mail  Riley’s story takes us deep into the world of addiction, drug trafficking, paranoia, and ultimately recovery. From selling weed as a teenager to moving pounds of drugs through the Dark Web, Riley lived like his life was a movie—until the money, power, and paranoia consumed him. After near misses with law enforcement, psychosis, and losing everything, he found recovery, reconnecte...

Send us Fan Mail Kaliegh River shares her journey of survival, resilience, and healing after years of intimate partner violence, addiction, and intergenerational trauma. From escaping a life-threatening relationship to finding her voice through poetry, Kaliegh speaks on breaking cycles, reclaiming culture, and raising her daughter in sobriety. Her story is one of perseverance, spirituality, and tr...

Send us Fan Mail Thomas grew up surrounded by guns, drugs, and violent men. At 14, he was raped. At 16, he was tortured with bats and boiling water by a biker gang. At 24, he was second in command of a violent Nazi movement. But a suicide attempt, a spiritual shift, and a raw surrender to recovery changed everything. Today, Thomas leads one of Europe’s largest clean and sober motorcycle clubs. Thi...

Send us Fan Mail From a near-death overdose to an encounter with Jesus in a diner, Adam Vibe Gunton's story isn’t just intense—it’s transformational. In this episode, Adam shares how the tragic loss of a friend led to years of addiction, and how surrender, spiritual awakening, and rapid action in recovery finally brought lasting change. Now the founder of Recovered on Purpose , Adam helps oth...

Send us Fan Mail Jacob didn’t think he had a drinking problem—he had a stocked bar, a man cave, and a fridge full of beer. But beneath the surface, his organs were shutting down. What began as casual drinking escalated into secrecy, daily dependence, and health collapse. His liver began to fail. Doctors said palliative care. But a lifeline arrived. This is a story of denial, disease, and the power...

Send us Fan Mail Sean was interrogated by federal agents. They were asking him to turn informant. And he did. That moment — terrifying, surreal — was the culmination of years spent running from trauma, shame, and addiction. Raised Mormon and queer, Sean lived in silence and meth helped him feel connected and accepted. But it almost killed him. From suicide attempts rising to the top of Washington...

Send us Fan Mail By age 13, Hailey was self-harming. At 16, she was living in a trap house, using meth and heroin, and hiding across the street from her mother’s school. Her addiction escalated to fentanyl, psychosis, and multiple stints in treatment. She once traded a 65-inch TV for a single pill. But when her body started rejecting the drugs, she knew she had to change — or die. Today, Hailey is...

Send us Fan Mail Coralee is a Métis mother, registered nurse, and a person in long-term recovery. She lived years as a high-functioning addict—passing meds at work while hiding her own substance use. One night, after taking a handful of pills and drinking, she collapsed, fell down the stairs, and nearly died. In that moment, everything changed. In this powerful episode, Coralee shares how ketamine...

Send us Fan Mail Melissa Gissy is a mother of four, a survivor of human trafficking, addiction, and trauma, and a woman in long-term recovery. After a string of DUIs, a Xanax dependency, and postpartum depression, Melissa relapsed the day after treatment—and drove home to end her life. In the basement, she saw a figure. Heard a voice. And everything changed. Today, she’s a published author and adv...

Send us Fan Mail Jimmy was deep in meth psychosis, paranoid and hallucinating parasites in his body. At his worst, he showered with raw meat to “cleanse” himself—leaving blood and tissue all over the bathroom floor. With 10 criminal charges, family restraining orders, and psychosis from years of meth, jail time finally forced a reset. What started as counting to 10 in county jail became the beginn...

Send us Fan Mail Marc became a vice president by 24 and homeless by 28. Behind the success was a cocaine-fueled climb toward total emotional collapse. In this deeply honest conversation, Marc shares how addiction, childhood wounds, infidelity, and untreated trauma brought him to the brink. Now sober since 2008, he opens up about inner child work, spiritual awakening, fatherhood, and what it truly...