Latest / Recovery Chronicles / Recovery Chronicles Ep. 195 - Rena C.
Transcript
- 0:04Speaker 1: Welcome to Recovery Chronicles. I'm your host, Liz, an addiction
- 0:07counselor at Heartview in Bismarck, North Dakota. This podcast is
- 0:11dedicated to the real human stories of people in recovery
- 0:14from alcohol and other drugs. People who have chosen change
- 0:17and who wake up every day walking that journey. These
- 0:21are stories of hope, healing, and resilience and proof that
- 0:24transformation is possible. All right, I am back again. And
- 0:35today I'm here with Rina. Rina, what was your drug
- 0:39of choice?
- 0:40Speaker 2: Meth and fentanyl. Oof, duh.
- 0:42Speaker 1: Those are some heavy hitters.
- 0:44Speaker 2: Yeah, I didn't get into fentanyl until recently. Okay. That's, yeah,
- 0:49when everything just went down from there.
- 0:53Speaker 1: What's your sobriety date?
- 0:55Speaker 2: 4-27-26.
- 0:57Speaker 1: Good for you.
- 0:58Speaker 2: It's been over four months.
- 1:00Speaker 1: That's awesome.
- 1:02Speaker 2: Yep.
- 1:05Speaker 1: What was the moment when you realized that I can't
- 1:07keep living like this?
- 1:12Speaker 2: I found myself homeless, like pretty much like everybody else,
- 1:16you know what I mean? Yeah. I always told myself
- 1:20I'd never walk for a drug or like, you know
- 1:23what I mean? And here I found myself walking because
- 1:26I didn't want to pay for a lift.
- 1:29Speaker 1: That takes away from drug money.
- 1:30Speaker 2: Exactly. That was the thought at the time, you know?
- 1:34I was really coming down hard, you know what I mean?
- 1:37I was off the fentanyl. I found myself trying to
- 1:41walk all the way across town and it was up
- 1:44Klein Hill. I thought I got to the top of that.
- 1:48I was like sweating, dude. I was like, yeah, whatever.
- 1:50Speaker 1: Just dying by the time.
- 1:52Speaker 2: I had a friend that always sat there and asked
- 1:54me whenever I was ready. She happened to do a
- 1:58welfare check on us one time because we didn't answer
- 2:00the phone. But she was I was trying to encourage
- 2:03her just to go to treatment. That was a better life.
- 2:05She just got sober or whatever. So at the time,
- 2:10my dealer wasn't answering. So I just called her and
- 2:13told her I was done. I said, if she wanted
- 2:16to help me, and she really was serious about helping me,
- 2:18that I was ready or whatever. And she's like, where
- 2:21were you at? And I told her where I was at.
- 2:23I was in Lions Park. I made it like 10 blocks.
- 2:27I was done. I was not walking any farther. It
- 2:30was hot as hell. And she's like, don't play with me, man.
- 2:34Don't play. She's like, if I show up there and
- 2:37you're not there, I swear to God. I was about
- 2:39to burn the last bridge I had with somebody actually
- 2:42ready to help me. You know what I mean? So
- 2:44I sat there. I waited. Not even five minutes after
- 2:48I hung up the phone, my dealer called. Oh, my God.
- 2:52I was hesitant. You know what I mean? But I
- 2:55kept on telling myself, it's the only person out here.
- 2:58Last person ready to help you, you know what I mean? Like,
- 3:00trying to help me sober up, whatever. I was like, damn,
- 3:03if I would have waited five more minutes, man. Well,
- 3:07I was like, yeah. So she come got me, picked
- 3:10me up, whatever, kept me with her all night. And
- 3:14she told me that I had to be there at
- 3:16hard to be by 730 and better be ready by 7.
- 3:18I was like, what? That don't even make sense. You
- 3:21know what I mean? I was like, all right. So
- 3:25I was up ready. She brought me there, dropped me off.
- 3:28So I don't go, I was the first one at
- 3:30the door. Yeah, I went in there. Did my, whatever
- 3:35I tried to sign up, but I didn't have an
- 3:36ID the first day. You know what I mean? I
- 3:39didn't know they would take my ID off the thing.
- 3:42But I was ready to walk out and I was like, this,
- 3:44you know what I mean? But here, Austin, you know,
- 3:46the recovery goes out. I was sitting there and I
- 3:49was using the Wi-Fi because I had no, I was
- 3:52at that point. No service, no employee. You know what
- 3:54I mean? All I had was just dialing on my
- 3:57phone or some type of plan anyway. Austin came in there,
- 4:01and I was trying to get a ride before she
- 4:03came back. And he just told me, like, how Heartview
- 4:07actually helped him and stuff. And I listened to him,
- 4:10and he was like, this is God talking, you know
- 4:13what I mean? Like, this badly is I didn't want to,
- 4:15you know what I mean? I wanted to walk away
- 4:17and be like, you're a bullshit. He told me how
- 4:19long he got clean, and he got it all there.
- 4:20He's like, look, now I'm working here. You know what
- 4:23I mean? Right. And... He's like, just come back tomorrow.
- 4:27I promise you, it's a good program, whatever. So I
- 4:32just sat there and I waited for my friend to
- 4:33come back. Then we came back next morning and got
- 4:37it all done.
- 4:37Speaker 1: And now here you are.
- 4:39Speaker 2: It took me a week before I got in. Here
- 4:43I am. Best decision I made in a really long time. Yeah.
- 4:50It's been one hell of a ride, though.
- 4:52Speaker 1: Recovery is one hell of a ride.
- 4:56Speaker 2: I wish they would have told me about buckle up.
- 5:00Speaker 1: That's, yeah, that's one thing that nobody tells you about
- 5:05getting sober and going into recovery is that you just
- 5:08now you have to buckle up and hold on for
- 5:12the ride because this is going to be the ride
- 5:14of your life.
- 5:15Speaker 2: It's been, it's been, it's been full of blessings, but
- 5:18it's been also a lot of heartbreak. You know what
- 5:21I mean? Yeah. A lot of, yeah. I've been going
- 5:25through a lot of things that I've never dealt with
- 5:28in a really long time. Yeah. It's hard. Yeah, it is.
- 5:37Speaker 1: Before recovery, what lie did addiction convince you was true?
- 5:44Speaker 2: Not as bad as that guy, you know what I mean,
- 5:46or whatever. Oh, yeah. Like, this guy ain't got nothing,
- 5:49you know what I mean? Like, I always sit there
- 5:52and tell myself, at least I'm not homeless, at least
- 5:54I'm not this, that, whatever, you know what I mean?
- 5:56But until I was. Right. Yeah.
- 5:59Speaker 1: Yeah. I used to tell myself that because I was
- 6:0226 when I got sober. And so I used to
- 6:05tell myself, alcoholics and addicts have been drinking for 30
- 6:09years and I haven't even been alive that long.
- 6:11Speaker 2: Yeah.
- 6:13Speaker 1: Facts.
- 6:13Speaker 2: You know what I mean? Like, yeah. I would see
- 6:17people and be like, at least I ain't him. You
- 6:18know what I mean?
