Let's Examine Addiction Honestly

Status update for the Podcast.

Crisis Lifeline: Call/Text 988 National Helpline 1-800-662-4357 Veterans Crisis Line (dial 988 then press 1) National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-SAFE) letsexamineaddictionhonestly@gmail.com ​ theleahpodcast@gmail.com ​ In this episode of Let’s Examine Addiction Honestly, I reflect on my struggle with falling out of shape after leaving the military and the challenges of trying to rebuild...

Crisis Lifeline: Call/Text 988 National Helpline 1-800-662-4357 Veterans Crisis Line (dial 988 then press 1) National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-SAFE) letsexamineaddictionhonestly@gmail.com ​ theleahpodcast@gmail.com In this announcement episode, I share that I’m expanding the podcast by starting live streams on Kik and Twitch to make the show more interactive and consistent. I explain t...

Crisis Lifeline: Call/Text 988 National Helpline 1-800-662-4357 Veterans Crisis Line (dial 988 then press 1) National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-SAFE) letsexamineaddictionhonestly@gmail.com ​ theleahpodcast@gmail.com ​ In this episode, I talk about my personal experiences with the Veterans Affairs and how it relates to addiction, especially my attempts to get help for drinking before my...

Crisis Lifeline: Call/Text 988 National Helpline 1-800-662-4357 Veterans Crisis Line (dial 988 then press 1) National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-SAFE) letsexamineaddictionhonestly@gmail.com ​ theleahpodcast@gmail.com ​ In this episode, I explore the growing connection between AI chatbots and addiction, prompted by experiences I have had with foster children who became overly attached to...

Crisis Lifeline: Call/Text 988 National Helpline 1-800-662-4357 Veterans Crisis Line (dial 988 then press 1) National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-SAFE) letsexamineaddictionhonestly@gmail.com ​ theleahpodcast@gmail.com ​ In this episode, I open up about my struggles with consistency in recording the podcast and how a lot of that comes from getting in my own head. I worry about whether the...

Crisis Lifeline: Call/Text 988 National Helpline 1-800-662-4357 Veterans Crisis Line (dial 988 then press 1) National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-SAFE) letsexamineaddictionhonestly@gmail.com ​ theleahpodcast@gmail.com ​ In this episode, I explore the question of whether mocktails and non-alcoholic alternatives are safe for people struggling with alcoholism. I talk about my own experiences...

Crisis Lifeline: Call/Text 988 National Helpline 1-800-662-4357 Veterans Crisis Line (dial 988 then press 1) National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-SAFE) letsexamineaddictionhonestly@gmail.com ​ theleahpodcast@gmail.com ​ In this episode, I talk about parenting and addiction from both sides of the issue, as a foster parent and as the child of an alcoholic. I share some of my earliest memori...

Crisis Lifeline: Call/Text 988 National Helpline 1-800-662-4357 Veterans Crisis Line (dial 988 then press 1) National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-SAFE) letsexamineaddictionhonestly@gmail.com ​ theleahpodcast@gmail.com In this episode, I talk about the complicated topic of alcohol and consent and how intoxication affects a person’s ability to truly give consent. The discussion was sparked...

Crisis Lifeline: Call/Text 988 National Helpline 1-800-662-4357 Veterans Crisis Line (dial 988 then press 1) National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-SAFE) letsexamineaddictionhonestly@gmail.com ​ theleahpodcast@gmail.com In this episode, I talk about the connection between alcohol use, memory problems, and alcohol-related dementia. This topic became personal for me after my grandfather passe...

Crisis Lifeline: Call/Text 988 National Helpline 1-800-662-4357 Veterans Crisis Line (dial 988 then press 1) National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-SAFE) letsexamineaddictionhonestly@gmail.com ​ theleahpodcast@gmail.com In this episode, I share a story from my past about a hunting incident that happened while I was drinking during my early twenties while stationed at Fort Drum. What started...

Crisis Lifeline: Call/Text 988 National Helpline 1-800-662-4357 Veterans Crisis Line (dial 988 then press 1) National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-SAFE) letsexamineaddictionhonestly@gmail.com ​ theleahpodcast@gmail.com ​ In this episode, I talk about experimenting with bringing video back into the podcast. For a long time I stuck to audio because I felt self-conscious recording when people...

Crisis Lifeline: Call/Text 988 National Helpline 1-800-662-4357 Veterans Crisis Line (dial 988 then press 1)  National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-SAFE) letsexamineaddictionhonestly@gmail.com ​ theleahpodcast@gmail.com 00:00 — Intro & Book Overview 00:30 — Growing Up Around Custody Battles 01:00 — Disclaimer (Legal & Medical Advice) 01:23 — Author Background: David Pisarra 02:06 —...

