Rise Above with Kevin Lanning

Ketamine Psychosis | My Ketamine Addiction Was Destroying My Organs | How I Got Sober Jul 24, 2026 4343 Sydney Steele was prescribed Ritalin at five years old, just as she was finishing preschool. From there came Concerta, Vyvanse, and Adderall — a stimulant cycle that ran nearly nonstop through her childhood, alongside psychiatric diagnoses she now believes were largely a reaction to the medication itself. She made it through Syracuse as an illustration major with a real gift and a growing art bus

A Decade Long Addiction to Opioids | How I Broke the Chains and Got Clean & Sober Jul 22, 2026 6878 By June of 2017, Billy Rich had nothing left in his own eyes. A decade into opioid addiction, isolated in a blacked-out bedroom in Rhode Island, cut off from his family, grieving his father, buried under legal fear and a mental state he describes as beyond anything he'd known — he had decided he was done. He didn't see a recovery option. He didn't think there was a way out. He survived that night

What Leads Someone To Plan a School Shooting?...The Early Warning Signs Everyone Missed Jul 21, 2026 4369 ⚠️ This episode is presented for educational and prevention purposes only. In 2018, Brendan Vaughan was arrested for making terroristic threats against his high school. We sat down with him — and previously with the detective who arrested him — not to sensationalize what happened, but to understand the early warning signs that might help someone intervene before a young person reaches that point.

She Sold Her Body For Heroin & Crack, Totaled 7 Cars & Had 5 Arrests In A Month | Now 5 Years Sober Jul 17, 2026 3579 Brittany Logan grew up an only child split between two households — her mother's world of structure and discipline, and her alcoholic father's world of no rules and chaos. By 15 she was drinking before class and never wanted to stop. She got kicked out of art school, was arrested five times in a single month, and moved from blues to Oxys to heroin — a drug she says she first heard glamorized insid

I Drank a Bottle For 700 Straight Days and Lost Everything | How I Finally Got Sober Jul 16, 2026 5476 Sponsored by Caron Treatment Centers My recovery journey began at Caron Treatment Centers, and the care I received there changed the course of my life. That's why I'm proud to partner with Caron. If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, Caron has been helping individuals and families find hope and lasting recovery for nearly 70 years. They are in-network with all major insurance

I Was Buying Kratom At The Gas Station Every Morning Just To Function....It Destroyed Me Jul 15, 2026 4463 Matt Von Boecklin grew up outside Seattle, raised by a single mother after his father suffered a mental break when Matt was a toddler and had to be cared for in a home. A socially anxious kid always reaching for the edge of the cool crowd, Matt found early that alcohol quieted that feeling — and years later, a motorcycle accident introduced him to opiates and opened a door he says was impossible t

My Heart Stopped From A Fentanyl Overdose & I Woke Up From A Coma Having To Learn To Walk Again Jul 14, 2026 5209 If you caught Brenda Zane's episode a few months ago — the mother who shared the harrowing story of her son's addiction and near-death — this is that son. Enzo is here to tell it from the inside. Enzo grew up in Seattle with two loving, supportive parents and a natural entrepreneurial streak, running little candy schemes and haircut businesses as a kid. But a fascination with the "forbidden" turn

I Was Spending $300 A Day On 7OH....Legal Gas Station Hero!n Jul 13, 2026 4622 Nick Thornton grew up outside Portland, Maine, raised by his grandparents after his mother's addiction pulled her out of his life. He was warned early that with both parents struggling, he could never drink — a warning he took as a challenge. By 14 he was drinking and smoking weed daily, and from the very first time, he always went harder than everyone around him. What followed was a decade-plus

I Was Doing Cocaine Every Single Day For 3 Years & Had A Seizure At My Desk....and I Kept Using Jul 12, 2026 4056 From the outside Gregg looked like he had it handled — a family, a career, a wife he'd known since middle school. Underneath it he was doing cocaine every single day, and had been for years. He'll tell you he never fit the picture of what people imagine an addict looks like. He wasn't running around wired; cocaine actually quieted the chaos in his head, turned down the noise, and let him not feel.

