Misty Pearson’s story begins where many never expect addiction to start: a legitimate injury, a doctor’s prescription, and a life that looked “put together.” One torn ACL set off a chain reaction—opioids, shame, escalation, arrests, and ultimately nine and a half years of incarceration. But Misty’s story doesn’t end there. Through forced sobriety, deep personal reckoning, faith, and an unwavering commitment to growth, Misty chose a different path. Today, she works in addiction tre...
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Misty Pearson’s story begins where many never expect addiction to start: a legitimate injury, a doctor’s prescription, and a life that looked “put together.” One torn ACL set off a chain reaction—opioids, shame, escalation, arrests, and ultimately nine and a half years of incarceration. But Misty’s story doesn’t end there. Through forced sobriety, deep personal reckoning, faith, and an unwavering commitment to growth, Misty chose a different path. Today, she works in addiction tre...
Misty Pearson’s story begins where many never expect addiction to start: a legitimate injury, a doctor’s prescription, and a life that looked “put together.” One torn ACL set off a chain reaction—opioids, shame, escalation, arrests, and ultimately nine and a half years of incarceration. But Misty’s story doesn’t end there. Through forced sobriety, deep personal reckoning, faith, and an unwavering commitment to growth, Misty chose a different path. Today, she works in addiction tre...
Patrick Custer’s story is a masterclass in courage. Raised in a conservative religious home, Patrick spent his early life feeling “different” and carrying shame he couldn’t name. Addiction took hold in college, spiraling him from functioning student to around-the-clock drinking and stimulant use. At 24, a family intervention saved his life—and sobriety opened the door to years of healing, identity acceptance, and profound self-discovery. But the greatest test came five years into recovery: a...
Justin Lowry’s story is a wild ride through chaos, collapse, and ultimately, radical redemption. Starting drugs at age 12, Justin’s life spiraled through addiction, business success, bankruptcy, and homelessness—until a near-death hospital stay and jail time forced him to face the truth: he was the problem. Now sober and thriving, Justin has turned his pain into purpose through Smiles for Recovery, a nonprofit providing free dental implants for people in recovery. What began as a small idea i...
Former NFL linebacker Ryan Fowler opens up about the hidden world of pain, pressure, and performance inside professional football—and how it led to years of addiction. From Vicodin on the sidelines to a staff member supplying players in the locker room, Fowler shares how the drive to be perfect, strong, and “capable” nearly cost him everything. Now in recovery, Ryan talks about rebuilding his life, mending relationships, and finding peace in simply being enough. His story is one of brutal hon...
What if the real trauma begins when you’re not allowed to be yourself? In this powerful conversation, Orlando Andrews shares his deeply personal recovery journey—one shaped by loss, discovery, and bold innovation. From confronting the failures of $60,000 treatment programs with 70% relapse rates, to developing new solutions like the SPARC device, Orlando is pushing the industry to rethink what recovery can look like. He speaks candidly about the “soul rupture” of operating outside your morali...
Episode 2: My Chaos – Kim Ryan on Trauma, Recovery, and the Moment She Knew She Was Okay In this powerful and deeply honest episode, Kim Ryan joins host Jonny Phillip to share her remarkable story of addiction, trauma, and transformation. From surviving the chaos of substance use to finding long-term recovery and peace, Kim opens up about the darkest chapters of her life—and the unexpected moments of clarity that brought her back. You’ll hear: What trauma-informed care really looks likeThe su...
Welcome to the debut episode of Breaking Down Addiction, a podcast by National Addiction Specialists. In this raw and unfiltered conversation, singer-songwriter and recovery advocate Mitzi Dawn shares her powerful journey—from growing up in the rooms of AA to discovering, later than expected, that addiction hadn’t skipped her after all. Mitzi opens up about the early days of using, the isolation and denial that followed, and the moment someone finally looked her in the eye and said, “You’re a...
Misty Pearson’s story begins where many never expect addiction to start: a legitimate injury, a doctor’s prescription, and a life that looked “put together.” One torn ACL set off a chain reaction—opioids, shame, escalation, arrests, and ultimately nine and a half years of incarceration. But Misty’s story doesn’t end there. Through forced sobriety, deep personal reckoning, faith, and an unwavering commitment to growth, Misty chose a different path. Today, she works in addiction tre...
