The Addiction Podcast-Point of No Return

John Bitinas is a native of New England, an entrepreneur, public speaker and young guy who has just been wildly successful after getting his life back from addiction. John has been clean and sober now for over 18 years, in that time he has built a successful business, found and married the love of his life and personally spoke to over 250,000 people about the dangers of drugs and alcohol. John cur...

he tragic loss of her son, Devin, in Feb 2018 to an accidental drug overdose was the catalyst for INTO LIGHT Project. Through the simple act of drawing, Theresa discovered the power of art and storytelling to change minds and hearts. The INTO LIGHT Project, while born out of tragedy, has provided Theresa with an opportunity to shed light on those lost to addiction so that their spirit, kindness, h...

Anne Elizabeth Fundner lost her son Weston to fentanyl poisoning in 2022.  She blames the current administration for the opening of the borders for the death of her son.   Anne Fundner shared that Weston was a really good kid, and she and her family did everything right. They involved him in sports, and Anne was an active room mom. Their relationship was wonderful; Weston was her perfect little bo...

Charlotte Bismuth was an attorney who started her career as a litigation associate. After joining the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor in 2010, she began investigating a doctor who was illegally overprescribing pain medications. After months of investigation, Dr. Li was finally convicted of 2 counts of murder and over 90 other counts. While she was part of an incredible team that assiste...

Darryl Strawberry is described as a baseball legend by many who have been dazzled by the dynamics of his game. His many accomplishments in the major leagues include four World Series titles, eight All-Star Game appearances, and a nomination to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004. He has earned the legendary nicknames and phrases of one of the most feared home run hitters in the game of base...

Ryan David Leaf champions those battling mental and behavioral health issues, urging us to rethink mental health and addiction. He aims to crush the stigma, declaring, "asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness." As a former quarterback, Leaf's career at Washington State was stellar: Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year (1997), First Team All-American, Sammy Baugh Quarterback of the Year,...

Steven May reflected on his legal journey, noting that despite losing the case on a technical motion to dismiss, the experience during discovery was profoundly enlightening. His case had traversed through various stages, including a Supreme Court review before ultimately being dismissed due to what he deemed an unfortunate technicality. According to May, there was a belief that governmental pressu...

Ed Bisch's son died of an overdose of Oxycontin. Ed didn't sit by. He started researching Oxycontin and its manufacturer - Purdue Pharma; AND the family behind it - The Sacklers. He has been fighting this battle for years and doesn't see giving up until both the company and the family are made to take responsibility for the countless deaths due to oxycontin addiction and overdose. In December 2020...

Born in Redondo Beach, California, David Sanchez began learning about drugs at age 9 when a neighbor offered him marijuana. By age 15, he was using harder drugs that first led to juvenile jail and eventually to multiple penitentiaries. The turning points came in 2012 when he finally conquered his addiction, and then in 2014 when he began building on his own knowledge and studies of addiction, and...

Johnny Stack was born on February 7, 2000 and died by suicide on November 20, 2019 at the age of 19. He was an incredibly intelligent, funny, charming, handsome young man, which you can see in his tribute video. We are a normal suburban family and did normal family things. He had a happy life, a 4.0 GPA with a scholarship to college, and a family who loved him very much. Unfortunately, we live in...

We've talked about marijuana many times on the podcast and noted that quite a few of the former addicts started their drug path with marijuana. In this episode, Dr. Kenneth Finn from Colorado gives us the facts about the use of marijuana as pain medication as well as it's adverse effects on young adults. Dr. Finn used slides during his interview so we suggest you watch the YouTube version of this...

Philip Eil is an award-winning freelance journalist based in his hometown, Providence, Rhode Island. He is the former news editor of the alt-weekly newspaper, The Providence Phoenix. Since the paper's close in 2014, he has contributed to The Atlantic, Men's Health, the Boston Globe, Huffington Post, and the Columbia Journalism Review, among other outlets. He has also taught writing and journalism...

Michael R. DeLeon, a successfully acclimated ex-offender who after nearly 8 years of drug addiction and gang involvement, spent 12 years in state prison and half-way houses for a gang-related homicide. Michael plead guilty in a very emotional and complicated case involving the murder of his own Mother by people tasked to kill him.  Since Michael's release from prison, he has earned 3 Associates De...