He Was Drinking Every Day & Ready To Give Up | The One Thing That Gave Him Hope Jul 9, 2026 4560 Pete Kuc was living a life that looked like the movies. A young real estate hotshot in northeast Florida, he was making a fortune, flying on private jets to the Bahamas, entertaining high-end clients on the waterfront, and running on Adderall and alcohol to keep the whole machine going. He describes it as his own Wolf of Wall Street era — money, parties, and the feeling that as long as he was perf

From Cooking Meth at 19 to Finding Sobriety | Colton's Recovery Story Jul 9, 2026 6147 Colton's addiction began long before adulthood. By 17, he was injecting drugs. Before turning 20, he was cooking meth, living in violent drug houses, escaping juvenile detention, and eventually serving time in prison. He shares stories of psychosis, crime, near-death experiences, and the devastating reality of meth addiction.Today, nearly two years sober, Colton has transformed his life. He helps

He Went From Princeton & Harvard Law To Shooting Heroin On Skid Row Jul 7, 2026 5584 Damon Watson did everything right. Harvard-Westlake prep school. Princeton, where he was a national debate champion. Harvard Law School. A career as an intellectual property litigator at Latham & Watkins, one of the biggest law firms in Los Angeles. On paper, his life was the American dream. Then five people close to him died in six years — his mom, his dad, his grandmother and more. His marriage

Prescribed Xanax at 14: How Addiction Led to 8 Arrests, Jail & Recovery Jul 5, 2026 6126 Haley Ragsdale grew up outside Nashville in the wealthy town of Franklin, a scared kid with crippling anxiety, insomnia, and a phobia of vomiting so severe it ruled her entire childhood. When her parents' divorce detonated — a five-year court battle that pulled her out of class for abuse checks and had her father legally removed from the home — the chaos swallowed the whole family. She found her

Addicted To Oxycodone At 15... Heroin On The Streets By 20 Jul 3, 2026 3878 Clint Pitre was raised by his grandparents in Deltona, Florida, a Jehovah's Witness household where he always felt like something was off. By middle school he was smoking weed and drinking at the skate park. At 15 he took his first Oxycodone at a house party and knew instantly he wanted to feel that way for the rest of his life. By junior year he was so dependent that his own grandmother had to ha

I Was A Pastor Secretly Addicted To Sex & Affairs While Preaching Every Sunday Jul 1, 2026 3482 Jason Lyles was adopted at 14 days old and raised in a strict Southern Baptist home. He read the Bible cover to cover by age eight and felt called to ministry. He also found pornography at ten or eleven, and from that moment he was chasing something he couldn't name — convinced each time that the next thing would finally fix him. Marriage at 19 would fix it. Giving his life to God would fix it. Bu

The Dark Reality of Alcoholism | My Battle with Alcohol Addiction, Blacking Out & Horrific Detoxes Jun 29, 2026 7499 Laura Tomana appeared to have it all—a successful career, a thriving social life, and a bright future. Behind closed doors, however, alcohol had taken over her life.What began as partying evolved into blackouts, drinking around the clock, and eventually becoming physically dependent on alcohol. After losing her mother to cancer, Laura made a promise to stay sober—but grief, addiction, and despai

I Went From The MVP Quarterback to Shooting Heroin | How I Found Sobriety and Changed My Life Jun 27, 2026 5161 Tommy Lyons grew up between Brooklyn and Staten Island, a fearful, introverted kid with a nervous disposition who found that drugs made him feel like he could finally talk to anyone. He was smoking weed at ten, doing Xanax by thirteen, and a borderline cocaine addict by fourteen — funding it by stealing and robbing before he was even old enough to drive. He became the MVP quarterback of his high

A Surgery Led To My Painkiller Addiction | What My Life Looks Like 8.5 Years Sober | Vlog Ep. 3 Jun 26, 2026 996 Rise Above | Vlog Episode 3 A routine shoulder surgery is where my painkiller addiction began. This is what my life looks like 8.5 years sober. In this vlog I'm taking you through a real day in my life and the things that keep me grounded. We start at Tequesta Biomechanics where I train with Jessica, working on decompressing my lower back, recovering mobility in the shoulder that started it all,

A Heroin Addict's BRUTAL Lifestyle | Losing My Arm, Arrests and How I Found Sobriety Jun 24, 2026 4320 Mike Debany was a fast-talking sales guy living what looked like the good life in South Florida — a fiancée, a baby on the way, money in the bank. Underneath it he was already an addict, having found his way from marijuana to the pill mills of South Florida, where a doctor in a parking lot would hand out 180 Xanax and 90 Roxys to anyone who waited long enough. Then on October 18, 2010, everything

I Lost My Job, My Wife & My Son To Alcohol & Oxycodone Jun 22, 2026 3984 From the outside Nick Johnsson had it all. Born in Sweden, educated in Australia, and based in Southeast Asia, he spent a decade climbing the corporate ladder until he was the general manager of 72 hospitals and clinics across Indonesia — one of the biggest roles of its kind in the world. And he was quietly falling apart behind the closed door of his corner office. Every promotion made him lonel