- 6:19Speaker 1: Yeah. Whatever.
- 6:20Speaker 2: You end up kind of like them, you know what
- 6:22I mean?
- 6:22Speaker 1: Yeah, until all of a sudden that's exactly where you
- 6:26are because your addiction has taken everything from you. Yeah.
- 6:32What's something you survived that people never saw?
- 6:39Speaker 2: My inner self, you know what I mean? I may
- 6:43have seemed happy on the outside, but I was dying
- 6:47on the inside. I never, I was a person that
- 6:51covered everything up by humor.
- 6:53Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 6:54Speaker 2: And that, yeah. Like, even if I got into a
- 6:57deep conversation, I'd make something, you know what I mean?
- 6:59Speaker 1: Make something funny.
- 7:00Speaker 2: Yeah. But in the inside, like, everything was.
- 7:03Speaker 1: Everything hurt. Everything.
- 7:05Speaker 2: And I hurt and hurt until I couldn't take the
- 7:09pain away anymore. Yeah. So my DOC changed.
- 7:14Speaker 1: Right.
- 7:14Speaker 2: Like, I just wanted, like, something harder or something. So, like.
- 7:18Maybe I'll just, you know, like, do so much and
- 7:22I won't wake up type shit.
- 7:24Speaker 1: Right, right.
- 7:25Speaker 2: Never really intentionally. Just wasn't doing it, you know what
- 7:28I mean?
- 7:28Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 7:29Speaker 2: Yeah.
- 7:29Speaker 1: Never really intentionally having a plan to end your own life,
- 7:34but subconsciously kind of that's where you were at.
- 7:37Speaker 2: That's where I was going, yeah.
- 7:38Speaker 1: Yeah. So, yeah, it's... I totally get that. I was there, too,
- 7:42where I didn't care if I woke up the next day.
- 7:45I kind of preferred it if I wouldn't have.
- 7:47Speaker 2: Because everybody I loved in my life, I pushed away.
- 7:49You know what I mean? I get it now that
- 7:53they didn't leave me. I left them.
- 7:55Speaker 1: Right.
- 7:55Speaker 2: Right.
- 7:56Speaker 1: Which is a hard concept to come to terms with that.
- 8:00Because I had that same thought about the people in
- 8:03my life and my higher power that everybody just abandoned me.
- 8:08Speaker 2: Yeah, God hated me. Why would he keep on taking everything?
- 8:10You know what I mean? It wasn't my family that
- 8:14left me. It was me that left them.
- 8:16Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 8:17Speaker 2: I know that now, but at the time, yeah.
- 8:20Speaker 1: You don't know that at the time. And then when
- 8:22you do realize it, when you're, you know, a week
- 8:26to a couple weeks sober.
- 8:28Speaker 2: Yeah.
- 8:30Speaker 1: Then it really hits you like, holy moly. Yep. That's,
- 8:34that's what I did.
- 8:35Speaker 2: I'm Lin Fossum on my step four. So it's really,
- 8:37you're like.
- 8:39Speaker 1: That one's brutal.
- 8:40Speaker 2: Oh man. I got like two names on there. It
- 8:43was like, then I get to the last part and
- 8:45I'm like, oh, this is where I did this. All right.
- 8:48I got it. I, yeah. Okay.
- 8:50Speaker 1: Maybe I really did play a part in this.
- 8:52Speaker 2: Oh, I played more parts than I thought I did.
- 8:55Let me tell you.
- 8:56Speaker 1: I know that, uh, Figuring out that part is hard.
- 9:00Speaker 2: Yeah.
- 9:01Speaker 1: But good for you for taking an honest look at
- 9:05it and not running away from it because I know
- 9:09people that have gotten to that point and then they're
- 9:12just like, nope, I'm done. This is it. I can't
- 9:15do it anymore.
- 9:16Speaker 2: I don't know. As hard as it gets sometimes, but
- 9:22it's making me look at myself in a whole different...
- 9:26Like I... Things that I never even thought of, that
- 9:29I blamed everybody else for. Right.
- 9:31Speaker 1: Yeah. What part of recovery surprised you the most?
- 9:37Speaker 2: That it's possible. Yeah. That it actually is possible. If
- 9:42you want it hard enough, it's there. Yeah.
- 9:46Speaker 1: Yeah, if you're willing to walk uphill in the snow
- 9:49both ways for drugs or alcohol. You can do that
- 9:55for recovery, too.
- 9:56Speaker 2: I got a shirt that says, chase recovery like you
- 9:58chased the dope man. Yeah. That's awesome. I look at
- 10:02it and I'm like alright this perfect shirt right here. Yeah.
- 10:08Speaker 1: What's harder getting sober or staying emotionally honest?
- 10:15Speaker 2: Like I'm still into the newly sobriety thing you know.
- 10:18Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 10:19Speaker 2: But It was hard getting into them doors, you know,
- 10:23at first. Right. You know what I mean? But the
- 10:27emotionally honest part, man, it's, it's, it's, yeah, I'm, yeah. Like,
- 10:36I never knew I had so many feelings, emotions. Like,
- 10:39it's crazy. I know.
- 10:40Speaker 1: Who knew that all those existed? And why don't they
- 10:43teach you that in school?
- 10:44Speaker 2: Yeah, for real. Like, yeah, you got your four physical ones,
- 10:48but you know what I mean? Like, our most different ones, but.
- 10:51An emotional one, I mean. But I'm trying to get
- 10:55it all out there. Like, I ain't trying to hold
- 10:57nothing back.
- 11:00Speaker 1: And just feel it as it comes.
- 11:02Speaker 2: And, like, some days are harder than others, you know
- 11:04what I mean?
- 11:05Speaker 1: Sure, sure.
- 11:06Speaker 2: Like, especially, like, the grief and stuff. But it's time
- 11:11to unload that, you know what I mean?
- 11:13Speaker 1: Yeah. What does a bad recovery day look like for
- 11:20you now?
- 11:22Speaker 2: I don't say so much as I don't have a
- 11:26bad recovery day, but I do get in moods, you
- 11:29know what I mean? Right. If I fall off routine, like, I've... Like,
- 11:34I've got that routine from being an inpatient. Yeah. You
- 11:37know what I mean? So, like, that's my sobriety routine,
- 11:41you know what I mean? Like, so, like, I still
- 11:43get up at 7 o'clock in the morning, like, when
- 11:45I was an inpatient and all that. So, like, I
- 11:48stay in that routine, but if I miss a meeting or, like, or...
- 11:52Go one day without a meeting or not do something
- 11:55that I'm supposed to. Knock you out of balance. Yeah.
- 11:59And so I try to stay pretty much balanced with it.
- 12:03For sure. And yeah.
- 12:04Speaker 1: And then you don't just feel it emotionally. You physically
- 12:08feel those things too.
- 12:10Speaker 2: Yeah.
- 12:10Speaker 1: When you. Yeah.
- 12:12Speaker 2: I'm still building my foundation from it also. I feel
- 12:17like I'm clutched a little bit. You know what I mean?
- 12:19Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 12:20Speaker 2: Yeah.
