100pedals Talk

Everyone has that moment in their life when they realize something is wrong and change is required. Today's guest had that moment, acknowledged his reality, made a commitment and changed his life. As we learn in this conversation, we don't realize how serious our problem is until it shows up and gives us an unsolicited demonstration. While many of our previous guests have been parents of those with addictions, today's guest Jim Humphreys is a mature adult, a parent, a man with a successful professional career. He also is in recovery from his addiction to alcohol and drugs. Those who take time to listen to this conversation will find inspiration in his journey, education in his perspectives, and wonderful nuggets of quotable, repeatable words of wisdom. Listen how hope, servitude, and commitment have transformed a broken life into a man reborn, rejuvenated in recovery. Links of Interest: Jim on Twitter: @CyRecovery Jim's Blog: Cycle to Recovery Positive Addiction (book)  

Today's guest, Denise Mariano, shares the story of her family's journey with her son's addiction. While our conversation covered a wide range of topics like recovery, parenting, stigma, treatment, and community, the theme of our conversation centered around the power of communication as a tool to inspire, educate, coach, and encourage.  Everyone battling with an addiction or struggling with the addiction of a loved one.  While this fight may not yet be as successful as one would desire, the one certainty is that everyone involved is listening, learning, experiencing, and searching. Listen to this podcast.  The perspectives shared about how we communicate with ourselves, our loved ones, with others in similar situations is very, very powerful.  Talking is healing, healing is listening, listening is understanding, and understanding is the gift you cannot live without or withhold from others.  Please take time to listen to this conversation and be prepared share the gift of better communication. Links of interes

When her daughter started using Crystal Meth, Barbara Stoefen didn't know what to do, so she did the only thing she could do - learn, get help for herself, and be open about her situation. Barbara learned early on the power of boundaries, consequences, and self-care. She quickly came to understand the only hope for her daughter's recovery was for her daughter to experience the consequences of her choices. It was a decision that ultimately may have saved her daughter's life. Please enjoy this conversation with Barbara as she shares her lessons and walks us through her journey. While Barbara's path was not always easy, it is extremely enlightening to hear how she proactively accelerated the learning curve and engaged in helping her daughter experience the consequences of her addiction driven choices. While these are not easy decisions for any parent, Barbara certainly presents a marvelous example of the power and opportunity in these behaviors. Links of interest: A Very Fine House (book) Barbara Cofer Stoefen (

Tragedy changes us, it transforms us, it crushes us.  While some are broken by the loss, others grab hold of the horns and fight through to make a difference in the lives of those around them. This is the story of Tyler Armstrong Keister and his family. Lost to his addiction, Tyler's family have made a commitment to aTAcK Addiction! Their efforts to being education and awareness to families in the Delaware area is inspiring and game changing. They may never get past the loss of their son, but this family is committed to preventing other families from going through a similar journey. When you listen to this podcast you will hear the all to familiar story of a wondeful, talented young man taken far too early in his life by addiction. You will also hear about a family's relentless commitment to educate, inform and inspire. Finally, you will hear about activities and resources that have been created and developed in Delaware that need to expand into other states.  This could be your call to action. Links of Inter

Every great story begins from much the same place.  What makes any story great is not where it begins, but where it takes us. The story of today's guest begins at the same place many of our Addiction Conversation stories do. It may be challenging or repetitive to hear listen to another story that starts from that dark place known as addiction, overdose and loss. It the only way to truly appreciate the success, the lessons, and the experience of the hero's journey is to know where their personal story begins. What you will hear today is the journey of a single mom, who lost her son in 2013 to an overdose. While her son traveled in and out of treatment facilities for years, he eventually lost his battle with his addiction. Every conversation is an opportunity to be inspired, informed, and educated. This conversation with Mary Beth Nametz is much the same.  Listen to her story as she shares her experiences on her journey, her commitment to find recovery resources for parents who need answers now, and her other p

Every parent goes through the process. There are four stages to the learning curve when it comes to a child's addiction - shock, anger, detachment, peace. Not every parent finds the third or fourth phase. This mom did. It is not easy. But, it is possible. Today's podcast features, Melissa Porche. Melissa is a mom whose oldest daughter is battling her addiction demons. There was a time, only months ago, where Melissa was stuck, didn't know what to do, and realized her daughter's problem was in complete control of her life and her family.    Today she has found peace in the storm. She reached out, found her trusted resources, took their advice, followed her instincts, and gave it to God. This is her inspiring, insightful, and authentic story.   References: Three Ways to Rise Above the Addiction Drama The Joey Song A Time to Heal

