Real Recovery Talk

"I have a place that I was comfortable with that I was already a part of for my recovery." - Reed Today, Ben and I chatted with Reed, who tells his story about how his addiction started in college. Raised locally in Palm Beach Gardens, Reed had a good life growing up with loving parents who gave him many opportunities in life. However, with his parents being conservative regarding drinking, Reed d...

"Life continues to show up, whether you want to be a part of it or not." - Natalie Today, Ben and I chatted with Natalie, who endured horrible abuse as a small girl that gave her immense amounts of childhood trauma that ended up turning into a drug and alcohol addiction as a teen. Listen in to discover how Natalie overcame her addiction by healing her emotional wounds as an adult. Her Early Years...

In today's episode, Ben and I talk with Vince, a 25-year-old recovering addict from Philadelphia. He stole a bottle of vodka and drank the entire bottle in sixth grade. In the summer of his freshman year of high school, Vince started smoking pot. Cocaine became a weekend sports celebration during his junior year of high school. Vince became an addict after his team coach gave him a prescription na...

"What alcohol was doing for me outlaid what it was doing to me." -- Tom Today, Ben and I are talking to Tom, who works in the recovery field. Born and raised in downtown Manhattan, he became a drug dealer and eventually became sober from drugs and alcohol. He has been on the road to recovery for the past seven years. Starting the Drinking Habit at Age 10 Born and raised in New York City, Tom grew...

"'Alcohol was the substance I just could not go without - I felt safe with alcohol." - Al Today, Ben and I are talking to Al, a native of Pittsburgh, who is sharing with us today his journey and what he did to become sober. He talks with us about Foundations - a program that provides housing for men moving through their journey of sobriety. His First Experiences with Alcohol At the age of 16, Al f...

Here we are with Real Recovery Talk! Do you know someone who is considering going to a treatment facility for up to 30 days? Today, I'm going to talk about how you most likely won't be cured by going to treatment for 30 days. There are a few people who have been successful after just 30 days; however, they are few and far between. The first day of treatment consists of detox, which generally range...

"Kratom feels like an opiate, you get strong feelings similar to opiates.'" - Perry Today, Ben and I are talking to Perry, a 24-year-old from Maryland and started smoking marijuana at age 16. He lost everything that he owned and had to drug and alcohol abuse in a short period of time. We talk with Perry about his experience with Kratom and how it negatively affected his life. Kratom and Kava Krato...

"You couple substance abuse with PTSD and I'm wondering, 'How do I fit in?'" - Ken Today, Ben and I are talking to Ken, a 35-year active military combat-in-arms, now veteran, discussing his alcoholism and addiction and what his post-military recovery journey has been for Ken. He is now paying it forward, helping others recover from their addiction. Ken's Background Born in 1964 to an Irish-Catholi...

"I can't even put into words how tight-knit a community that we're a part of." - Ben Today, Ben and I will cover the top five unexpected benefits that have come about because of our sobriety. These positive side effects are items that naturally and organically happen through the process of sobriety. But, of course, these come with time and work on ourselves, along with setting goals. Original Thou...

"You have choices in what you do with your time, and that's up to the individual." -Cody Today, Ben and I are chatting with Cody, who was very successful in life, and then addiction took it all away. Listen in to find out how he is rebuilding his life as a sober member of society and how drugs and alcohol can create alternative negative behaviors that aren't a part of who you really are. Growing U...

"One day I broke into tears and told my dad I can't stop drinking and I needed help." -Kevin Today, Ben and I are chatting with Kevin, who is an alumnus of Rock Recovery Center. Listen in and find out how Kevin could move past his anxiety, which was the cause of his alcoholism, and move into a life of sobriety. Learn how Kevin is making amends with those he hurt while he was alcoholic, and how he...

"At Rock I'm getting to talk to people and come to an understanding of what each of the twelve steps means." -Darell Today, Ben and I are chatting with Darell, who served 13 years in the United States Air Force as an EOD. We talk about his challenges post-service in the military and his progression of alcoholism through childhood, the military, and how he found solutions to his addiction when he r...