- 12:23Speaker 1: What's something recovery gave you that has nothing to do
- 12:27with your sobriety date?
- 12:31Speaker 2: How to love myself and actually show up for my family.
- 12:36That's powerful.
- 12:38Speaker 1: Especially being in early recovery like you are, learning how
- 12:43to love yourself. I don't think I started to learn
- 12:49that until I was almost a year sober. That makes
- 12:54me a little jealous that you kind of started to
- 12:56figure that piece of it out as early as you have.
- 12:58So good for you. I mean, that's important. We don't
- 13:05learn that enough to love ourselves the way that we
- 13:10would love somebody else.
- 13:11Speaker 2: I got a good support team behind me. You know
- 13:13what I mean? We're my sober living. We're very family-oriented.
- 13:18I have a good partner. My family is super supportive. Like,
- 13:24they've been waiting for this day for... A long time.
- 13:27Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 13:27Speaker 2: A really long time. So, like, I got... Yeah.
- 13:32Speaker 1: You've got that support there to.
- 13:35Speaker 2: And it feels better. As much as I've been actually
- 13:38opening up to this program, I don't hate myself as
- 13:42much because a lot of the things that I blame
- 13:44myself for, it was not my fault, you know what
- 13:49I mean? Yeah. Like, I blame myself for it. a
- 13:51lot of things where I hated myself. So then as
- 13:55I unloaded some of that, the weight off my shoulders,
- 13:58you know what I mean? So yeah.
- 14:02Speaker 1: And unloading some of that too, it's almost like a
- 14:04physical weight is physically lifted off of you. And it's
- 14:09an indescribable feeling that People that I don't think have
- 14:13gone through traumas and addiction and recovery, I don't think
- 14:17they get it the same way.
- 14:20Speaker 2: Everybody's recovery is different. I mean, everybody feels as they're different.
- 14:24You know what I mean? Sometimes some people are a
- 14:26little bit farther ahead with less time than people with
- 14:30years of that. You know what I mean? It's just
- 14:33all depending on how you work. I feel how you
- 14:36work your recovery.
- 14:37Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 14:37Speaker 2: Yeah.
- 14:44Speaker 1: What sober habit would active addiction you make fun of?
- 14:49Speaker 2: Going to church and praying. Oh. I never in my
- 14:54life thought I would be in a church.
- 14:56Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 14:58Speaker 2: Praying or, like, even just showing up there. Yeah.
- 15:01Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 15:02Speaker 2: That I made fun of, like, so many people, like,
- 15:07you're a holy ruler, you know. Yeah, you're a, you know,
- 15:10you're cult.
- 15:11Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 15:13Speaker 2: And, like, it's crazy because I didn't know, like, the
- 15:16program was so, like, you know what I mean, church or, like, spiritual.
- 15:21Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 15:23Speaker 2: Like, it's really, you know, it's crazy.
- 15:27Speaker 1: It is crazy, and it's hard to kind of come
- 15:30to terms with that you need something like that in
- 15:33your life. It doesn't necessarily have to be... church in
- 15:38the sense that you know Catholics whatever that people think
- 15:42of but you need something out there that's bigger.
- 15:45Speaker 2: Than you like I come from like a small reservation
- 15:48or whatever in this that like in the things you
- 15:50hear about like I never even actually knew what the
- 15:53program was until like you know as I heard knew
- 15:56it's treatment I didn't know there was a 12 steps
- 15:58or any like a program to it so like I
- 16:03just thought it was some cult type thing.
- 16:06Speaker 1: I mean, it does kind of sound culty when you
- 16:07hear about it. Yeah. It truly does.
- 16:10Speaker 2: That's how they, like, would describe it. I'm like, no,
- 16:12I'm good.
- 16:13Speaker 1: God?
- 16:14Speaker 2: No, I'm good.
- 16:14Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 16:15Speaker 2: I don't want to go to church type thing. Yeah. No.
- 16:20Speaker 1: No, I don't need any cults in my life.
- 16:22Speaker 2: Like, that's... I'm good. I'm baptized.
- 16:24Speaker 1: I'm good.
- 16:26Speaker 2: That's how I felt.
- 16:27Speaker 1: Yeah. What phrase from treatment or meetings lives in your
- 16:34head rent-free?
- 16:38Speaker 2: This one that, like, I thought was corny as hell.
- 16:43Let go and let God? Yep. Yeah, I've always heard
- 16:49people say it. Like, it stuck in my head. I
- 16:52got up all the sayings, you know what I mean?
- 16:54That was the one that, what do they mean, you
- 16:56know what I mean? Tell, I got Three months into
- 17:00the program, I finally figured out what that means. I
- 17:03don't know. I've just been trying to, because I've been
- 17:06trying to figure out the spiritual part of it, you
- 17:08know what I mean?
- 17:08Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 17:09Speaker 2: Like, still working on the praying part, but.
- 17:12Speaker 1: That's okay.
- 17:15Speaker 2: Well, like, I don't actually, I feel dumb when I pray. So, like,
- 17:20our friend suggested to write it down. Yeah. Like, and just, like,
- 17:24keep a journal of it. Yeah. Never tell you to
- 17:26get comfortable enough, so. I'm going to try that. Okay.
- 17:30Speaker 1: I know I felt really uncomfortable too in the beginning
- 17:32with praying. I grew up in a Lutheran church. So,
- 17:35you know, praying was very like, okay, dear.
- 17:38Speaker 2: God, blah, blah, blah, whatever.
- 17:40Speaker 1: And my first sponsor suggested to me, don't think of
- 17:45it as praying. Think of it as a conversation.
- 17:47Speaker 2: That's when my sponsor said, like, you don't have to,
- 17:51you know, you can talk to him anytime.
- 17:54Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 17:54Speaker 2: Like, Whatever she refers to as her homie, her bro,
- 17:58or whatever, you know what I mean? Yeah. But I just,
- 18:01I'm trying to get into it. So I'm going to
- 18:02try the writing part. Good for you. You know what
- 18:05I mean?
- 18:06Speaker 1: And that's another piece, too, where you can make it
- 18:08your own and make it whatever's going to fit for you.
- 18:13Speaker 2: Yeah.
- 18:14Speaker 1: It doesn't have to be the traditional, I know I
- 18:17was told, hit your knees in the morning and at
- 18:21night and was told. And if you can't keep that habit,
- 18:25then put your car keys under your bed. Well, if
- 18:27I can't find my car keys, I'm going to panic
- 18:29in the morning because I can't find my car keys
- 18:31and I have to go to work.
- 18:33Speaker 2: Yeah.
- 18:34Speaker 1: So that's not going to work. That's just going to
- 18:36piss me off. And so then I was told that
- 18:42it doesn't have to be that traditional kind of praying.
- 18:46You can write it down.
- 18:47Speaker 2: Like after I did my step two, I figured, like,
- 18:50you know what I mean? Yeah. Yeah. Part of the step,
- 18:52you had to write what your God is, you know
- 18:54what I mean? So, like, that's when I started. Like,
- 18:57I knew there was a spiritual part in it. I just,
- 19:01I guess I was just trying to be resistant to it,
- 19:02I guess, you know what I mean? But it's a
- 19:05major part of it, so I'm trying. Yeah. That's one
- 19:09part that I'm still working on. That's okay.
