Latest / Project UNWD (Real People. Real Stories.) / 12 Years Sober. Then One Gas Station ”Botanical” Shot Trapped Her Again. - Project UNWD Ep 59

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12 Years Sober. Then One Gas Station ”Botanical” Shot Trapped Her Again. - Project UNWD Ep 59 · Project UNWD (Real People. Real Stories.)

• 0:01
  Oh,
• 0:04
  >> what? One second. My my
• 0:06
  >> No, no, you're fine.
• 0:09
  >> Okay, let's see if I can Okay, there you
• 0:12
  go.
• 0:12
  >> Welcome back to Project Unwind. My name
• 0:14
  is James. I'm your host. And Heather,
• 0:16
  you were just sharing a really
• 0:19
  heartwarming story about this battle
• 0:21
  you've been fighting over the past year.
• 0:24
  Um, can you but before we go do a deeper
• 0:27
  dive into that, can you just give us
• 0:29
  like a brief introduction on like who is
• 0:31
  Heather? What do you do and what?
• 0:34
  >> Um, my name's Heather. I've got four
• 0:38
  kids and I am going to school to become
• 0:41
  a surgical tech. Um, and while I'm in
• 0:44
  that program, I work as a CNA
• 0:47
  as day and then take care of my kids at
• 0:50
  nighttime. Um, and yeah, that's about my
• 0:55
  daytoday world. And I've always been um
• 1:00
  kind of in the world of recovery. I had
• 1:02
  been to rehab 12 years prior and had
• 1:05
  been sober those whole 12 years up until
• 1:10
  I had this last relapse that I I
• 1:13
  honestly
• 1:15
  thought the only way I was going to get
• 1:18
  out of it was if I was to die at one
• 1:22
  point.
• 1:24
  >> It was a bad one. Yeah, it was a bad
• 1:28
  one. Um, but
• 1:32
  the unwind was what got me through it.
• 1:35
  And I had tried for a year, like
• 1:40
  actively every single week of that year,
• 1:43
  trying to find something that would help
• 1:44
  me get off. And nothing worked. Nothing
• 1:50
  would ever work. And so I just got to
• 1:52
  the point where I don't think I can. I
• 1:54
  don't think it's possible.
• 1:58
  So yeah, it was I was at a really dark
• 2:02
  place
• 2:05
  >> and then I took unwind and
• 2:09
  I was fine. That feeling of I have to
• 2:13
  take this to be able to get through my
• 2:15
  day and not lose my [ __ ] completely
• 2:20
  just went away.
• 2:22
  time being able to connect with humans
• 2:26
  again. I think that was a big part of
• 2:29
  what it took from me was I didn't really
• 2:32
  care about connecting with people. I
• 2:34
  just needed to make sure I had that
• 2:37
  constant 70 present in my life or I'm
• 2:41
  going to get sick.
• 2:43
  And then once I got off of the 70 and
• 2:46
  was done with that physical part, I
• 2:48
  still I didn't want to connect to humans
• 2:51
  anymore. I still my brain was just fried
• 2:56
  and then I started taking the unwind.
• 3:00
  Um I went into work and I remember I
• 3:04
  gave my patients the biggest hug and I
• 3:07
  just told them how much I appreciate
• 3:09
  them and how much I just love them. And
• 3:14
  same went with my kids and my friends
• 3:17
  all saw a difference. It helped me bring
• 3:22
  the mental part of me and my big big
• 3:25
  heart back.
• 3:28
  So yeah, it changed a lot for me.
• 3:34
  You
• 3:37
  when there's the mental withdrawals and
• 3:39
  the physical withdrawals, what you it
• 3:42
  kind of sounded like the physical
• 3:44
  withdrawals, you at least able to get
• 3:46
  over that part. Was it the mental
• 3:49
  withdrawals? Did it make you keep going
• 3:51
  back to the 70?