Crisis Lifeline: Call/Text 988 National Helpline 1-800-662-4357 Veterans Crisis Line (dial 988 then press 1) National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-SAFE) letsexamineaddictionhonestly@gmail.com ​ theleahpodcast@gmail.com ​ My Podcast Server https://discord.gg/9MSPwRG4p In this episode, I share additional resources to go along with Episode 10, Losing Friends Through Sobriety. I highlight the...

Crisis Lifeline: Call/Text 988 National Helpline 1-800-662-4357 Veterans Crisis Line (dial 988 then press 1) National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-SAFE) letsexamineaddictionhonestly@gmail.com ​ theleahpodcast@gmail.com ​ My Podcast Server https://discord.gg/9MSPwRG4p In this episode, I explain the Patreon I’ve set up for the podcast and why it exists. There’s absolutely no obligation to si...

Crisis Lifeline: Call/Text 988 National Helpline 1-800-662-4357 Veterans Crisis Line (dial 988 then press 1) National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-SAFE) letsexamineaddictionhonestly@gmail.com ​ theleahpodcast@gmail.com ​ My Podcast Server https://discord.gg/9MSPwRG4p In this episode, I walk through how the description is structured and why I put crisis and support resources first, includin...

Crisis Lifeline: Call/Text 988 National Helpline 1-800-662-4357 Veterans Crisis Line (dial 988 then press 1) National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-SAFE) letsexamineaddictionhonestly@gmail.com ​ theleahpodcast@gmail.com ​ My Podcast Server https://discord.gg/9MSPwRG4p In this episode, I talk about how changing my relationship with alcohol—and moving toward sobriety—quietly cost me a lot of...

Crisis Lifeline: Call/Text 988 National Helpline 1-800-662-4357 Veterans Crisis Line (dial 988 then press 1) National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-SAFE) letsexamineaddictionhonestly@gmail.com ​ theleahpodcast@gmail.com ​ In this episode, I talk about signs of addiction using an article focused on alcohol, while applying those same warning signs to other struggles I’ve dealt with, including...

Crisis Lifeline: Call/Text 988 National Helpline 1-800-662-4357 Veterans Crisis Line (dial 988 then press 1) National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-SAFE) letsexamineaddictionhonestly@gmail.com theleahpodcast@gmail.com In this episode, I talk openly about the deep connection between grief and addiction, drawing from my own life experiences with loss and substance use. I share how my relation...

Crisis Lifeline: Call/Text 988 National Helpline 1-800-662-4357 Veterans Crisis Line (dial 988 then press 1) National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-SAFE) letsexamineaddictionhonestly@gmail.com theleahpodcast@gmail.com In this episode of Let’s Examine Addiction Honestly , I open up about my lifelong struggle with alcohol and how deeply it has shaped who I am. I talk about my first experience...

Crisis Lifeline: Call/Text 988 National Helpline 1-800-662-4357 letsexamineaddictionhonestly@gmail.com theleahpodcast@gmail.com In this episode of Let’s Examine Addiction Honestly , I explore both my personal relationship with alcohol and the broader history behind it. I talk about how addiction has followed me throughout my life—drinking, smoking, technology—and how this podcast serves as an hone...

Crisis Lifeline: Call/Text 988 National Helpline 1-800-662-4357 letsexamineaddictionhonestly@gmail.com ​theleahpodcast@gmail.com In this episode of Let’s Examine Addiction Honestly , I open up about my 15-year struggle with nicotine—from the first cigarette I accepted after Army training to the years of smoking, dipping, and eventually vaping that followed. I talk about how smoking became a social...

Crisis Lifeline: Call/Text 988 National Helpline 1-800-662-4357 letsexamineaddictionhonestly@gmail.com theleahpodcast@gmail.com In this episode of Let’s Examine Addiction Honestly, I dive into the basics of tobacco and nicotine addiction—from cigarettes to vapes—and what I found while researching what’s actually inside these products. I talk about the hundreds of chemicals in cigarettes, many of t...

Crisis Lifeline: Call/Text 988 National Helpline 1-800-662-4357 letsexamineaddictionhonestly@gmail.com theleahpodcast@gmail.com In this introductory episode of Let’s Examine Addiction Honestly, I set the stage for the entire podcast by exploring what addiction actually is, how it develops, and how it has shaped my own life. I talk about researching reputable sources like the American Addiction Cen...

Crisis Lifeline: Call/Text 988 National Helpline 1-800-662-4357 letsexamineaddictionhonestly@gmail.com theleahpodcast@gmail.com In this introductory episode of Let’s Examine Addiction Honestly, I share my personal history with addiction and the experiences that shaped who I am today. I talk about growing up in a family with a strong history of alcoholism, my first drink at 17, and how drinking tru...