- 19:12Speaker 1: I mean, at least you're trying and you're putting in effort.
- 19:16That's the important part. You're not just like, nope, that
- 19:18piece of it is... trash and it's not going to
- 19:21do anything.
- 19:22Speaker 2: For me yeah so I'm like anything like they always
- 19:26tell me to be open or whatever you know I
- 19:29mean so like anything I'm suggested I try at least
- 19:32you know I mean yeah before addiction wise I'd be
- 19:35like not that right yeah my way wasn't the only way.
- 19:42Speaker 1: Yeah there was no highway to take it was just
- 19:44my way Who are you becoming now that survival mode
- 19:48isn't there? driving the bus?
- 19:52Speaker 2: Just an all-around better person than I was. Okay. Like,
- 19:57being able to be, you know, an active daughter, active,
- 20:01you know, sister, auntie, whatever. Just trying to be better
- 20:06than I ever was, you know what I mean? Yeah.
- 20:10Just so that I could show up for my family. Right.
- 20:14That's my major thing is my family has always been
- 20:17my everything.
- 20:19Speaker 1: And now being able to show up for them is huge.
- 20:23Speaker 2: Yeah, it's great. I love that they could call me
- 20:27and ask me to do things or if they need something,
- 20:31I could actually provide that. It's a good feeling.
- 20:35Speaker 1: Right.
- 20:36Speaker 2: Or I would just ignore them phone calls. avoid them altogether,
- 20:39you know what I mean? But, yeah.
- 20:43Speaker 1: And now they know that they have you that they
- 20:45can rely on and you have friends that know that
- 20:50if they call you, they can rely on you.
- 20:53Speaker 2: Yeah, like, yeah, it feels good. It's actually an amazing
- 20:57feeling being able to actually have people that care and
- 21:01rely and, you know what I mean, see the changes. Families, like,
- 21:06It's still against the wall a little bit, but I
- 21:08understand that. But if I just keep doing what I'm doing, I'm...
- 21:11You know what I mean? I let them down too
- 21:14many times, so it's... Yeah. I don't expect them to.
- 21:18But they call, they ask, you know what I mean? Yeah.
- 21:22Do what I can if I can help. Right.
- 21:25Speaker 1: And the hurts that you caused didn't happen overnight, so
- 21:28the healing's not going to happen overnight either. Not for
- 21:31them or for you.
- 21:32Speaker 2: Yeah.
- 21:33Speaker 1: You know, so... I think it's really awesome too that
- 21:35you are taking that step and knowing that, yes, okay,
- 21:40they are going to be a little resistant and they're
- 21:42going to not dive in head first right away. But
- 21:48obviously they are showing effort on their part too.
- 21:51Speaker 2: I don't expect them to do like put in whatever.
- 21:54So I go a little bit over the halfway mark,
- 21:58you know, just because I feel like I need to,
- 22:01you know, I'm trying to, you know. prove that um
- 22:05because my mom always told me actions are more than
- 22:09words you know absolutely so i just don't see what
- 22:14i can do like i've i would word things differently
- 22:18too you know i mean i'll see what i can
- 22:19do as i don't put my make the promises that
- 22:22i once did you know i mean so.
- 22:28Speaker 1: What's something you had to grieve in recovery.
- 22:35Speaker 2: Everybody I've lost while in active addiction, I lost three
- 22:40of my best friends and two of my ex-girlfriends, one
- 22:46from cancer, one from a car accident, and my three
- 22:52best friends. My best friend was my brother. He was
- 22:57the first one I lost. And I buried them all
- 23:02so deep down with drugs, right? Didn't have to feel,
- 23:06you know what I mean? Yeah. Because when my best
- 23:09friend died, I felt like I died with him.
- 23:11Speaker 1: For sure.
- 23:12Speaker 2: And he was somebody I was with every day. You
- 23:14know what I mean?
- 23:15Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 23:15Speaker 2: And he's the one who kept me in line. Like,
- 23:18you know, like, yeah. Because our families weren't perfect. You
- 23:22know what I mean? Like, his parents were there.
- 23:24Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 23:24Speaker 2: Like, my parents were absent or whatever for whatever reasons.
- 23:28But he was somebody that was consistent in my life.
- 23:32Speaker 1: Sure.
- 23:33Speaker 2: And then, like, My other two best friends, too, were there.
- 23:36We grew up all together. So, yeah. And then when
- 23:42my fiance passed away from cancer, it went all downhill
- 23:46from there. You know what I mean? Yeah. Everybody that
- 23:50I blamed everybody. I blamed myself. I don't know. It
- 23:55was just really... Nothing's harder than watching somebody you care
- 23:59about and you love. And, you know... And there's nothing
- 24:05you could do about it, not even doctors, you know
- 24:07what I mean?
- 24:08Speaker 1: There's no magic wand to fix any of the hurt
- 24:13or take any of the pain away or do anything
- 24:16like that. And then you're left with all of that pain.
- 24:20Speaker 2: And, like, I just stayed high. I compared every relationship
- 24:26to that, you know what I mean? Like, I just didn't, yeah.
- 24:30So it was really hard to, yeah. But to actually
- 24:35be able to talk about it now, like, yeah, that
- 24:38was one that would hurt the most, having to grieve for,
- 24:41it's been nine years.
- 24:42Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 24:43Speaker 2: So nine years of just.
- 24:46Speaker 1: Of stuffing it into every corner of your existence.
- 24:49Speaker 2: And, like, we were, that was my best friend, man,
- 24:52you know what I mean? Like, everything. I pushed everybody
- 24:54away after that. After losing my three friends and her
- 24:58and stuff, I didn't let myself get close to anybody anymore. Well, yeah.
- 25:03I isolated myself, pushed people away when I get too
- 25:05close type, you know what I mean? Right.
- 25:09Speaker 1: Yeah, because if you get close, then you.
- 25:11Speaker 2: I felt like I lost them, you know what I mean?
- 25:15Speaker 1: Or you had the chance of getting your heart broken again.
- 25:17Speaker 2: Yeah.
- 25:18Speaker 1: So then it's easier to stay alone. Yeah.
- 25:22Speaker 2: But I did that for so long that I've actually
- 25:25made myself alone too, you know what I mean?
- 25:26Speaker 1: Right, right. And you don't realize that those are the
- 25:29implications that you are dealing with until... After the fact,
- 25:34and now it's, okay, I need people. I need support.
- 25:38I need outside love and friendship and family.
- 25:43Speaker 2: Like, yeah, that's, like, when I, like I said, I
- 25:46only had one friend that I didn't burn the bridge with,
- 25:49you know what I mean?
- 25:49Speaker 1: And you came damn close to burning that one.
- 25:51Speaker 2: Oh, I've come so close. Dude, I was like, I'm
- 25:55just coming down. I'll just get high real quick. I'll
- 25:57be all right, you know? But, yeah, I'm glad I
- 26:01didn't this month. one person that I that actually showed
- 26:04me and it wasn't transactional you know I mean.