We took a unique break from our traditional format. Instead of having a guest on this podcast, we opted to ask our parent listeners to provide issues and struggles for host, Dave Cooke, to reflect on. The response was tremendous. Thank you! From your submissions, we selected five questions that best reflected the general tone of all your questions. Today's podcast focuses on the following topical areas: 1. Dealing with a child who is not ready to embrace recovery; yet is at tremendous risk if they don't. 2. The challenges of finding effective recovery programs for our children. 3. Inspiring a child to get on with their life, post recovery. 4. Responding to societal related issues of family, friends, relatives -judgement, scorn, ignorance - who just don't understand the roller coaster pain of a parent's addiction journey. 5. Handling family divides, especially between siblings, that result from everyone's respective addiction related experiences. Thank you to the parents who submitted questions. We will do thi

About this Podcast: Having heard much enthusiasm for Ibogaine Treatment from parents across the country, it was hard to say "no" to Crossroads Treatment Center when they asked to be part of The Addiction Conversation. While I didn't really hear the word "cure" to describe the experiences of parents whose children received Ibogaine treatment, they came close. Reluctantly agreeing to host the team from Crossroads, I was pleasantly surprised at what I learned and heard. I am hoping that those with addictions and family members of people with addictions will listen very closely to the entirety of this interview. What you will hear and learn: Ibogaine is one critical, valuable step in the Crossroad treatment program. Ibogaine provides great benefits in clearing the mind and eliminating the craving. Ibogaine alone would not be enough. The "drug" is not the only piece to this puzzle. There are two other critical steps in the CrossroadsTreatment Center recovery program. These steps are, in many respects, essenti

Our guest: Meet Lorelie Rozzano. Seventeen years ago, she entered into a local treatment center. Less concerned about recovery and more committed to playing the game in order to get back to her addictive ways, she received something she didn't expect to find - recovery. She finally discovered in recovery what she had been searching for in alcohol and drugs.Having grown up in an alcoholic home she understands first-hand, the importance of a healthy family. Since her recovery, she has become a successful author, mother, wife, daughter, grandmother, foster parent, counselor, sister and friend. Her passion is to help others recover from the effects of addiction in their lives. As a writer she shares an authentic and insightful honesty to educate and enlighten families, parents, and those who are addicted. It is her quest through the honesty found in her books and in her blog, that those in addiction and their families will be inspired to search for the help they need. She wants everyone to discover and know the

What happens when a mom does everything she can, on her own, to save her son from his addiction? When she realized it made no sense to try to take her son into a recovery “battle he is not willing to fight”? What she did once he decided it was time to change his life! Learn how this mom experiences a massive transformation in her life.   Discover how she went from a place of complete self-denial, even protecting her family from the truth and reality of her son’s addiction, to a incredible wake-up call in the form of a heart attack. Today, mother and son are sharing a different, more inspiring, hopeful story about love, parenting, and addiction. From “I am that mother who sits in church and says I don’t care what happens to me, please take care of my child.”   To "Its not okay to put your child before you at any cost…” Links of interest: Anita Devlin's Website and Blog Addiction: Video Series Addiction Video #2: "The Voicemail"      

On this Thanksgiving Thursday, I am grateful to have the opportunity to celebrate my son's presence in my life and for his courage in sharing his addiction story.  My youngest son, Brandon, offers very powerful insights and perspectives as a son dealing with his heroin addiction. In conversation we discuss from his perspectives: His struggle and progress with his recovery The family dynamic in both relapse and recovery A very memorable conversation about Enabling The power and influence of boundaries What happened when he decided to change his life If you have struggled to understand the mind and behaviors of an addicted person, you will be enlightened by this conversation. Grateful and impressed with Brandon articulate insights and comments. I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to have this incredible conversation.  Peace!

Addiction in a family is painful enough. Losing a child to their disease causes the deepest of hurts. Today’s podcast features a dad who is passionately and intently living the commitment he made to his son at his memorial service. This talk is blunt, authentic, and inspiring.  Join us as we explore Bill’s journey through treatment programs, the social challenges every parent faces, and his personal commitment to educate and inspire. Thanks to Bill Williams for being on the Addiction Conversation today. On November 29th, 2014 Elizabeth and her friends will run a half marathon to raise money to help individuals and their loved ones who are impacted by addiction. The money raised will be donated to the Where There's A Will Fund, which was founded in memory of Elizabeth's brother, William Head Williams, who died of a heroin overdose two years ago.  Links: Where There's A Will Fund (Facebook) Bill Williams Blog Contact: Where There's a Will Fund Donate to "Running for Will"