I Was A High-Functioning Drinker Who Hid It All | Losing My Mom, My Marriage & My Hair Jun 20, 2026 5977 From the outside Christie Green looked like she had it all together. A successful career, a wide circle of friends, the person who sent the thank-you cards and remembered everyone's birthday. Nobody saw the high-functioning drinking underneath, or the grief, divorce and decades of quiet pain she was masking with it. Christie lost her hair to alopecia as a child and spent years building humor and

I Was Drinking A Handle Of Vodka A Day & Making $50K A Month Online At 18 | Getting Sober At 21 Jun 18, 2026 4582 Makenzie Raine had her first panic attack at seven. She never felt comfortable in her own skin....paralyzing anxiety, constant fear, neurodivergence nobody ever addressed. Then at 12 her parents let her have a drink hoping to take the mystery out of alcohol. That same night she snuck out, finished the bottle alone and got obliterated. She describes that first drink as coming up for air for the fir

She Started Smoking Meth At 15 | From 20 Years Homeless & Prostituting Women To 7 Years Sober Jun 17, 2026 3931 Betty Guadagno was born into a long line of addicts — poverty, chaos, eviction notices in red envelopes, and sexual trauma she carried as a small child. By 11 she was mixing drinks behind a stranger's bar. By 15 she was smoking methamphetamine. And for the next 20 years drugs were the only thing that made her feel powerful, beautiful and safe. By the end she was a homeless meth addict who had los

"I Was Cut In Half On Impact" | Pronounced Dead 3 Times, A 3.5 Week Coma & I Performed Surgery On Myself Jun 15, 2026 2931 Jerry Lucey beat opioid addiction in 2018. Then in 2020 a motorcycle accident cut his body open from his heel to his chest. He was pronounced dead three times. He spent three and a half weeks in a coma and had a near-death experience he still can't fully explain. In this follow up episode Jerry reveals what wasn't covered the first time — going septic during recovery and nearly dying again, over

I Drank a Liter & a Half Of Vodka Every Night & Still Told Myself I Didn't Have A Problem Jun 13, 2026 4657 Matthew Polimeno was six years old when he climbed into his mother's bed and woke up next to her body. She had gotten sober through AA. Then a car accident led to an OxyContin prescription. And then she was gone. Growing up without her Matthew watched his father hold everything together while carrying a grief nobody talked about. He went to AA meetings as a kid without understanding why. And then

I Was Drinking So Hard I Couldn't Get Out Of Bed | From $100K A Week Steroid Empire To Prison Jun 13, 2026 5050 Ryan Root was a skinny kid from upstate New York who got picked up by girls at 13 and couldn't grow facial hair at 28. Doctors dismissed him. So he went to the black market for testosterone at 23 — and his life changed overnight. He put on 32 pounds of muscle in weeks. His confidence exploded. His ambition came back. And then he discovered he had a gift for business. What started as trying to ma

I Shot Fentanyl Until I Was Completely Unconscious | Jail, Losing My Daughter & How I Finally Got Sober Jun 11, 2026 5978 Brittany Ellis grew up in a small town in South Georgia watching her parents drink & party. It wasn't until her oldest brother poured gasoline on a bonfire at 14 and burned his entire arm that everything changed. The doctors loaded him up with OxyContin. He brought it home. Her parents got hooked. And then Brittany did too. What followed was 15 years of addiction that took her from pills to heroi

I Shot Heroin With USB Cords Tied To My Arm After 2 Tours In Afghanistan | 7 Years Sober Jun 9, 2026 4324 Johnny Schrey grew up in West Boca watching his two older brothers destroy their lives with drugs. He told himself he would never be like them. By 25 he was splitting Roxy 30s with his best friend because they couldn't scrape together $10 for one pill between them. So they joined the Marine Corps.. He detoxed off opioids in boot camp. Got a DUI his first night back from engineering school. Deploy

I Found Out I Was Adopted At 13, Got My First DUI At 18 & Did 4 Months In Jail | 3.5 Years Sober Jun 7, 2026 3568 Rise Above | Adam Vohra's Story Adam Vohra grew up in Connecticut ....a kid of color in a Jewish day school who always felt different. At 13 he found out why. He and his sister had been adopted. Nobody had told them. And six months later he had his first drink. What followed was 15 years of DUIs, gambling debts with drug dealers, dropping out of college, four months in a Connecticut jail, and re

I Blacked Out Every Night While Running The San Francisco Bureau of HuffPost | Highrise Suicide Attempt and How I Got Sober Jun 5, 2026 4026 Carly Schwartz had a career most journalists only dream about. Running the San Francisco Bureau of HuffPost at 26. On the leadership team of one of the biggest news organizations in the world. Blogging for a governor who became California's Governor. Expense accounts, concerts, restaurant openings and a life that looked absolutely electric from the outside. And she was going to bed every night wi