- 26:08Speaker 1: She didn't want anything from you she just.
- 26:10Speaker 2: Wanted to help you know I mean yeah so that.
- 26:14Speaker 1: Was a hard thing for me to come to terms
- 26:16with when I got sober is that not that relationships
- 26:20aren't supposed to be transactional like they are during our
- 26:23active use people show up because they truly care and
- 26:29they want to be.
- 26:30Speaker 2: There Yeah, but, like, there was nothing. I met her
- 26:34when I first moved to Bismarck, you know what I mean,
- 26:36through another friend. She was trying to help get sober,
- 26:39you know, whatever. And, you know, whatever. And I was just, like,
- 26:46a mutual friend or whatever. So, but then, like, when
- 26:50she'd come around, I'd be there. So, yeah, we had
- 26:53a building of friendship and stuff. And, yeah, she would
- 26:57always talk to us about getting sober and stuff. And,
- 27:00My friend, well, she was my cousin, but yeah, yeah, well, whatever. This, that.
- 27:05And I actually thought about it, like, every time she'd
- 27:09come around, like, damn. She's like, because they tell stories
- 27:14how she didn't have nothing, whatever, and everything, I wanted
- 27:17what she had. You know what I mean?
- 27:21Speaker 1: And, yeah.
- 27:22Speaker 2: I don't know what made me, like, we hung out
- 27:24a few times, whatever. And, yeah, I didn't know what
- 27:27made me call her, actually. Really, because I was the
- 27:29only one that knew that I was trying to offer something.
- 27:36Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 27:37Speaker 2: Yeah, those things.
- 27:38Speaker 1: And you didn't know it at the time, but every
- 27:41time she talked to you about sobriety and getting sober,
- 27:45she's planting those seeds in your head without you even
- 27:48knowing it.
- 27:49Speaker 2: I see that now, really. That welfare call to handle
- 27:53all those crazies. She's like, well, he doesn't answer your phones.
- 27:58And she just got cocked one up. And she just
- 28:04laughed about it. Well, answer your phone, bro. You guys
- 28:06could have been dead, which is true, though. I mean,
- 28:09and that.
- 28:09Speaker 1: We may have laughed.
- 28:10Speaker 2: About it now, but she genuinely cared because nobody, you know,
- 28:13knowing what we were doing.
- 28:15Speaker 1: And that's the scary reality is.
- 28:18I mean, yes, it's funny now because hindsight is 20-20.
- 28:23But in the moment for her, that was a real fear.
- 28:26Speaker 2: Yeah, like we didn't answer phone calls or whatever. You
- 28:29know what I mean? She knew what we were doing.
- 28:31And she's like, you guys answer usually any other time.
- 28:34You know, I could try calling both phones. You know
- 28:36what I mean? We were kind of pissed. You know
- 28:38what I mean? You had the cops, whatever. We were sleeping.
- 28:41She's like, well, I didn't know that. You know what
- 28:42I mean? Like, nobody talked to you guys. So, yeah. But, yeah,
- 28:49I see it. Like, I was mad about it at first,
- 28:51but now I see it through her eyes. Like, she
- 28:54just genuinely thought something was wrong. Yeah. When you're consistent
- 28:58on something and they just stop or whatever, you know?
- 29:00Speaker 1: Yeah. It's like, I gave you guys three hours to
- 29:03call back, whatever.
- 29:05Speaker 2: Oh, it's, yeah.
- 29:06Speaker 1: And, I mean, in scary situations like that, too, I mean...
- 29:11If you were using fentanyl and, I mean, three hours
- 29:15is a long time for something terrible to have happened.
- 29:18Speaker 2: Yeah. That's what she said. You guys are dead or
- 29:22alive in there, whatever. Yeah. After that, I guarantee we
- 29:25were calling back, man. We were making sure them phone calls.
- 29:29Speaker 1: You knew what was going to happen if you didn't.
- 29:32Speaker 2: Yeah. Like, she would text us. We were, like, we
- 29:34were getting high or something. And she'd call her and
- 29:37we'd just ignore it. And she'd be like, it's all right.
- 29:40go over there? I'm like, oh, no. Yeah.
- 29:47Speaker 1: How do you tell the difference between a craving and
- 29:50an emotion?
- 29:55Speaker 2: Cravings go away. My emotions stay. But, like, my friend
- 30:02told me, if you didn't have emotions, you wouldn't have cravings. Dang.
- 30:08Speaker 1: I like that.
- 30:11Speaker 2: So, like, if you don't, like, deal with your emotions,
- 30:14they are going to lead, soon lead to cravings. Right. So, like,
- 30:20I've never, I can honestly say I've had one or two,
- 30:24but that's, but that was at the beginning. But I
- 30:29also change my person, places, and things too.
- 30:32Speaker 1: Right.
- 30:33Speaker 2: Completely. But as long as I'm dealing with my emotions
- 30:37and staying consistent with my therapist and stuff, I haven't
- 30:43really get them cravings. So that's stuck in my head.
- 30:49If I don't deal with my emotions, they'll lead to cravings. Yeah.
- 30:54Speaker 1: Golly.
- 30:54Speaker 2: Okay.
- 30:55Speaker 1: Evidently, that was something I needed to hear today. Yeah. Um, what's,
- 31:02what coping skills sounded ridiculous at first, but actually worked?
- 31:10Speaker 2: I never like counting to 10, like, you know what
- 31:12I mean? Like them, our breathing techniques and stuff like that,
- 31:17but they all, I didn't really do the breathing technique,
- 31:21but I tried the walks, you know what I mean?
- 31:23Like just going clear in my mind or whatever, listening
- 31:27to music. Yeah. But I had to change up my
- 31:31music a little bit.
- 31:33Speaker 1: For sure. For sure. Yeah. Some of that music is,
- 31:36I mean, it's good music, but.
- 31:41Speaker 2: It's also depending on the mood you're in.
- 31:44Speaker 1: Yeah. It's going to either. It's like having that one
- 31:47friend that you know you are.
- 31:49Speaker 2: Yeah.
- 31:49Speaker 1: That will, you know, something goes wrong and they're going
- 31:52to show up at your door with a shovel and
- 31:54a gas can.
- 31:55Speaker 2: You like that? Or do you want to bury him?
- 31:58Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 31:58Speaker 2: Yeah.
- 31:59Speaker 1: Or you have another friend who is going to talk
- 32:01you off the ledge so you don't burn your whole
- 32:03world down. Snoop.
- 32:06Speaker 2: I usually, like, I don't have many, like, the coping
- 32:11skills or whatever. I just learn to talk to people, too.
- 32:13You know what I mean? Just actually talk about it
- 32:15to somebody. Yeah. And, like, basically all my friends now
- 32:19are in recovery or some sort, you know. So they
- 32:23usually get pretty good advice. Or I call my sponsor.
- 32:26Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah.
- 32:28Speaker 2: But before, I never did any of that. I thought
- 32:31walking was dumb. Counting to 10 was just going to
- 32:33piss me off. That's how many seconds you got to
- 32:36get the fuck away from me.