Navarone Garcia is Priscilla Presley's son. Navarone Garibaldi Garcia (born March 1, 1987) is an American musician who serves as the lead singer of Them Guns. Them Guns is a Los Angeles-based rock band made up of members Garcia (guitar/lead vocals), Kyle Hamood (lead guitar/vocals/keys), Bobby Vega (drums), and Chuck Holiday (bass). Santa Cruz Waves described their sound as "...a rock base, a ting...

About 29 years ago, a public school teacher told Barbie Rivera that her 6 year old son had a mental disorder and she needed to put him on a mind altering drug - Ritalin.  Barbie thought that was nutty as her son was very bright, normal and already bilingual. She started home schooling him now has her own school - called HELP Miami.  Her story of how the drug companies offered to pay her $5K every...

Tim has seen and done it all. He's been an addict. He's run million dollar companies. Drugs stole more than half of his life but now he's dedicated every waking minute since walking out of prison to dealing hope to addicts and their families. Tim says "where there is life, there is hope." Known as The Hope Dealer, Tim is a successful entrepreneur, grateful recovering heroin addict and alcoholic -...

Duke Rumely is a former alcoholic who has been sober since 1989. Since then he realized that what was needed at concerts and sporting events was an area for those who are sober and trying to remain that way. He founded Sober AF Entertainment and is making great strides in leading the sober movement - making sober the popular to be for young and old alike. HELP SUPPORT OUR FIGHT AGAINST ADDICTION....

Paula Santos Young's world shattered when her beloved oldest son's life was stolen in March 2022 - poisoned by fentanyl-laced marijuana from someone he trusted. With his death, Paula's motherly instincts kicked into high gear. Now she's on a crusade, roaring from every platform she can find to wake up officials and communities to the fentanyl crisis destroying families like an unstoppable hurrican...

Dr. Dallas Bragg launched his Sobriety Coaching business in January 2023 to help gay men break free from addictive behavior and create life past addiction. After struggling with a crystal meth addiction, he decided to begin his sobriety journey on August 4, 2018. Since then, he and his two kids have rebuilt their lives together. Now, blending spirituality and recovery has led to an expansive coach...

Grant Cardone is an American businessman, Equity Fund Manager ($4B Assets Under Management), Real Estate Investor, Business author and Founder of 10X Growth Conference, 10X Health System, Cardone Ventures & 10X Studios. Also author of seven best selling business books, creator of Cardone U online education and The 10X Growth Conferences (the largest business conference in the USA.) Grant Cardo...

Samantha Bushika is a survivor with a story she finds inspirational, one that has already saved lives. She celebrates eight years of sobriety in March, marking a journey away from a lifelong addiction to using and selling heroin. Her battle with addiction led her into an unjust justice system, where she became a scapegoat in her small Vermont town's first heroin bust. Despite possessing no heroin...

Amy Ronshausen is the Executive Director of both Drug Free America Foundation, Inc. and Save Our Society From Drugs (S.O.S.), national nonprofit organizations that work to defeat drug legalization attempts, promote sound drug policies, and prevent drug use, abuse and addiction. Mrs. Ronshausen has dedicated most of her adult life to the work of reducing illegal drug use and drug prevention. In her...

Bobby Wiggins is a beacon of hope and transformation, rising from the depths of addiction to become a tireless advocate for recovery. Since finding his own path to sobriety through the Narconon Program in 1977, Bobby has dedicated his life to helping others break free from the chains of substance abuse. For nearly four decades, Bobby has immersed himself in the field of addiction recovery, working...

Michael Gray is the CEO of Actus Analytical, Inc., which develops spectroscopy solutions for public safety compliance, illicit drug detection, agricultural productivity, and other applications. Michael and his wife Nancy founded The Actus Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, in 2018. The Actus Foundation advocates for solutions to treating the entirety of the overdose epidemic problem...

Loretta Boesing is the founder of Unite For Safe Medications. Unite for Safe Medications seeks to save lives and advance patient outcomes by improving the quality, safety, and accessibility of pharmaceutical care. Loretta's advocacy began after her son received a liver transplant after his liver failed after contracting the flu. She uncovered the monopolization of the pharmacy industry and its har...