I Drank A Bottle Of Scotch Every Night | From Alcoholic Depression to 39 Years Sober | Suebelle Robbins Jun 4, 2026 3149 Suebelle Robbins had a life that looked like a movie. Playboy Bunny by night, first grade teacher by day. Travel escort taking groups to Hawaii and Switzerland. Corporate wife living on Gulfstream jets. Beautiful homes, European vacations and everything money could buy. And she was miserable every single minute of it. Every morning started with a bong. Every afternoon she switched to Scotch. She

Inside A Chicago Street Junkie's 20-Year Spiral | 3 DUIs, Heroin, Cook County Jail & Finding God Jun 1, 2026 5053 Mike Supak was a Division 1 track athlete. He never touched a drop of alcohol in four years of high school. He was structured, dedicated, trustworthy — the model kid. Then he discovered alcohol the summer before college and everything changed immediately. What followed was 20 years of cocaine, heroin, DUIs, overdoses, jail, and a slow death that nobody around him could stop. He got his second an

I Was Taking 10 Xanax Bars A Night At 17, Stabbed A Woman At 37 Weeks Pregnant & Sat On A Sidewalk Ready To Die | 11 Years Sober May 30, 2026 7587 Crystal Meliea grew up alone on 183 acres of North Carolina mountain property with a narcissist mother who left her unsupervised with music industry men in Los Angeles at 16. No protection. No parents. Just a bottle of Xanax she found in her mother's purse that made everything quiet for the first time in her life. By 19 she was running marijuana from Mexico to Texas to North Carolina on a massive

I Made My First Million On Wall Street At 28 & Was Broke & Addicted To Opiates By 30 May 28, 2026 3921 TJ DelVecchio was a Division 1 baseball player at Providence College who walked onto Wall Street during the dot-com boom and made his first million dollars by 28. By 30 he was broke, $300,000 in debt, unloading boxes at FedEx in the middle of the night just to keep health insurance for his kids — and quietly becoming addicted to opioids. For years he held it all together on the outside. Wall Stre

Inside A Functioning Mom's Secret Alcoholism | My 30-Year Battle With Alcoholism May 25, 2026 4424 Kyle Garges had everything — a loving husband, a beautiful daughter, a career in advertising sales, and a life that looked perfectly put together from the outside. But behind closed doors she was hiding alcohol in her daughter's Stanley Cup. She was drinking through blackouts, through rehab, through aversion therapy in Seattle where they made her chug vodka until she vomited. She drank through he

7-OH Pills Destroyed My Life | The SHOCKING Truth About 7-Hydroxymitragynine Addiction May 22, 2026 5283 You can buy it at a gas station. It's sold next to energy drinks and lottery tickets. And it almost destroyed Matt Dean's life. Matt Dean had already been through the pill mill era in Florida, cold turkey detoxed off 50-60 Percocet a day, built a career in real estate, and gotten sober from alcohol — twice. Then his little brother died of an overdose. And a well-meaning smoke shop employee handed

I Was Held Hostage By The Cartel In Mexico | Inside A College Addict's Spiral May 21, 2026 3493 John Luedke had it all on paper — a scholarship to Michigan State, a successful father, a big house, and every material thing a kid could want. But underneath it all, he was drowning. His parents' affair and messy seven-year divorce left him as the emotional middleman between two broken people. He got cut from the basketball team. He lost his identity. And he spent the next decade eating, drinking

I Was A Teacher With Two DUIs | 30 Years of Alcoholism & Finding Sobriety May 19, 2026 3446 Elisa Nicole Saunders was a Palm Beach County schoolteacher, standing in front of classrooms every day — and quietly drinking and drugging her way through 30 years of addiction. Two DUIs. A five-car pile-up. Crashing drunk into a tow truck while two people had to run for their lives. Sitting in a jail cell staring at her wrist, wondering how it got this bad. She never wanted to get sober. A judge

I Was Ordering Fentanyl Off The Dark Web In College | Gambling, Xanax & How I Got Sober May 18, 2026 4839 Jordan Freeman had everything going for him — loving parents, a spot at one of the top business schools in the country, varsity baseball, and a bright future. But behind closed doors, he was ordering Xanax off the dark web, gambling with money he didn't have, blacking out and not remembering a single thing from the night before — and calling it normal. By his sophomore year at Indiana University,

I Did Neurofeedback for Anxiety, Stress & PTSD — Here's What Happened | Compassion Behavioral Health May 17, 2026 1808 I went inside Compassion Behavioral Health (CBH) headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida to experience neurofeedback firsthand — and I vlogged the whole thing. In this episode, I go through my first two sessions: 🧠 Session 1 — Brain Mapping: Reading my actual brainwave patterns, identifying high-stress areas, mood fluctuations, and self-regulation challenges. ⚡ Session 2 — Brain Training: Wearin