- 32:38Speaker 1: Yeah. Before my fist hits your face, because that's what's
- 32:42about to happen.
- 32:44Speaker 2: Yeah, and there was no coping skills then at all.
- 32:51Speaker 1: What does self-care realistically look like for you?
- 32:56Speaker 2: I actually just take care of myself better, you know,
- 32:58like hygiene-wise, like being able to, like, treat myself to things.
- 33:04Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 33:05Speaker 2: It just feels good to be able to just do
- 33:07things for myself and not have to rely on somebody else.
- 33:10Speaker 1: Right. Sleeping properly, eating properly.
- 33:13Speaker 2: Yeah, I got that all down. I can't sleep past 7.
- 33:17It's crazy. Like, no matter how hard I try, I'm
- 33:22up at 7. Thank you, Heartview.
- 33:27Speaker 1: And those are things that I don't think people really
- 33:31think about when they think about self-care. They don't think
- 33:33about getting proper sleep or eating healthy meals and not
- 33:39just eating whatever garbage you can find to fuel your body.
- 33:44Speaker 2: Just basically taking care of, yeah, being able to take
- 33:46care of yourself. You know what I mean? Like, if
- 33:48you look good, you feel good type shit.
- 33:51Speaker 1: Yeah, showering every day.
- 33:54Speaker 2: Yeah, man, like... It's crazy because when you're homeless, you
- 33:57don't get to do any of that stuff. You're wondering
- 34:01where in the next place you're going to lay your
- 34:02head or the next place you're going to be able
- 34:04to shower at. Right. God knows how many days some
- 34:08people go. Two is enough. I'll go to the truck stop.
- 34:11We're figuring this out. Yeah.
- 34:14Speaker 1: I'll use some of my drug money to go and
- 34:16take a shower.
- 34:16Speaker 2: Yeah, for sure.
- 34:20Speaker 1: Who held hope for you before you could hold it
- 34:23for yourself?
- 34:25Speaker 2: My mom.
- 34:26Speaker 1: Okay.
- 34:27Speaker 2: My mother's always been my number one supporter. She loved
- 34:33me through the good, the bad, the ugly. She never,
- 34:36she'd give me my space when she felt like I
- 34:38needed it, but she's never turned her back. She's never
- 34:43not believed in me or, you know what I mean? Like, yeah.
- 34:48She's always been my number one fan through everything.
- 34:51Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 34:53Speaker 2: Like, there's nothing I could do bad in her eyes.
- 34:57I mean, even though she knew some of it was true,
- 35:00that she would fight tooth and nail, you know what
- 35:02I mean? Like, she loved me unconditionally through everything.
- 35:07Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 35:08Speaker 2: Supporting me through it all the best that she could. Right. Like,
- 35:14we've had our ups and downs, don't get me wrong. Oh, yeah.
- 35:16At the end of the day, that's my mom, and
- 35:19she's always been there for me.
- 35:20Speaker 1: Yeah. Moms are pretty special in that way, I know.
- 35:28Speaker 2: Even when I.
- 35:28Speaker 1: Wasn't lovable, my mom loved me anyway.
- 35:32Speaker 2: Yeah, like when I hated myself, I just, I don't know.
- 35:39And I put her through the worst too, you know
- 35:41what I mean?
- 35:43Speaker 1: Yeah. What would you say to someone terrified to ask
- 35:49for help?
- 35:51Speaker 2: That it's okay to ask for it. It doesn't make
- 35:53you a weaker person.
- 35:55Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 35:56Speaker 2: Like sometimes we just can't do it on our own.
- 35:59Speaker 1: No, we can't. I was told that it takes a
- 36:06village to raise a child, but it takes an entire
- 36:08community to get sober.
- 36:10Speaker 2: And that's fact. That is facts. It is.
- 36:16Speaker 1: And that has stuck with me for a long time
- 36:18now that it does take if it wasn't for these
- 36:22rooms and like the actual sobriety and, you know, recovery
- 36:26community that they have here in Bismarck, I don't think,
- 36:29cause I tried it in Fargo like a year ago.
- 36:31Speaker 2: Yeah. It's nothing compared to the recovery that we have here.
- 36:36Speaker 1: And I, that's one thing that I think Bismarck Mandan
- 36:38is so blessed to have is the recovery community that
- 36:43we do have.
- 36:43Speaker 2: Yeah. It's like, I, I love it.
- 36:47Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 36:47Speaker 2: I'd do anything to be a part of it. I mean, like,
- 36:51Sign me up. Right. You know what I mean? Like,
- 36:55if any way I could get back to it, like,
- 36:57I do.
- 36:58Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 37:00Speaker 2: Get a commitment, do whatever.
- 37:05Speaker 1: What's the best thing someone said to you early in recovery?
- 37:11Speaker 2: My roommate when I first got to SoCo. She told
- 37:15me that we were just talking and whatever. She's like,
- 37:18I'll love you till you love yourself. And we made
- 37:21fun of it and like, you know what I mean?
- 37:22But yeah, she told me like, and then it's like,
- 37:29we keep on hearing it over and over and over.
- 37:33Now I tell people that we'll love you till you
- 37:36love yourself. Cause that's what they did for me. You
- 37:38know what I mean? Yeah.
- 37:39Speaker 1: Yeah. What is the most underrated recovery tool?
- 37:48Speaker 2: One day at a time.
- 37:49Speaker 1: Oh, God, I hated that.
- 37:53Speaker 2: Yeah, that one day at a time. But it's got
- 37:56a full meaning behind it, you know what I mean, though?
- 37:58Speaker 1: It does, and a powerful meaning. And once you kind
- 38:01of get past yourself when people tell you that, it's like, okay,
- 38:05I get it now.
- 38:06Speaker 2: I don't really understand it until you're there for a minute,
- 38:09you know what I mean? Right. If you can get
- 38:12through that one minute, that one second, then you do
- 38:15another one.
- 38:16Speaker 1: Yep.
- 38:17Speaker 2: And then if you feel the same way the next day,
- 38:19then eat it.
- 38:22Speaker 1: Right. Then you try it again.
- 38:24Speaker 2: Yeah.
- 38:25Speaker 1: And yeah, taking it one day, one second, one moment
- 38:29at a time. Then all of a sudden you're four
- 38:32months sober before you know it.
- 38:34Speaker 2: For real. Yeah. Yeah. I just stay in the present.
- 38:38You know what I mean? Nothing I can do about
- 38:41the past as much as I want to. Don't future trip. No.
- 38:46Speaker 1: No.
- 38:47Speaker 2: Because I can't. It happens the way it happens, you know?
- 38:51I try to stay present right now. Yeah.
- 38:56Speaker 1: A phrase you're tired of hearing in recovery?
- 39:00Speaker 2: Keep coming back. That's one guy says it all the time.
- 39:07Every time somebody shares this with me, they'll be like,
- 39:09keep coming back. God, bro.
- 39:14Speaker 1: Take a different line.
- 39:15Speaker 2: He even has a shirt that says it instead of
- 39:18This is too much.