"I've built routines here at Rock Recovery Center that I still have today." -JP Today, Ben and I are chatting with JP Burton, an alumnus of Rock Recovery Center. We speak about essential life skill development that accompanies the treatment process and the road to recovery. Listen to our conversation about prayer, meditation, and positive lifestyle changes that have stayed with JP through his trea...

"I've had family members that have died from addiction, but I never thought that I would have an addiction." -Tommy Today, Ben and I are chatting with Tommy, who became an addict after taking narcotic drugs for pain relief after a motorcycle accident. Since he has addiction in his family, Tommy wasn't a stranger to the effects of drugs and alcohol on a person and their loved ones. Why Tommy Didn't...

"My mom was my biggest enabler and as soon as she took her foot off the gas pedal my life came crumbling down around me. That's where the biggest change and growth came from." -Noah Today, Ben and I are chatting with Noah, who was 20 when he received his first DUI. His parents kicked him out of the house after this event. Forced to attend AA, his grandmother took him to his meetings. Not understan...

"Alcoholics Anonymous didn't just save my life, it taught me how to live a life worthy of having been spared and changed me from the inside out." -Eric Sheets Today, Ben and I are chatting to Eric Sheets, who is sharing his story of recovery and how he has taken his experience to give back and help other addicts become sober again. Eric's Background with Drugs and Alcohol Eric says he came to the...

"I'm able to get high on life with sobriety." -Faith Penda  Today, Ben and I are chatting to Fatih Penda, a long-term addict who has recovered and is now leading a drug and alcohol-free life. Leading to building a recovery center, Fatih is now leading other adults into recovery and positive life. Fatih's Background with Drugs and Alcohol Born in Salem, Massechuessets with a Muslim upbringing, Fati...

Today I will talk about the process and path of a person moving from being a "normie" to using drugs and alcohol and becoming an addict. In this episode, I talk with Brad Jensen, the founder of Key Nutrition, and is in recovery. He comes to us today to talk about how fitness and health have positively impacted his sobriety. Brad also talks about his struggles with sobriety. He'll talk about his ex...

"I wanted to take something hard that I had to go through that was painful and help another human being to get through without struggling as hard as I did." -Maya  Today, Ben and I are chatting to Maya who is a full-time employee at Rock Recovery Center. She is here to talk about her past history and how she became a professional in the substance abuse space.  Why Maya Chose to Work with Recoverin...

Tom and Benjamin B. are joined by Keith. Keith is a rockstar when he plays the guitar. He is also here to talk about why it's so important to have structure within sober living. There are some places that don't have any structure, but a guy like Keith could whip them into shape really fast. Keith is a behavioral health tech. He has also been a house manager, and he is a recovering addict. He tells...

Geographical change can help assist people going through recovery. A change that includes getting away from the people and influences that led to the addiction in the first place can be helpful. Benjamin B. and Renee L. are here today to talk about the benefits of sending your loved one to recovery someplace that includes geographical change. We talk about South Florida recovery versus Northeast r...

"I know people that have gotten clean and sober off of their drug of choice... and have tried this 'medical marijuana' aspect of it... and... I don't know of anybody that was able to stay that way and maintain sobriety after going down that road." -Tom Conrad Today, Ben and I are chatting about California Sober, brought to light recently by Demi Lovato on Joe Rogan's podcast , offering our opinion...

"This disease does not discriminate and it's really hard to get sober." -Nicole Bifano Today, Ben and I are chatting to Nicole Bifano, a primary worker at Rock Recovery Center and an LCSW, about the therapeutic process, the steps of detoxification, and the details of AL-ANON membership. Why Nicole Chose to Work with Recovering Addicts Nicole felt called by God to work in the realm of addiction tre...

"I knew I didn't like myself, but I didn't even know myself." - Steve  Today, Ben and I are chatting with Steve, our intern at Rock Recovery Center, who will celebrate 12 years of sobriety this week! Steve has been with us since January. He is attending university for his bachelor's degree in social work, and we are excited to have him on the show today to talk about his recovery and his work here...

Getting clean and sober can be stressful. We try to do everything possible to help people going through recovery deal with stress. It's scientifically proven that exercise will help reduce stress levels. This is why we can't emphasize the importance of exercise enough in the process of getting clean and sober. Today's episode is about exercise and why it is important to incorporate into your journ...