He Overdosed, Died 3 Times & Woke Up an Amputee | Now He Has 14 Years Sober May 16, 2026 4598 Kevin Parker had everything stripped from him — his health, his freedom, his leg, and nearly his life. After a night that started with a family intervention and ended with him face-down in his own vomit, Kevin flatlined three times, spent three weeks in a coma, developed sepsis, gangrene in all four limbs, multi-organ failure, and woke up an amputee. The doctors said he'd be brain dead. They said

From Eating Disorder to 30 Years in Recovery: Trauma, EMDR & Healing May 15, 2026 3495 In this powerful episode, I sit down with Rachel Pappert Docekal, a recovery advocate and executive at the Hanley Center in West Palm Beach. Rachel opens up about her own 30-year recovery journey — starting with an eating disorder in college, the friends who loved her enough to intervene, and the layers of childhood trauma she's worked through over decades of therapy, including EMDR. We also get

She Married a Drug Dealer in Vegas While Running From Cops | Cocaine Addiction, a Federal Raid & Getting Sober May 14, 2026 3097 Courtney Janssen grew up in a farm town outside Chicago watching domestic abuse and drinking become "normal." By 12 she had her first drink. By her twenties she was doing cocaine daily to survive double shifts bartending in Nashville. Then she impulsively married a man she barely knew — in Vegas, hours after he fled an undercover detective — and woke up pregnant, broke, and trapped in a verbally a

Throwing Up Blood & Still Drinking | Stage 4 Cirrhosis, Liver Transplant & 19 Months Sober May 12, 2026 4024 Chelsea Garber was diagnosed with Stage 4 cirrhosis of the liver — and kept drinking for nine more months. After losing her son, battling drug addiction, surviving 50+ hospital admissions, and being given just three months to live, Chelsea made the hardest decision of her life: she poured out her last drink on September 29th, 2024. Just 80 days after a life-saving liver transplant, she sat d

I Survived Iraq…Then Crystal Meth Nearly Destroyed My Life | 5 Felonies, Combat Trauma & Finding Sobriety May 10, 2026 4043 Marine Corps veteran Spencer Jones opens up about surviving combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, battling trauma after leaving the military, and falling into a devastating crystal meth addiction that led to five felonies and complete chaos. After serving over 20 years in the Marines, Spencer struggled with the loss of structure, identity, and purpose once civilian life began. What started

Inside a Heroin Addict’s BRUTAL Lifestyle | Joining a Gang, Attempted Murder, Prison & Sobriety May 9, 2026 7466 Robert Cruz shares his unbelievable story of addiction, gang violence, prison, armed robbery, and ultimately redemption. After losing his brother at 13, Robert turned to drugs and alcohol to numb the pain. What started with marijuana eventually spiraled into heroin addiction, gang life, violent crime, prison sentences, and multiple arrests. Robert opens up about being charged with attempted murde

I Was Drinking a Bottle of Vodka a Day at 20 | Inside a Young Alcoholic’s DOUBLE Life May 7, 2026 3843 Alkhuzama Zaini shares her powerful story of alcoholism, blackouts, college addiction, mental health struggles, and finding sobriety at a young age. From moving to America from Saudi Arabia, to drinking a bottle of vodka a day at ASU, hiding her addiction from family, terrifying withdrawals, and ultimately rebuilding her life through recovery, this is a raw and honest conversation about Gen Z addi

I Was an IV Fentanyl Addict | Heroin, Felonies & How I Finally Got Clean May 6, 2026 3135 Kyle Caughman grew up in a small town with a great family, played sports, and had no trauma… but one decision changed everything. What started with pain pills quickly spiraled into shooting heroin, driving hours to buy drugs, and selling it back in his hometown. As addiction took over, Kyle lost control of his life, faced multiple felonies, lost custody of his son, and found himself trapped in th

I Was Binge Drinking & Doing Coke… But Was High Functioning | Getting Sober Without a Rock Bottom May 5, 2026 4602 Rachel Hechtman opens up about her journey from binge drinking, cocaine use, and crippling anxiety to nearly 5 years of sobriety. Unlike many addiction stories, Rachel never had a dramatic rock bottom—but what she did experience was just as powerful: years of guilt, shame, and mental health struggles that slowly became unbearable. From waking up on bathroom floors to battling paranoia and depress

Addiction Q&A: Rock Bottom, Relapse, Triggers & Sobriety Truths May 3, 2026 5478 In this episode, I sit down with Karina Miesner for a raw Q&A covering the most asked questions around addiction, relapse, and sobriety. We break down real experiences from both sides of recovery including rock bottom moments, near relapses, triggers, relationships, trauma, and what actually works when it comes to staying sober. Karina opens up about hitting rock bottom in the ICU with liver dis