• 3:53
  >> Yeah. Every time I would go I think the
• 3:58
  most I went was like a week and a half
• 4:01
  and I just couldn't take it. I couldn't
• 4:03
  take it anymore. Um with the anxiety,
• 4:08
  the depression cuz my dopamine receptors
• 4:11
  are they're fried. They're fried to you
• 4:13
  guys. and and
• 4:16
  the anxiety it was like nothing I've
• 4:18
  ever experienced. So I felt like I had
• 4:22
  to go back and get 7 to make it through
• 4:26
  the day because I can't take this
• 4:29
  anxiety, this impending doom over my
• 4:33
  head type of feeling and severe
• 4:35
  depression.
• 4:36
  And so it led me back every single time.
• 4:40
  I quit over eight times that year and
• 4:45
  every single time it was I would get
• 4:47
  through the physical but then it was
• 4:48
  that mental that I went back every time.
• 4:58
  >> Well, that's like the 70 is something
• 5:03
  I've heard I've never heard of 70 in my
• 5:06
  life before. So recently I had the first
• 5:10
  customer uh say, "Hey, I'm using your
• 5:13
  product to get off something called 7
• 5:14
  and it's really helped me."
• 5:16
  >> And then ever since then with the
• 5:18
  algorithm and stuff like that, I've been
• 5:20
  hearing it more and more often on like
• 5:23
  >> how this single pill just traps you
• 5:26
  >> when you
• 5:27
  >> Yeah.
• 5:27
  >> When you take that first pill, did you
• 5:29
  know that this was going to get as
• 5:31
  addicting as like this or
• 5:33
  >> No, I had no idea. And because it first
• 5:37
  started with one of those shots at
• 5:39
  Maverick that said it was like a 5hour
• 5:42
  energy shot right next to those and it
• 5:44
  said calm clean um energy and I was like
• 5:49
  oh that sounds wonderful. I took that
• 5:51
  shot and it works with your opioid
• 5:54
  receptors. And me being an exopiate
• 5:58
  addict
• 5:59
  I loved that feeling. I had been clean
• 6:02
  for so long. I didn't ever expect I can
• 6:06
  buy something at the gas station or at
• 6:08
  the vape shop that's going to affect me
• 6:11
  as if I was out going and buying
• 6:14
  oxycottton or drugs off of the street,
• 6:17
  but it works on those same receptors.
• 6:20
  So, when I first started, I didn't
• 6:23
  realize what was going on until it was
• 6:26
  too late. And I remember finding out
• 6:30
  because I was like, "Okay, I did it for
• 6:33
  like two weeks straight. Got so much
• 6:36
  stuff done, felt so happy, and then I
• 6:39
  was like, I got to stop. This is getting
• 6:41
  out of hand. I am an addict. We don't
• 6:45
  need to go down that road again, even
• 6:46
  though this is just a botanical plant."
• 6:49
  And then I didn't take it. And then I I
• 6:51
  was so so sick. And I had been through
• 6:55
  those withdrawals before.
• 6:57
  So I kind of put hand in hand, started
• 7:00
  looking it up and I felt trapped and
• 7:03
  then the 70 came out shortly after and
• 7:07
  that just trapped me even more so and it
• 7:13
  went downhill really fast and yeah it
• 7:16
  took over a year of quitting eight
• 7:19
  different times to find something that
• 7:22
  once I got through the physical part of
• 7:24
  it, this product is the only one that
• 7:28
  makes it so I can stay sober off of it.
• 7:33
  After eight failed attempts, I tried
• 7:36
  this and thank God I did cuz we were
• 7:40
  just about to lose everything if I
• 7:42
  didn't.
• 7:44
  >> Mom,
• 7:45
  >> what do what do you mean by lose
• 7:47
  everything? What was about to happen? We
• 7:49
  were going to have to move back in with
• 7:52
  my mom and um back because we live in a
• 7:58
  small town in Berley. We were about to
• 8:00
  move back like an hour away to my mom's
• 8:03
  house. I was going to have to move all
• 8:05
  my kids from the town that they knew
• 8:07
  because I was just so far sucked into it
• 8:10
  and it is not cheap.
• 8:12
  And then um I was able to get clean and
• 8:17
  now I'm back living with my ex-husband
• 8:20
  and we've got our family back together.
• 8:23
  So it literally went from me losing
• 8:26
  everything, going to have to live in my
• 8:29
  mom's basement again to I have my entire
• 8:33
  family back and we're living in our home
• 8:36
  again. So yeah, we were about to lose
• 8:39
  everything. Instead, I ended up
• 8:43
  No worries.