In a battle to communicate effectively with your addicted child? Struggling to understand their choices and responses to your support? You are not alone. It is a difficult and challenging learning curve for all parents dealing with addiction in their family. The information in this podcast can and will help you...  Every parent feels a sense of responsibility for their child's addiction. Every one eventually comes to understand that guilt is part of the process; but, we are not to blame for the choices our children make. A child's recovery from their addiction is a parent's highest priority. Just as we are not responsible for the choices that brought our child to their addictive situation, we are not responsible for their decisions in recovery. How we communicate and interact with them can have a significant influence on how they manage their recovery. Today's guest, Jill D. Cox, is a professional counselor specializing in treatment therapy. I connected with her through several professional groups on LinkedI

Even with a lifetime of experience behind her, this mom still struggled to manage her behaviors in response to her child's addiction. Thirty-nine years clean and sober, a professional therapist, a passionate follower of the 12 Steps and firm believer in her faith. Seemingly the perfect resume for a parent to deal with addictions in her family - her son and her brothers. Despite her experience, her training, and her commitment she struggles with the adversity of addiction like we all do. Listen as Pam Hemphill shares her insights for finding strength, hope and encouragement through others to stay strong, at peace, and in control on her journey.   Links: Time to Heal with Pam (YouTube) Time to Heal with Pam (Facebook)    

How many times have we heard a parent say, “I just don’t know why they would do this?” or “How could they possibly put themselves in that position?”  My son used to remind me, “we cannot make sense out of nonsense.” Today’s guest, Lisa Frederikson, sheds a bright light on: the various components impacting a child’s psychological and emotion development; the factors that can influence or impact the risk of addiction; and, how our child’s mind evolves over time.  Many of these concepts have been discussed and introduced to most of us, few have ever had the opportunity to have it delivered in such an organized, intellectual, and educational fashion.  This is one podcast the parents of an adolescent child cannot miss.  Enjoy!

Every parent desires to be effective communicating and understanding their child. When dealing with the emotionally charged issue of addiction in the famaily, it is even more important to have productive interactions with their child. Today's guest, Cathy Taughinbaugh brings the insights of her personal experiences with her children's ventures into alcohol and drug use together with her training to enlighten and inspire parents. The focus of our conversation is on the power of understanding and effective communication when dealing with addiction in the family. Cathy also sheds light on the CRAFT program at the Center for Motivation and Change, their recent and powerful book "Beyond Addiction" and her experiences as volunteer coach for the Drug Free Kids Parent's Hotline. Cathy is an incredible and inspiring resource, a curator of valuable information, and her empathetic and nurturing spirit is a gift to parents looking to better manage the adversity of addiction is their family.  Looking for some hope and

Today's guest, Dean Dauphinais has two sons. His oldest son suffered from depression that ended up manifesting itself into a heroin addiction. Fortunately, his son managed to embrace his recovery and is now over 800 days clean and sober.  While the story could end there, this is only the beginning. Dean and his wife have applied many of the lesson is this experience to strengthen their relationship, to embrace sobriety in their life, to use it as a educational reference for their other son's life, and share the inspirations and insights of their journey to support other parents going through similar challenges.  There are great nuggets in this podcast and I am grateful for Dean's time, his authenticity, and his wisdom. You can follow Dean his writing platforms: My Life as 3D Huffington Post Heroes in Recovery    

Today's guest, Cindie Vertefuille, was hit with a perfect storm in her life. In what seemed like a single moment, everything in her life completely changed. In the midst of that crisis she discovered that her life, no matter how messed up it was, mattered. Realizing she mattered, everything took on a new perspective and she began a transformational journey that helps her celebrate her life, offer love, and embrace the opportunity to enjoy and appreciate what she has. This is a wonderful interview for any parent struggling to find their path in the chaotic storm of addiction in their family.  

Today's guest, Angie Geren, discovered the power of self-care and self-love on her own journey.  Having lived with addiction, abuse and personal self-loathing, she discovered how to value, appreciate, and celebrate who she was and is.  Many parents go through the experiences of guilt and shame as they wrestle with the choas of a child's addiction. It only when they begin to take care of themselves in the simplest of ways, to quit assigning themselves blame for the situation, and begin to grow from those behaviors do they find the strength and the courage to manage the issue differently and celebrate their lives. 

Sandy Swenson shares her story of her addiction related journey with her oldest son, Joey.  A son who is lost to her, lost to the streets, and lost to his addiction. Despite the grief of this ongoing experience, Sandy enlightens us with her courageous commitment to find strength and joy in her commitment find the strength to live her life and honor her son. Even though the addiction has control over her son, she will not let help the addiction destroy him or destroy her.  If she does, then the addiction wins. Listen to Sandy's powerful, insightful, and inspiring story.