Shooting Heroin in Kensington | I Took a Bus 5 Hours a Day to Get High… From a Normal Childhood Apr 30, 2026 4028 Lauren Gaffney shares her raw, unfiltered story of addiction, trauma, and recovery. From a “normal” childhood in the suburbs to taking 5-hour bus rides into Kensington to score drugs, her life spiraled into heroin use, crack addiction, arrests, and years of chaos. After multiple run-ins with the law and waking up to sheriffs at her door, Lauren finally hit a breaking point. This is the story of h

Addicted at 11: Crack Took Everything From Me | Robbing Dealers, Prison & Finding Sobriety Apr 29, 2026 3971 Chris Stroud started using drugs at just 11 years old… and by 17, he was hooked on crack cocaine. What followed was decades of chaos — robbing drug dealers, running from gangs, getting arrested, and eventually facing federal prison. From living a double life to losing everything, Chris takes us inside the brutal reality of addiction and the moments that nearly cost him his life. After years of

A Hollywood Producer’s SHOCKING Addiction to Xanax & Oxycodone Apr 28, 2026 4268 Tyler Ramsey had it all… working on Baywatch, MTV, Survivor, and building a career in Hollywood. But behind the scenes, he was spiraling. What started with alcohol turned into Adderall, Xanax, and opiates… leading to blackouts, chaos, and near-death situations. The moment everything changed? His young daughter found his drugs. That was the line. In this episode, Tyler breaks down: Growi

I Stole an Entire Pharmacy for Drugs | How Heroin Took Over My Life Apr 26, 2026 3303 Ryan Moyer had a key to a pharmacy… and one night, he used it to steal the entire narcotics closet. What started with prescription pills turned into a full-blown heroin addiction, multiple arrests, federal charges, and living in trap houses just to survive. He was running scams, stealing cars, and doing whatever it took to get his next fix. But that wasn’t the end of his story. After hitting ro

I Thought Prison Was My Only Way Out | How Addiction Led Me to 15 Years in Prison Apr 24, 2026 6338 Jason Brewer’s story is one of the darkest we’ve ever shared. After experiencing severe trauma as a child, Jason spiraled into addiction, violence, and eventually a life of crime. What started as drinking and drugs quickly escalated into armed robberies, crack addiction, and a path that led him to serve over a decade in prison. In this interview, Jason opens up about: The childhood trauma t

Navy SEAL to Fentanyl Addict | K9 Attack, Tased, Lost Everything… Then Got Sober Apr 22, 2026 5684 Taylor Cavanough was living the dream. A Navy SEAL. Deployed overseas. High performer. But behind the discipline… was chaos. After a violent arrest where he was tased and attacked by a police K9, everything collapsed. His career. His identity. His future. What started as alcohol and Adderall turned into Percocet… then fentanyl. He lost control of his life. In this episode, Taylor shares:

I Couldn't Stop Using… Even When I Knew It Would Kill Me | Fentanyl Addiction Apr 21, 2026 5848 Graham Reid was living a double life. What started with pills and partying quickly turned into a full-blown opiate addiction — smoking 30s, chasing dealers, and doing whatever it took to not get sick. At his lowest point, he burned his dealer with fake money and lost everything. From fentanyl and heroin to brutal detox and multiple failed attempts at getting clean, Graham shares what addiction

I Hid a 10-Year Drug Addiction From My Wife | Blackout, Lies & How I Finally Got Sober Apr 18, 2026 4460 Matt Robinson lived a double life for over a decade. Behind the scenes, he was battling a severe drug addiction… while his wife had no idea. It started with a prescription after an injury at just 11 years old. What followed was years of lies, hiding money, and chasing pills—until everything came crashing down during a blackout in Las Vegas, where he emptied his bank account overnight. That mome

I Was Drinking Vodka All Day | Car Crash, Hidden Addiction & How I Finally Got Sober Apr 16, 2026 4447 Megan’s addiction didn’t look obvious at first. She had a job, a family, and a life that seemed “normal” on the outside… but behind the scenes, she was drinking vodka all day, hiding bottles, and slowly losing control. After a near-fatal car crash, showing up drunk to work, and hitting a breaking point as a mother, everything came crashing down. In this episode, Megan shares: The moment he

My Son Was Doing Fentanyl at 16… I Had to Let Him Go to Save His Life Apr 14, 2026 4951 Brenda Zane was a successful advertising executive living what looked like a normal life—until her son’s addiction turned everything upside down. From early warning signs to marijuana at 13… to running away, arrests, and eventually fentanyl use—this is the raw, unfiltered reality of what families go through when addiction takes over. In this episode, Brenda shares: The moment she realized h