• 8:45
  We had a small technical hiccup, but I
• 8:48
  wanted to ask you, Heather, like the
• 8:49
  physical withdrawals, like the restless
• 8:51
  leg, the cold sweats. I've heard how
• 8:54
  brutal that is.
• 8:55
  >> Yeah.
• 8:56
  >> What was there anything you did to help
• 8:58
  overcome the physical side of things as
• 9:00
  well?
• 9:01
  >> Yeah. Yeah. I tried to do it cold
• 9:04
  turkey.
• 9:05
  There was no way I could have done that.
• 9:08
  So I went I got on Suboxone
• 9:12
  and they have me at like 24 milligrams a
• 9:15
  day which is like the highest cap. But I
• 9:18
  still because of this 7 has so many
• 9:22
  different compounds than what Suboxone
• 9:25
  is used for for other opiates. I still
• 9:29
  felt terrible and couldn't sleep and was
• 9:34
  dripping sweat. And it wasn't until I
• 9:38
  got on the sublade shot.
• 9:41
  >> Um, the first two shots you get, it's
• 9:44
  like a 300 one and then a or a 500 one
• 9:48
  and then a 300 one a week later. And
• 9:52
  that's when I was able to deal with the
• 9:55
  physical withdrawals just like that was
• 9:59
  fine. And um I thought, okay, this is
• 10:02
  it. I'm going to be able to do it.
• 10:05
  But then the mental withdrawal every
• 10:08
  single time I went back and yeah.
• 10:14
  >> How was the anxiety and depression
• 10:16
  affecting your dayto-day? Like were you
• 10:19
  did you have to call off work or
• 10:23
  >> Yes. Yes, I did. I even had um I even
• 10:28
  had a time where I took like a whole
• 10:31
  week and a half off of work hoping that
• 10:34
  by the time I would went back that it
• 10:37
  would be over with. Um but it wasn't.
• 10:40
  The anxiety
• 10:43
  I felt okay cuz I was secluded in my
• 10:45
  mom's house that week and a half. My
• 10:47
  kids were with their dad. But then when
• 10:50
  it was time to go back to my life and
• 10:53
  working and doing the mom thing, I got
• 10:58
  home and I couldn't I couldn't even get
• 11:02
  up to leave my house. And it's just this
• 11:05
  like impending doom.
• 11:09
  Something terrible is going to happen if
• 11:12
  I leave my house right now. And it's
• 11:16
  like I've said, it's nothing I've ever
• 11:19
  experienced before with that anxiety.
• 11:23
  And it's just so easy to get out of that
• 11:28
  headsp space because all you have to do
• 11:30
  is go down the road in my case to the
• 11:33
  vape shop, buy the 7. I feel better than
• 11:37
  ever. And then then
• 11:39
  I it's always just this. Okay, this is
• 11:42
  the last time I'm going to do this. But
• 11:45
  then that anxiety hits. I'm going to do
• 11:47
  it one more time. Get me through this
• 11:48
  anxiety. This is the last time. And then
• 11:51
  it hits. It was just I could not ever
• 11:55
  get past the anxiety and the depression
• 11:59
  part of it.
• 12:05
  >> That's
• 12:09
  that's just brutal. like for
• 12:14
  if there's someone watching this who is
• 12:19
  about to start their 70 um taper or
• 12:24
  they're in the same spot they try to
• 12:26
  quit but then they keep falling back
• 12:29
  like what's is there a message you can
• 12:32
  provide to them to help them through
• 12:34
  whatever they're going through?