- 39:22Speaker 1: What's one thing sobriety did not magically fix?
- 39:27Speaker 2: The guilt and the shame that I carry. Yeah.
- 39:33Speaker 1: That's a hard one.
- 39:34Speaker 2: Yeah. I'm working on it, but I did not magically
- 39:40fix that.
- 39:42Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 39:42Speaker 2: Because I definitely am guilty of a lot of things
- 39:46and I'm ashamed of a lot of things, you know?
- 39:48Speaker 1: Mm-hmm.
- 39:49Speaker 2: So, yeah. And one of the things that it did
- 39:53not fix is it's going to take some time. You
- 39:56know what I mean?
- 39:57Speaker 1: Yeah, it does.
- 39:59Speaker 2: But it took me a lot this far to realize
- 40:01that I had that. You know what I mean? Right.
- 40:07Speaker 1: What keeps you sober on hard days?
- 40:11Speaker 2: Definitely my family. I'm in a good sober living house.
- 40:15I don't care what anybody says about it. You know
- 40:17what I mean? So cool. They're very family-oriented. Like, it
- 40:23may not be as whatever it is other places, but
- 40:26there's destruction. It's just very family oriented. So I've, I
- 40:31got a lot of support and like, we look out
- 40:34for each other. You know what I mean? And my,
- 40:37my girlfriend, she's in recovery too, so. Yeah.
- 40:40Speaker 1: And sometimes when you can walk into a home full
- 40:48of strangers, like into sober living and They welcome you
- 40:51like family after you've lost a lot of your family
- 40:56because of your active addiction. That can be the world
- 40:58of difference between success and failure.
- 41:01Speaker 2: Exactly. Like, it's just a very, it was very welcoming.
- 41:05It was like, yeah. Then, like I said, my girl,
- 41:09my actual family and my partner, she's in sobriety, too.
- 41:14You know, she's at a sober living. So, like, yeah.
- 41:17They definitely all keep me accountable.
- 41:20Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 41:21Speaker 2: She does a lot. You know what I mean? But
- 41:25I get it. You know what I mean? If we're
- 41:27going to be in a relationship, we have to both
- 41:30keep our structures, keep our training.
- 41:32Speaker 1: Right, right. Yeah. Define recovery in three words.
- 41:41Speaker 2: The fellowship, the hope, and the strength. I love the fellowship.
- 41:50Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 41:51Speaker 2: The fellowship definitely gives me the hope and the strength
- 41:54to keep going every day.
- 41:56Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 41:58Speaker 2: If it wasn't for that fellowship, though, that wouldn't make
- 42:02my recovery, you know.
- 42:04Speaker 1: Right. There wouldn't be anything then.
- 42:06Speaker 2: Yeah.
- 42:08Speaker 1: And hope and strength. Sometimes we hold hope and strength
- 42:13for somebody else who can't hold their own yet.
- 42:16Speaker 2: Yeah.
- 42:18Speaker 1: Which is what you're doing today. By being forcefully.
- 42:23Speaker 2: Forcefully volunteered.
- 42:29Speaker 1: What gives you hope today?
- 42:33Speaker 2: Everything. I love the life that I live today. I
- 42:42hold on to everything I have. I haven't had in
- 42:47a really long time. Like, you know what I mean?
- 42:50So everything that's in my life right now gives me hope. Yeah.
- 42:55Everything I'm fighting so hard to have to get back,
- 42:58you know what I mean?
- 43:03Speaker 1: What would you tell the version of yourself who thought
- 43:06they'd never make it out?
- 43:11Speaker 2: I know we could do it. Just had to do it.
- 43:13Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 43:13Speaker 2: But yeah. Yeah.
- 43:17Speaker 1: It's like ripping off a band-aid. You just gotta do it.
- 43:19Speaker 2: You just gotta... It's more like ripping off duct tape, but...
- 43:23It's a little bit more painful, so it kind of... But, yeah.
- 43:31Speaker 1: If someone listening is one day sober, what do you
- 43:35want them to know?
- 43:38Speaker 2: Trust the process. Be open-minded to everything. Yeah.
- 43:44Speaker 1: Which is hard.
- 43:46Speaker 2: It is, like, But, um, like, so, um, first meeting
- 43:53I ever went to there, I think it was at,
- 43:56was it at CAP? No. What was my first meeting?
- 44:01I went to, um, it was an NA meeting. It
- 44:05was on a Monday, I think. I don't know which
- 44:07one it was, but, I don't know, it was on
- 44:10a Tuesday, because your first day, you can't go to
- 44:12a meeting. So it was on a Tuesday. I'm pretty
- 44:15sure it was, like, Shoulder, shoulder or something. Yeah, somebody
- 44:19was talking and said that, like, it was a, well,
- 44:22because it's a speaker meeting, you know? Mm-hmm. So, yeah,
- 44:24they were just saying, trust the process, be open-minded, like,
- 44:29do things that you wouldn't think, you know what I mean?
- 44:31Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 44:32Speaker 2: Get comfortable, be uncomfortable.
- 44:34Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 44:35Speaker 2: And I just, after that, then the open-minded thing just
- 44:39kept on coming up, you know what I mean? So
- 44:41I'm like, oh, I'm just going to be open to
- 44:44whatever is suggested.
- 44:45Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 44:46Speaker 2: So, yeah.
- 44:47Speaker 1: That being.
- 44:48Speaker 2: And then definitely trust the process.
- 44:52Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 44:52Speaker 2: It is a process.
- 44:54Speaker 1: It is a process. And for people, especially people with
- 44:58substance use disorders, we thrive in that instant gratification.
- 45:02Speaker 2: Yeah.
- 45:03Speaker 1: So then when we don't when we get sober and
- 45:07things aren't just magically perfect, it's why am I even
- 45:10doing this?
- 45:12Speaker 2: Yeah, like, I first got, like, everything, you know what
- 45:15I mean? But I waited, you know what I mean?
- 45:18I trusted it. I didn't understand or even figure that
- 45:22I was, you know, actually giving it to God by
- 45:25being open-minded, trusting process. It's more or less trusting God,
- 45:29you know what I mean? Just let him lead you
- 45:30instead of being so resistant to it. Some things I say,
- 45:37I just surprise myself. I don't know.
- 45:40Speaker 1: What's your reason to stay?
- 45:44Speaker 2: The life I have today is just, and the fellowship
- 45:49and the friends and the community that I'm a part
- 45:51of now, and I can never go think about going back. Plus,
- 45:57I'm really cocky with myself sometimes, you know what I mean?
- 46:00So I would look really bad if I was to
- 46:02go back for instance. Because I hope, like in my
- 46:06sober living, I hold a lot of people accountable and
- 46:09like I say, Say a lot of things, so like to, yeah.
- 46:15Speaker 1: Yeah, to go a little backwards is.
- 46:19Speaker 2: Yeah, definitely. I can't give them the power, I guess,
- 46:25you know. So I try to stay ahead of the game.
- 46:30I talk a lot.
- 46:32Speaker 1: I mean, sometimes that's the motivation that people need is somebody,
- 46:36you know.
