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Arthur is the former Deputy Drug Czar for the United States during President Trump's period in office. He holds a PhD and is certified in trauma treatment. He is also a licensed professional counselor, licensed addiction counselor and a licensed drug and alcohol counselor. He has a story to tell. https://youtu.be/nX0pDbk1mIA

Katie Sullivan has her own personal history with alcohol addiction. When she was a drug court judge in Colorado, she headed up a program that helped save hundreds, if not thousands, of lives by holding the addicts accountable and making it clear that they could leave clean and sober lives. More recently, Katie was appointed by Attorney General William Barr as Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Office of Justice Programs. https://youtu.be/cndBnaL11U4

Both Jeannie and Marcus Marshall have their own story of addiction. But both are in recovery - Jeannie for 35 years and Marcus for 9 years - and they are giving back to the addiction community with their Keys to Recovery Newspaper. Both have a passion to help. https://youtu.be/AWGrt0PEnCg

When Peter Canning started work as a paramedic on the streets of Hartford, Connecticut, twenty-five years ago, he believed drug users were victims of their own character flaws. Although he took care of them, he did not care for them. But as the overdoses escalated, Canning began asking his patients how they had gotten started on their journeys. And while no two stories were the same, their heartrending similarities changed Canning's view. Check out "Killing Season" available on Amazon. https://youtu.be/G1148BJeBgg

Roneet, Lev, MD FACEP was the first Chief Medical Officer of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. Listen to this "no holds barred" episode about drugs, Narcan, fentanyl, marijuana poisoning and much much more. She has the facts, people. She works in an ER every day so she's on the front lines of the addiction pandemic.  She has her own podcast - High Truths.  Give it a listen if you want to be better educated on this global catastrophe. https://youtu.be/cqygBzNOrDM

Julie Weintraub is president of one of the most successful family owned jewelry companies in the southeast - Gold & Diamond Source - with her husband, Steve. In 2010, Julie founded Hands Across the Bay, a non-profit organization that has quickly become one of the most notable and respected charitable organizations in Tampa Bay helping countless families in need. Julie talks about the connection between domestic abuse and addiction. https://youtu.be/1v5MitvsWp8

Emily Walden's son, TJ, was prescribed opioids through his childhood during a series of operations. But he became addicted only once he started using OxyContin and moved on to the similar Opana. He was a 21-year-old member of the Kentucky National Guard when he died of an opioid overdoes four years later. Now Ms. Walden is the chairwoman of The Fed Up! Coalition with the mission to call for immediate, comprehensive and sustained Federal action to end the opioid addiction pandemic. https://feduprally.org/ https://youtu.be/AzAcAWyIzlM

It seems more often that we speak to a parent who has lost their child to addiction. This story is a happy one - while mom, Laura, had her history of alcohol addiction and her son, Tom, had his history of drug addiction - both are clean and sober today. Recently they published a book about their story - Unraveled. https://www.amazon.com/Unraveled-Mother-Story-Addiction-Redemption-ebook/dp/B08LW575FV/

Laura Stack, MBA, CSP, CPAE is an award-winning keynote speaker and trainer, bestselling author, and noted authority on personal productivity and team performance. When her 19 year old son died from suicide after being addicted to marijuana for years, she became an activist and found of Johnny's Ambassadors. Johnny's Ambassadors educates parent and teens about the risks of today's high-THC marijuana.

Ed Bisch's son, Eddie, died of an overdose of oxycontin in 2001. Ed didn't sit by and take it. He started researching oxycontin and it's 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.  Don't miss Ed on the MSNBC special - The Forgotten Epidemic.

Will Grayson has been 30+ years sober. During those 30 years, he has dedicated himself to helping those trapped by addiction. Whether he was talking on the radio or meeting addicts one on one, he's changing lives on a daily basis.

Mary Burns is a mother of three, a teacher and has become involved in addiction advocacy since her son’s death. She helped spearheaded a walk called, Changing the Face of Addiction, to help change the stigma of addiction. She has also brought her advocacy to her local state senator and addressed the New Jersey Senate Budget Appropriations Committee about the need for a change to the addiction treatment protocol. She recently published hers and Eric's story in the book: Saving Eric. Available on Amazon.

Charlotte Bismuth is a graduate of Columbia University, Columbia Law School, and Sciences-Po Paris. After joining the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor, she began investigating Dr. Stan Li, a doctor who spent years supplying more than seventy patients a day with Oxycodone and Xanax, trading prescriptions for cash. After a tireless investigation, Dr. Li was convicted of two counts of murder and over 90 other counts. This is the story of Charlotte and her team's campaign to right a deadly wrong. Her book, "Bad Medicine" is the shocking story of New York’s most infamous pill-pushing doctor.

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 interview so that you get the truth, nothing but the truth and the whole truth about marijuana.  He's got the credentials and the science to back it up.

After suffering childhood trauma, Tina Levene turned to alcohol and drugs to cope. Until she learned that if she shared her own childhood trauma with others that she might be able to help other children, her life was on a downtown. Now she is helping to set up recovery schools for high school aged kids in recovery. Florida Recovery Schools of Tampa Bay offers teens in recovery a safe environment to learn the life skills that everyone needs.

Tiffany Jenkins is the funny lady behind “Juggling the Jenkins”. She has over 4.5 million Facebook followers and counting! Tiffany is a wife, mother, best-selling author, content creator and recovering addict. Although best known for her funny viral Facebook and YouTube videos, Tiffany is incredibly passionate about bringing awareness to mental illness. She speaks shamelessly, openly and honestly about her past and addiction, as well as her struggles with depression and anxiety and has been featured on national television shows like The Today Show and The Doctors. Tiffany shares her story of hope in jails, rehabs and high schools, and has traveled across the country headlining her own tour and helping others.

Stephen Donnelly's drug use started - as with so many - when he was a teenager. However, later in life, when Stephen answered God's call and become an ordained priest in the Roman Catholic church, his drug use continued. Fueled by guilt, it took years to confront his addiction. He's been sober for 18 years and has chronicled his story in the book - "A Saint and a Sinner", co-authored by Diane O'Bryan.

Emily O'Brien is a beautiful young woman. But like so many, she was insecure and bullied as a child. This insecurity led to abuse of alcohol and drugs. When someone she thought was a friend took her on a trip to St. Lucia, she ended up bringing back drugs to Canada and from there ended up in prison. Rather than bemoan her fate, she learned all she could in prison and left with a successful gourmet popcorn business that employs ex offenders and ex addicts.

Quincy Carter had it all. He was a quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. But marijuana and alcohol brought about his downfall and termination from the Cowboys. He tried getting picked up by other teams but drugs and alcohol kept most teams from hiring him and if they did, he managed to bring himself down. Sober for 15 months, he's running a quarterback school in Texas and instilling the drug free mentality in his students.  He's rebuilding his dream by helping others.

This is the story of a mom living the nightmare. Her 22 year old son is addicted despite several rehabs and the 24/7 work of his mom - Kelly Hatcher. What she's going through is why we do this podcast. We don't want other moms and dads to live this nightmare. Now Kelly is helping other parents let go but not give up.