• 12:36
  >> Yeah. Yeah. my 100%
• 12:40
  I have told people it like makes me
• 12:43
  teareyed because I know the hell that
• 12:47
  they're about to go through and I did so
• 12:51
  many hit and misses and this was truly
• 12:54
  the only thing that worked for me and
• 12:58
  from what I've read um and listened for
• 13:01
  other people when it comes to getting
• 13:03
  off 7 ohm andratom
• 13:07
  This is honestly the only thing that has
• 13:09
  worked for so many people and believe me
• 13:13
  when I say I have I have been through
• 13:15
  the ringer with different medications,
• 13:18
  different approaches
• 13:20
  and I I was at the point where I just
• 13:24
  figured I I'm never going to be able to
• 13:27
  beat this. And then I tried the hemp
• 13:30
  powder and it took like
• 13:34
  by the fifth day I was finally like I
• 13:39
  don't need this anymore. And then by
• 13:41
  like the second week I was laughing
• 13:45
  again. I was listening to my music again
• 13:48
  which used to be such a huge thing for
• 13:51
  me. But then the 70 and then coming off
• 13:54
  of it, it just all numbed everything. I
• 13:57
  enjoyed out of me completely.
• 14:01
  And then
• 14:03
  yeah, I took the unwind the mind the
• 14:08
  mind hemp powder and it was the only
• 14:11
  thing that worked. And then and I was so
• 14:14
  amazed by day five. But then I took it
• 14:17
  another week and I was even amazed even
• 14:19
  more because I was jamming out in my car
• 14:23
  again to music and laughing. And then I
• 14:26
  had a sense of humor again. So the
• 14:30
  longer I took it, it's just, oh, there's
• 14:32
  another piece I was missing.
• 14:35
  But it, yeah, it was just the longer I
• 14:38
  took it, the more me I kept getting
• 14:41
  back.
• 14:43
  So I would 100%
• 14:46
  if someone's trying to get off a 70 or
• 14:50
  to add this to it because it's going to
• 14:54
  be hard. But this product really does
• 14:58
  it. It's an amazing tool to use to get
• 15:02
  clean and stay clean and without hitting
• 15:05
  the severe anxiety and depression.
• 15:10
  >> How many days are you clean now?
• 15:13
  >> Um, we're going on like month two and a
• 15:18
  half. And that's huge for me because my
• 15:23
  longest before was like a half of a
• 15:26
  week.
• 15:28
  Yeah. So, it's huge for me. And as it
• 15:32
  goes by, I don't even I don't even think
• 15:36
  about it. Like, at first it was, okay,
• 15:40
  don't freak out. Maybe we can do this.
• 15:42
  we can do 70 every now and then cuz you
• 15:45
  have to take it one day at a time or it
• 15:48
  kind of get freaked out. So, at first I
• 15:51
  was like, "Okay, we're going to go
• 15:53
  through this week. Maybe again someday
• 15:55
  we can do the 70 but keep it under
• 15:58
  wraps." But then as the days kept going
• 16:01
  and I kept taking the hemp powder every
• 16:04
  day,
• 16:05
  I don't have any desire to try it ever
• 16:09
  again,
• 16:11
  which is complete opposite of where I
• 16:14
  would have been months before. like I
• 16:17
  had to have that to survive in my life.
• 16:20
  >> Yeah.
• 16:21
  >> Yeah. So, it's been amazing and like I
• 16:25
  think I've texted you and messaged you
• 16:28
  and told you like you literally have
• 16:30
  saved my life, my kids's life. Like,
• 16:33
  thank you so much.
• 16:37
  >> And now that we're on this video, I know
• 16:39
  this video is going to reach one person
• 16:41
  and we're going to save his or her life.
• 16:44
  >> Yes.
• 16:45
  passing it forward.
• 16:47
  >> Yes. Yep. And that's all I want. I know
• 16:50
  how hard it is. So, yeah.
• 16:54
  >> I'm so proud of you, Heather. This is
• 16:56
  honestly
• 16:58
  >> we're just the tool and then like all
• 17:00
  the hard work you've done until now has
• 17:03
  has made it so that we're just the
• 17:05
  cherry on top. The hard work was all
• 17:07
  you.
• 17:08
  >> Yeah. Thank you.
• 17:11
  >> Yeah.
• 17:13
  It's really one of the best tools that
• 17:15
  I've been able to make it so that I stay
• 17:19
  sober. It's been truly amazing. And
• 17:22
  thank you.