- 46:37Speaker 2: They don't want to hear it, but they're going to
- 46:38hear it. You know what I mean?
- 46:40Speaker 1: And sometimes you just, somebody's got to say.
- 46:44Speaker 2: Somebody's got to tell you you never going to know,
- 46:46you know. I'm not trying to be a d *
- 46:49* * or be mean, but nobody tells you you're
- 46:52never going to know it.
- 46:53Speaker 1: Right, right.
- 46:55Speaker 2: And don't tell me your problems if you don't want
- 46:56to hear my answer sometimes.
- 46:58Speaker 1: Yeah, if you just want somebody to sit there and listen, well,
- 47:01then I am not the person for you to come to.
- 47:03Speaker 2: Before, I would have just avoided all conversations. Now, like,
- 47:06I feel like not that person. I have to, you know,
- 47:09at least listen, you know what I mean? And then
- 47:12I ask them, do you want truth or do you want...
- 47:15I'm going to tell you the truth. Do you want
- 47:17to hear it or not? They're hesitant sometimes, you know
- 47:21what I mean?
- 47:23Speaker 1: I haven't quite learned yet to ask people if they
- 47:25want my feedback. I just give it anyway. Then just... I.
- 47:30Speaker 2: Was like, definitely not going to be what you want
- 47:32to hear. But if you're ready for it, I'll give
- 47:36it to you. Some people just, I'll wait. I'll be
- 47:39right up. Let me think about this. All right, then.
- 47:41Speaker 1: I'll be here when you want to know.
- 47:43Speaker 2: And then come back and they tell me something. I
- 47:46was going to say that, but glad you figured it out. Yeah. Well,
- 47:52I had to figure it out on my own. Well, see,
- 47:54if you would have just let me tell you.
- 47:56Speaker 1: Mm-hmm.
- 47:56Speaker 2: Because I told you that was going to happen. I
- 47:57was that person. You know what I mean? Yes.
- 48:00Speaker 1: Yep.
- 48:01Speaker 2: It's crazy how much you use all your bad things
- 48:04and can use them for good now, too. I know.
- 48:07I guess I had a lot of bad habits. Whenever
- 48:11people ask me for advice, I'm like, this is what
- 48:13happened whenever. You know what I mean? Because I was
- 48:16that person, I'll tell you.
- 48:20Speaker 1: And now you can use... That same kind of attitude
- 48:23to reach a lot of people with strength and hope.
- 48:28Getting your story out there and telling your story.
- 48:31Speaker 2: That's the plan. Yeah. I love being able to give
- 48:34back somewhere that gave me so much. Maybe only four
- 48:38months or whatever, but that four months has changed me.
- 48:43It's huge. Yeah.
- 48:45Speaker 1: And you should be so proud of that four months, Rina.
- 48:50I have seen... that kind of change in you and
- 48:54that light come on in you. And it's, it's been
- 49:01awesome to see that light come on within you.
- 49:06Speaker 2: And that's why I'm so like honored to do this
- 49:09or be able to help. You know what I mean?
- 49:11Like it, if it helps somebody, it helps somebody. If
- 49:15it don't, at least I can't say I didn't try.
- 49:17Speaker 1: Right.
- 49:17Speaker 2: You know what I mean? It's an awesome feeling, you
- 49:20know what I mean? When I first spoke to my
- 49:22first group, too, like, it went really good, you know
- 49:26what I mean? So that's why I was open to
- 49:28do this, too. Well, it's not like I had a
- 49:31choice to do this. No, you didn't.
- 49:32Speaker 1: I didn't give you a choice.
- 49:35Speaker 2: But I'm glad to see that. You guys see more
- 49:40than what I see sometimes.
- 49:42Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 49:43Speaker 2: I need to be more open-minded, you know what I mean? Like,
- 49:45and quit doubting myself so much.
- 49:47Speaker 1: Mm-hmm.
- 49:48Speaker 2: But I want... Like I said, I love being able
- 49:52to give my... Give back to something that gave me
- 49:55so much so far. Yeah. And it's been a rollercoaster,
- 50:01but a rollercoaster I'll ride any day.
- 50:03Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 50:04Speaker 2: Yeah, so.
- 50:06Speaker 1: Well, thank you, Rina, for... agreeing, even though I didn't
- 50:11really give you much of a choice, to come on
- 50:13and share your story and share your experiences. Those are
- 50:18the things that make a huge difference to people is
- 50:22hearing people that have been homeless, that have been so
- 50:30down that they didn't know which way was up. Yeah.
- 50:33And coming out the other side stronger.
- 50:37Speaker 2: Definitely is a Wicked feeling. Sometimes I'm like, wow. I
- 50:45definitely did a 360 in my life.
- 50:48Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 50:49Speaker 2: And everything I've gained, I get to keep this time.
- 50:54What's that saying? You gave up everything to get one
- 50:58thing or whatever? I don't know how that goes, but yeah.
- 51:01Speaker 1: Addiction is giving up everything for one thing. And recovery
- 51:07is giving up one thing for everything.
- 51:10Speaker 2: Exactly. I love this thing. Even though I can't say it,
- 51:13but I love this thing. Because it's the truth, you
- 51:16know what I mean? I do this over and over again.
- 51:20It's been quite a ride, yeah?
- 51:23Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 51:23Speaker 2: From the day I walked in. Oh, I looked at my,
- 51:26they showed me my picture of when I first got here. Wow.
- 51:31I thought I looked like, I guess, holy crap. You
- 51:36could eat soup with a whole something, my cheeks turned red.
- 51:40That's crazy.
- 51:41Speaker 1: Yeah, that's my favorite part is seeing people so sick
- 51:46and then having all of a sudden being able to
- 51:52have this light and this smile that, you know, they
- 51:57make eye contact and they.
- 51:59Speaker 2: hey, good.
- 51:59Speaker 1: Morning, and, you know, how are you doing?
- 52:02Speaker 2: Or I would never even, like, just keep my head down.
- 52:04Elves are looking at me, go this way. I was
- 52:08so resilient into everything, like, I regretted it. You know
- 52:14what I mean? But then after a while, everybody, then
- 52:16I came out of my shell. Then they didn't want
- 52:18me to leave. Gotta go, man. My time is over. Like, yeah,
- 52:26I got close to everybody, I guess. I don't know.
- 52:30I've got a relationship with a lot of people at Heartview.
- 52:33And they, yeah. Like I said, it's a family that
- 52:39they grew and they definitely inherited a child.
- 52:43Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 52:43Speaker 2: That will be around for a long time.
- 52:45Speaker 1: Good. Next step, we'll be pushing you to apply for
- 52:49a job at Heartview.
- 52:50Speaker 2: Oh, I got that.
- 52:52Speaker 1: Sorry.
- 52:54Speaker 2: Yeah. I was still looking to look into that. Yeah.
- 52:59Short-term goals. We'll see what happens.
- 53:02Speaker 1: Good. See?
- 53:03Speaker 2: Definitely would love to do that.
- 53:06Speaker 1: We would love to have you.
- 53:09Speaker 2: Take these old... Put them in totals. Drag them to meetings.