Heroin Was Killing Me | I Smuggled Drugs into Rikers Island & Nearly Died Apr 11, 2026 7962 John Rokee’s story is a terrifying look at the lengths an addict will go to maintain a "perfect" life. By day, he was a high-earning union steamfitter. By night, he was a "chameleon" trapped in a $1.2 million downward spiral, snorting up to 200 bags of heroin a week. In this raw and "brutal" interview on Rise Above with Kevin Lanning, John details the physical and financial devastation of his add

Inside A 14-Year-Old Stripper’s Brutal Addiction | Meth, Overcoming Cancer & Sobriety Apr 11, 2026 3718 Kim House’s life story sounds like a movie script, but the trauma was all too real. After fleeing an abusive home at just 14 years old, Kim found herself winning bikini contests and dancing in clubs just to survive. By her early 20s, she was diagnosed with a rare, "terminal" bone marrow cancer—but instead of getting sober, she ramped up her drug use, even attempting to balance chemotherapy with m

I Blacked Out at 16… Then Tried to End It All | How I Rebuilt My Life in Sobriety Apr 9, 2026 4373 Molly Haneke opens up about her journey from early self-harm and blackout drinking at just 16, to hitting a breaking point that landed her in a mental hospital at 22. What started as insecurity and isolation quickly spiraled into daily drinking, drugs, and destructive coping mechanisms. After a life-threatening moment forced everything to stop, Molly entered treatment and completely rebuilt her l

From Combat Hero to Homeless Addict: An Unbelievable True Story Apr 7, 2026 5088 Sean Young survived three deployments to Afghanistan, saw his brothers-in-arms blown up in front of him, and lived through a childhood that sounds like a horror movie. In this raw and unfiltered interview on Rise Above with Kevin Lanning, Sean reveals the most salacious details of his past—including the infamous day he finalized a divorce at noon and was remarried to another woman by 3:00 PM. Fro

Fentanyl Nightmare in Kensington | I Witnessed Hell Apr 7, 2026 5654 Cassidy’s story is one of the darkest I’ve ever heard. She grew up in a good home, loving parents, big family… and still addiction found a way in. One pill turned into daily use… then heroin… then fentanyl… then she ended up in the most dangerous open-air drug market in America — Kensington. What she experienced there is not normal addiction. It’s human trafficking. Violence. Rape. Murder. Bodie

"I Didn’t Want to Exist Anymore" | She was the #1 European Tennis Pro But Her Mental Health was Secretly Unraveling Apr 5, 2026 4254 Ema Burgic was the #1 ranked junior in Europe, a standout star at Baylor, and a professional tennis powerhouse. On the outside, her life looked perfect: a successful career, a "perfect" husband, and a beautiful home. But inside, Ema was fighting a silent battle with major depression and a loss of identity that nearly cost her everything. In this episode of Rise Above, Ema gets vulnerable about th

Inside a Rockstar's BRUTAL Addiction to Fentanyl | The Miracle Call That Saved My Life Apr 3, 2026 4446 Justin Clancy was a rising star in the music industry, but behind the scenes, he was battling a soul-crushing addiction to opiates. In this episode of Rise Above, Justin gets incredibly vulnerable about the "white light" moment that saved his life—literally seconds away from ending it all. If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction or mental health, you don't have to do it alone. Compas

The Day I Lost Everything | My Battle With Alcohol & The Truth About My Struggle Apr 1, 2026 4393 Chris was a high school football coach on top of the world—winning state championships, raising two kids, and leading one of Georgia’s most promising teams. But behind the success was a man silently battling addiction. After a devastating DUI, Chris lost everything—his job, his reputation, and his sense of self.In this raw and emotional interview, Chris opens up about childhood trauma, pressure to

I Was Held Hostage by a Biker Gang | Shooting Heroin at 15 Nearly Killed Me Mar 31, 2026 4925 "I knew the moment I did it, this will ruin my life—and I’m going to keep doing it." In this raw and unfiltered episode of Rise Above, Kevin Lanning sits down with Alyx Gold for a follow-up to her viral interview. Alyx takes us deeper into the "underworld" of her addiction—a journey that started with shooting heroin and meth at just 15 years old. Alyx reveals the terrifying details of being held

"I Wanted The Batch That Killed 5 People" | Inside A Brutal Fentanyl Addiction Mar 30, 2026 4502 In this episode of Rise Above, I sit down with Anthony Wilson, a top 1% real estate agent whose journey to the top started at the absolute bottom. Born addicted to methadone and raised in the chaos of a "trap house" family environment, Anthony’s life was a cycle of high-stakes sales and low-bottom addiction. Anthony gets brutally honest about: The "Eddie Haskell" Charm: How he used his innat