• 17:26
  >> The one of the questions we get often is
• 17:29
  cuz like people are worried they don't
• 17:31
  want to go from one addiction to another
• 17:33
  >> and then like even I'm the founder if I
• 17:36
  go like
• 17:37
  >> it's there's no withdrawals when you get
• 17:39
  off of nothing like that. But No, no
• 17:42
  one's going to believe me because I'm
• 17:44
  the I'm the founder. So, I want to hear
• 17:46
  from your words. Were there any days
• 17:48
  when you kind of skipped the scoop and
• 17:50
  kind of like what happened on those
• 17:51
  days?
• 17:52
  >> Yeah. Um, there were once I got past
• 17:54
  that initial
• 17:57
  I have to have the seven to get through
• 17:59
  this day or my anxiety shoots through
• 18:01
  the roof. And then I took the unwind
• 18:05
  mind and that first week I took it every
• 18:09
  single day and then I was like okay well
• 18:11
  let's take half scoops and see what
• 18:13
  happens. And then there were days that I
• 18:15
  didn't take any at all and I was still
• 18:20
  I was still not anxious though that
• 18:23
  anxiety didn't come back and cuz that
• 18:26
  was my exact thing is I don't want to
• 18:28
  replace one thing with another. And I
• 18:31
  did do my research and hemp just the
• 18:34
  powder itself isn't addictive. You're
• 18:37
  not going to become physically or
• 18:40
  mentally dependent on this. But yes,
• 18:44
  there have been days where I don't take
• 18:46
  any. There's been plenty of days where I
• 18:49
  only do half. The next day I don't take
• 18:52
  any. Next day I don't take any. Then the
• 18:55
  third day I'll take a half. And it just
• 18:58
  it never it's never a roller coaster
• 19:02
  when I'm playing with the dosage like
• 19:05
  that. It's an even calm for me now.
• 19:10
  >> I love it.
• 19:11
  >> Yes, me too.
• 19:16
  >> Well, Heather, I always like to wrap up
• 19:18
  these podcasts with just like three
• 19:21
  speed on questions just to throw you
• 19:22
  some curve balls before you go about
• 19:25
  your supper. You ready?
• 19:27
  Yes.
• 19:28
  >> Okay. What is the dumbest thing that you
• 19:34
  have spent uh is spent your money on?
• 19:38
  >> Um, that one's a no-brainer. It was the
• 19:41
  70. It was I was spending like
• 19:46
  at least $200 a day on it.
• 19:50
  >> Yeah. For like it didn't start off that
• 19:53
  way. Um, but it you build a tolerance so
• 19:58
  fast and you're chasing that high that
• 20:02
  it gets up there quicker than you would
• 20:05
  want it to and quicker than most would
• 20:08
  think. So, most definitely the 70. And
• 20:13
  then I did spend money on these um
• 20:17
  supplements like was called like quick K
• 20:20
  and I tried that but that didn't do
• 20:23
  anything for me. Um so as far as getting
• 20:27
  off of the 7, I tried so many different
• 20:32
  probiotics and supplements and um yeah,
• 20:37
  nothing was working.
• 20:39
  So, I've Yeah, there's been plenty of
• 20:42
  money stupidly spent.
• 20:46
  >> It's a rent payment at that point.
• 20:48
  >> Oh, yeah. Wait, 100% was Yes.
• 20:55
  >> If you could be anywhere in the world
• 20:56
  right now, you had two weeks off. You
• 20:58
  can go anywhere with your kids and your
• 21:00
  family.
• 21:01
  >> Where are you going to be? Um,
• 21:05
  honestly, uh, a vacation summer tropical
• 21:09
  would be amazing, but honestly, I've
• 21:13
  been back in the house with my, he's now
• 21:16
  my boyfriend. He's my ex-husband. We
• 21:20
  were back in our family home after years
• 21:23
  of being apart. And it's because I was
• 21:26
  able to get clean. And this is where I
• 21:30
  am 100% my most happiest right now is
• 21:34
  being clean here because this is why I
• 21:38
  am here cuz I got clean and there's no
• 21:43
  amount of 7 O can make me feel this
• 21:46
  happy that I have coming home to my
• 21:48
  family every night. So
• 21:52
  >> yeah. Yes, it definitely. I'm so so
• 21:58
  unbelievably happy.
