The Truth About Addiction

Great-grandson of legendary American composer Irving Berlin, classically trained piano prodigy by age 14, and IV fentanyl, heroin, and crack cocaine addict by his early twenties, Benjamin's story is one of identity, purpose, and the remarkable resilience it takes to reclaim a life worth living. In this powerful conversation, Ron sits down with Benjamin, just a few days away from celebrating h...

What separates the good from the great? Not talent, it's the tiny daily habits and mindset that compound into greatness. Ron sits down with retired pro soccer star Scotty Neville for an unfiltered chat on discipline, resilience, and self-belief.  In this episode:   ✅ The "one percenters" mindset, small habits, huge results  ✅ Discipline - to give the best chance to be the best ver...

This episode is unscripted, raw, and urgent. Our dear friend Lenny is fighting Stage 3 squamous cell carcinoma, on top of more than a decade battling severe depression and addiction. Since January, he's endured surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation. He hasn't eaten solid food in weeks. He's in constant pain. But he's still here. Still fighting. His wife Gail and their two chil...

What if protecting our kids from addiction, depression, and burnout starts long before the warning signs appear? In this episode of The Truth About Addiction Podcast, Ron sits down with Nick Green of Nick Green Coaching Academy to explore how environments, habits, and mindset shape the mental well-being of young athletes, and how parents, coaches, and educators can be part of the solution.  🎧 Lis...

Explore the unseen forces of addiction with Roslyn Saunders, who shares her journey from childhood trauma and codependency to healing.  We break down the often-misunderstood concept of codependency and its deadly grip beneath the surface of addiction, violence, and broken relationships. Roslyn's story highlights the importance of confronting root causes and embracing spirituality for true hea...

In this powerful episode with the Founders of Experience Strength , we explore how lived experience can become one of the most impactful tools in addiction recovery. Join Scott Bellinger and Josh —two advocates who have turned their personal struggles into a movement challenging the stigma around addiction. Together, they unpack the importance of honesty, living principles, and using real-life exp...

Are poker machines designed to keep you losing? When Neil Walshe discovered that poker machines are designed without losing sounds, he realised the silence wasn’t accidental — it was engineered. What followed was a radical and eye-opening mission: from purchasing an illegal machine through organised crime channels to experimentally adding a simple losing sound to test how awareness shifts behaviou...

In this powerful episode with Andrew Carpenter, we dive deep into Australia’s broken systems of child protection and legal reform. Together, we expose the long-standing failures surrounding institutional abuse, the lack of accountability, and the lifelong impact on survivors and their families. This is a raw, honest conversation about justice, reform, and the courage it takes to speak out. If you...

In this episode, Ron sits down with Elliott Hagen — former Australian rugby union player and currently founder of the Mind Your Head podcast. “The moment I started loving myself truly was the moment I could love others fully as well.” Elliott opens up about his journey from experimenting with drugs during his sporting career to realising that the answers he was searching for were not external, but...

Anna faced the challenge of overcoming a gambling addiction that threatened both her personal and professional life. To take control, she voluntarily excluded herself from gambling venues through a self-barring scheme. In this episode, Ron and Anna delve into the highly profitable gambling industry. “It’s a predatory industry with a predatory product.” Anna recounts her path to recovery, from atte...

“There is always some sort of hope in the room somewhere. You just have to look.” Jackie has consistently explored different modalities and therapies to find effective solutions for her personal well-being. Her journey led her to become a certified Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) practitioner and counsellor, where she discovered not only emotional stabilities for herself but also the profound th...

With a self-explanatory Instagram handler @madmikebeingmad, the former Barnsley, Salford and Southport player, Mike Phenix has earned an influx of followers for his genuine takes on life, mental health and addiction recovery. In this episode, Mike candidly shares his heartfelt story right from the beginning including personal tragedies starting at a young age and the highs and lows in his football...

As a Certified Transformative Coach, Jason emphasises the importance of a holistic approach to healing, integrating somatic investigation, and recognising the interconnectedness of body, mind and spirit.  Jason was highly medicated in a psychiatric institution by the age of 10. As a child, he used food as a coping mechanism, which later escalated to heroin addiction during his teenage years.  “I s...