I Made $1.2 Million Selling Sneakers While High on Lean & Percocet Mar 29, 2026 3736 Arthur Favors joins the podcast for an unfiltered look at the cost of success. From selling peanut brittle in the 8th grade to generating $1.2 million in sneaker sales, Arthur has always had the "hustler" spirit. But behind the scenes of his successful Atlanta storefront, a deadly addiction to Lean, Percocet, and Xanax was spiraling out of control.In this episode, Arthur opens up about:The "backdo

Inside a Heroin Addict's SHOCKING Addiction | How I Lost Everything and Now 12 Years Sober Mar 27, 2026 3588 Mike Boyer had the "Hallmark" childhood: two loving parents, a stable home, and a dream career as a sports broadcaster. But behind the scenes, a secret OxyContin habit spiraled into a daily heroin addiction that turned him into a "slave" to the substance while he was traveling with sports teams and working for the State Capitol. In this raw and revealing interview, Mike discusses: The "Twin

Overcoming a 300mg/Day Adderall Habit | 8 Years Sober Mar 25, 2026 4436 "Getting through the day without a substance was enough to make you feel decent, but it wasn't enough to live a life." Today, Anthony Scamardella joins the show to share his incredible story of overcoming a massive Adderall addiction. From his roots as a perfectionist student in New Jersey to managing high-stakes healthcare audits while secretly maintaining multiple prescriptions, Anthony reveals

The "Perfect" Mom's Secret: Breaking the Cycle of Addiction Mar 24, 2026 3323 In this deeply personal episode, we sit down with Paula to discuss the hidden reality of "mummy wine culture" and the terrifying moment she realized her drinking was costing her a relationship with her children. From being a scholarship athlete and a successful professional in the liquor industry to finding her true purpose as a recovery coach, Paula shares the raw truth about emotional sobriety.

Addicted to Heroin: Inside an Escort's Life of Chaos and Survival Mar 21, 2026 6867 In this episode of Rise Above, we sit down with Glynis Franz, whose story sounds like something out of a Hollywood movie—except she lived it. From growing up in a chaotic household in New England to becoming a high-end escort, smuggling people across the border in her trunk, and eventually landing in federal prison, Glynis’s life was defined by the "brutal lifestyle" of addiction and meth psychosi

Inside a Xanax & Alcohol Addict's Brutal Blackouts | I Was "The Devil" Mar 19, 2026 3955 In this raw and unfiltered interview, Rachel Sereni pulls back the curtain on a seven-year descent into Xanax and alcohol-fueled blackouts. Rachel doesn't hold back, taking full accountability for the "Ratchet Rachel" alter ego that emerged—a persona defined by physical and mental abuse toward her loved ones and the terrifying reality of drinking and driving with her young son in the car. Rachel

I Overdosed 9 Times in One Month on Fentanyl | Oxy, Meth Psychosis, Jail & How I Finally Got Sober Mar 19, 2026 5292 In this episode of Rise Above, Ali Zansberg shares one of the most intense addiction stories we’ve ever featured on the podcast. After surviving stage-four liver failure as a teenager, Ali was prescribed opioids — which quickly spiraled into doctor shopping, oxy addiction, meth use, psychosis, and repeated overdoses. At her lowest point, she overdosed nine times in a single month, experienced sev

I Started Drugs at 6 & Became a Heroin Addict | Armed Robberies, Overdose & Recovery Mar 19, 2026 5687 Ryan Yonkers grew up in a seemingly normal household outside Chicago. But behind the scenes, childhood trauma, addiction, and a chaotic home life pushed him down a dangerous path. Ryan started experimenting with substances at just six years old, eventually falling deep into drug culture. By his late teens he was selling drugs, running with dangerous people, and chasing a rap career that briefly p

Inside a Ketamine Addict’s Brutal Lifestyle | The Crash That Left Me Blind in One Eye Mar 19, 2026 4121 If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, mental health, or both, Compassion Behavioral Health offers individualized treatment designed to address the root causes — not just the symptoms. Compassion Behavioral Health is intentionally boutique-sized, allowing clients to receive personalized care rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. They provide a full continuum of care includin

Inside A Heroin Addicts Brutal Lifestyle | Shooting During Pregnancy, Human Trafficked & Sobriety Mar 19, 2026 4772 If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction or mental health, Compassion Behavioral Health offers personalized treatment and a full continuum of care, including detox, residential, and outpatient services. Their team is available 24/7 and works with most major insurance providers. Call or text 844-443-5566 or visit https://compassionbehavioralhealth.com/?utm_source=rise%20above%20with%

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