• 22:01
  >> That's You're already inside your
• 22:03
  vacation. Most people are looking for a
• 22:06
  vacation, but you're already here.
• 22:08
  >> Yes.
• 22:11
  Yes. Exactly.
• 22:13
  >> Wow.
• 22:15
  Lastly, if you can go back in time and
• 22:19
  speak with younger Heather and just give
• 22:21
  her one piece of life advice.
• 22:24
  >> Yes.
• 22:24
  >> How old is younger Heather and what's
• 22:27
  the message?
• 22:28
  >> Um, I would go back to when I first
• 22:33
  picked up the cratom at Maverick. Like I
• 22:37
  had said, I'd been clean for 12 years up
• 22:40
  until then. Um, and I didn't think
• 22:44
  anything of it. It said it was
• 22:46
  botanical.
• 22:47
  That first to drink I took, I loved the
• 22:51
  filling. And I should have known. And I
• 22:54
  think in the back of my mind, I thought,
• 22:57
  maybe I should look into this. But my
• 22:59
  addiction was like, "No, you don't. It's
• 23:01
  botanical. Keep on doing it. You're
• 23:04
  feeling amazing. Look at all this stuff
• 23:06
  you're getting done." So it would go
• 23:08
  back to me when I very first picked it
• 23:10
  up 3 years ago was when I very first
• 23:14
  started and I would have told myself to
• 23:17
  put it down and do not touch it and do
• 23:20
  not touch any 70 or any cratom
• 23:24
  ever because
• 23:26
  I know I I could stay clean.
• 23:29
  >> Mhm. It was just that I kind of got
• 23:33
  tricked uh into it at the gas station
• 23:37
  store being told it was botanical. If I
• 23:40
  were to go to a doctor and they say,
• 23:42
  "Oh, we'll give you this pain pill."
• 23:44
  I've always told them, "No, don't." But
• 23:47
  that one it it honestly kind of tricked
• 23:50
  me and it it swallowed me whole for 3
• 23:55
  years.
• 23:56
  So yeah, so it would be don't touch that
• 24:00
  and I 100%
• 24:03
  plan on telling my kids all about it and
• 24:08
  anyone who needs any any advice with Oh,
• 24:12
  should I try this gas station shot? No,
• 24:16
  I don't.
• 24:20
  >> Was it a blue bottle?
• 24:22
  >> Yeah. Yep. It was K chill crratum shot
• 24:26
  that I very first tried
• 24:28
  >> and then I just kept progressing and I
• 24:32
  went from that to like this harder
• 24:34
  strain brew blue bottle shot to theratom
• 24:39
  powder to the 70 pills
• 24:44
  and yeah it was just a
• 24:50
  downward spiral to an addiction. in hell
• 24:54
  to get out of.
• 24:57
  But I really could not I 100% believe I
• 25:02
  could not have done it without this. And
• 25:04
  so I'm so thankful you popped up on my
• 25:08
  Facebook algorithm or else I don't know
• 25:10
  where I would be today.
• 25:13
  >> Just like this. Just just like on a
• 25:16
  video like this.
• 25:17
  >> Yep.
• 25:22
  Well, Heather, that I'm so happy that
• 25:25
  chapter of life is in the past. It seems
• 25:28
  like you're living you're living it up
• 25:30
  in this new chapter. I'm so excited to
• 25:32
  see how things are going to be.
• 25:34
  >> Yes.
• 25:34
  >> Um and I really appreciate you sharing
• 25:37
  the story.
• 25:38
  >> Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Anything
• 25:41
  to help anyone else out, I am all for
• 25:45
  it. So, I'm glad that he invited me on
• 25:47
  here. So, thank you.
• 25:50
  >> Of course. Well, for the audience, if
• 25:53
  you guys have any questions for Heather,
• 25:55
  you can just drop a comment down below.
• 25:57
  I'll see if I can shoot her a text and
• 25:59
  maybe get some answers.
• 26:02
  >> But yeah, that's that wraps up the
• 26:04
  podcast. I thank you again, Heather.
• 26:07
  >> Thank you.
• 26:08
  >> Yeah, I appreciate you all for listening
• 26:11
  and wish you all a healthy and happy
• 26:13
  day. P.S.