Writer/ Director Gary Smith has been very open about his struggles with alcoholism and his sobriety journey. Through his personal narrative of recovery, relapse, and filmmaking, Gary demonstrates that recovery is attainable and that there are multiple paths to achieving it. Gary got sober on July 11 of last year. His latest feature film, SkyFly , which was recently released, mirrors his own story....

Holly overcame her drug addiction during her incarceration. Arrested in Thailand on drug-related charges, she was sentenced to 31 years and served 7 years in the infamous ‘Bangkok Hilton’ Women’s Prison. Holly’s experience in a Thai prison was a profound and harrowing ordeal, unimaginable to most. ‘I was fortunate enough to get back and take advantage of the prison system.’ In this episode, Holly...

Scotty is the founder of Experience Strength, a platform dedicated to sharing his journey and insights to combat the stigma associated with addiction. His sole intention is to inspire and empower others through his personal experiences, resilience, and strength. Nine months ago, Scotty was in very ‘dark places’. Today, he is not only a business owner but also an executive at a highly successful or...

Growing up as a bubbly, life-loving person, Ash lost the power of ‘choice’ when her relationship with alcohol intensified.  In this episode, we discuss the importance of having a sober community. If you find it hard to find connections, if you think you are alone, if you think you don’t have the ability to make better choices… this episode is for you. Discover how Ash stayed sober after coming out...

Adam’s nine years of sobriety have shaped him into the empathetic recovery coach he is today. He has never put as much time and energy into something so rewarding in his whole life. The joy, excitement and sense of purpose he derives from his work are unparalleled.  Adam’s transformation began with his commitment to the 12-step program, which he describes as the one thing that provided him invalua...

Kristen tried alcohol for the first time at 14 years old, she did not like it. When she tried again at 16 years of age, she fell in love. Then she found weed, cocaine, ecstasy and mushroom… the addiction escalated quickly. Kristen highlighted the sad reality of being dependent on alcohol and drugs, where she experienced being raped, robbed, drugged, head-on crash, DUI… but nothing mattered. She di...

‘We live and we die, but what we do in between that time that really matters’. Music became a pivotal aspect of his life amidst a series of adversity and trauma. Following the tragic loss of his father to suicide at the young age of 15, he found himself unable to cope, leading him to seek solace in substances to ‘block the tears’. Verbalize’s recovery journey started when he encountered Dr. Joe Di...

Jonathan's book, "Life on Life's Terms," swiftly ascended to the bestseller ranks on Amazon following its release last December. This literary work not only chronicles Jonathan's personal journey through profound adversity but also provides a comprehensive explanation of the transformative impact of the 12-step program of Narcotics Anonymous in liberating him from the grip...

“All I care about is giving back and to put a smile on somebody’s face.” Ryan Phillips gained notoriety as one of Canada's most prominent marijuana smugglers, earning him the title ”King of Weed." He shared his experiences on Locked Up Abroad with a wide audience on National Geographic. In his candid accounts, Ryan revealed that criminal activity was somewhat of a family tradition, with...

Char’s first encounter with addiction manifested in the form of an eating disorder. Food binging served as her means of escape. ‘From a very young age, I felt a lot of discomfort with this world.’ At 21, amidst her burgeoning modelling career, Char ventured into cocaine experimentation. As her pursuits in modelling and singing ceased, she started to work in strip club, which also enabled her acces...

Jake’s story wasn’t the ‘classic’ idea of addiction. He started using drugs at the young age of 14 and stopped when he was almost 20 years old. The decision came after the realisation that while using, he couldn’t find the clarity to make decisions and trust those decisions.   Fast forward to a decade later, Jake is a Motivational Speaker, Coach, and Mountain Guide who has helped thousands of peop...

During the Covid lockdown, Catie had an unexpected transformation in her life. As sobriety gradually became a part of her daily routine, she began to discover a newfound sense of connection with others. Catie's struggles with substance abuse began at a young age, as she started drinking at 13 and using cocaine by the age of 15. To cope with her troubles, she was prescribed antidepressant drug...