We Do Recover With Jared Miller

EP 098 - Revealing Truth with Aaron Garcia

Aaron Garcia (Pastor Garcia), shares how he struggled with wanting to be popular & accepted in his adolescence. This led to recreational drug use & drinking in high school. In his early adult life full addiction set in with the use of methamphetamines, which led to some dark experiences! Aaron shares how he reached out in prayer during his rock bottom, and days later God stepped in & started changing his life. Today, Aaron spreads the word of God at homeless shelters, community service centers, & to his flock of fellow Christians on Sundays. This is a spiritually powerful episode, Pastor Aaron closes with a prayer for those still struggling. We hope you enjoy it!

EP 097 - Is Weed The New Oxy?

Hosts Dr. Terry Sellers & Jared Miller (CASUDC), discuss a news article published on tabletmag.com on August 30th, 2022 titled "How Weed Became the New Oxycotin". This article addresses the similarities between the fairly new movement of "Medical marijuana" to the past booms of big tobacco & big pharma. Similarly to how big tobacco was marketed to teens & young adults, as well as how Purdue Pharma marketed Oxycotin as "non-addictive", we see the current boom of the marijuana industry using the term "medical" to market to consumers (there is no distinction inside cannabis dispensaries). Host Jared Miller acknowledges that more research needs to be done & points out the undeniable benefits of CBD properties vs the psychoactive effects of THC properties. The hosts are aware this is a heavily debated/controversial topic & do their best to approach it from the context of the news article. Regardless of where you stand on the use of marijuana, this is a very informational podcast episode, we hope you enjoy it! 

EP 096 - The Come Back Story with Shan Blake

Shan Blake joins Dr. Sellers & Jared Miller (CASUDC), to share her comeback story from alcohol, marijuana, methamphetamine, & opiates (polysubstance abuse). Shan starts by sharing that today she is a mother of seven children, a wife to a supportive husband, a sponsored athlete, & a small business owner (Blakes Cakes). Shan gets vulnerable & shares how a sexual assault was the activating event that led to a desire to escape through substance abuse. She shared how abusing a wide range of different substances only compounded her problems & ultimately led to her giving birth to a beautiful but opiate-addicted daughter. It was the legal system that eventually intervened in her life, after getting arrested for possession of a controlled substance Shan was ordered to attend outpatient treatment & provide weekly UAs while on informal probation. Shan shared how she was actually relieved & thankful that she had some kind of structure & accountability to help her get clean. Shan admits that she has cross-addicted to working out & the whole fitness lifestyle, she competes in fitness competitions within the state of Utah. She is two weeks out from competition & grateful she is a person in long-term recovery today. 

EP 095 - Living Louder with Portia Wilcox Louder

Portia Wilcox Louder shares her AMAZING story of recovery from alcohol, opiates, meth, & unhealthy men. She found true freedom in federal prison when she began taking accountability for her mistakes. She has been out of federal prison for over three years now & speaks across the United States about her journey. She also authored & self-published the book Living Louder “A Compassionate Journey Through Federal Prison”. 

EP 094 - Adolescence and Addiction Hollie Henderson, Josh Brazier

We Do Recover with Jared Miller - EP 094 - Adolescence and Addiction Hollie Henderson, Josh Brazier

EP 093 - How Addiction Affects Family

Jenann & Al Richards come on the podcast to share how alcohol almost ruined their marriage. Jenann shares how she grew up socially drinking from an early age, after she & Al were married they both fell on hard times which resulted in Jenann becoming an everyday drinker. Al shares how difficult it was to watch the woman he fell in love with struggle daily, he describes trying everything he could think of in hopes of getting through to her, but none of it worked. Jenann is now twenty months sober & looking to find a job working as a peer support specialist, she wants to be able to assist others who feel hopeless as she once felt. 

EP 0921 - Sellers 40th

Hosts Jared Miller & Dr. Terry Sellers discuss topics in the news related to addiction in part one. Melody Sellers shares how her husband Terry Sellers addiction impacted their lives as they reflect back on being married for the past forty years in part two. Happy 40th anniversary Mr. & Mrs. Sellers! 

EP 091 - Treatment Talk

Host Jared Miller invites a co-worker & a friend who work in the treatment field to discuss how the treatment process works. They also discuss helpful information for family members regarding having their loved ones in treatment. This is a very fun & educational episode, especially for someone who is considering seeking out treatment for their addiction. 

EP 90 - Marriage In Recovery with the Vaughts

Melissa & Aaron Vaught celebrate 14 years of being married. This adorable couple shares how they met in the rooms of recovery & how Melissa’s sisters in recovery put Aaron through the stress test. This is an amazing story that shows finding love again & recovery are both very possible.

EP 089 - No Matter What with Aaron Wallis

Aaron Wallis grew up fending for himself. He shared that he felt like his parents were good people, but not good at parenting. He started using substances at the age of 13, which led to a downward spiral resulting in polyaddiction & being arrested between 40-50 times. For years Aaron wanted to quit, he shared that when he would get arrested he would be relieved because he could not stop using on his own. Once Aaron found recovery, he experienced multiple deaths including two close friends and his son. Aaron shares how he stayed clean through the tragedy and how recovery has blessed his life today. He recently got accepted into barber school & has plans to move to Salt Lake City, Utah to pursue that career with his girlfriend. There is excellent advice on this episode for anyone in recovery that is experiencing grief/loss in their life. 

EP 088 - Jared Gets 8 Years Clean

Dr. Terry Sellers interviews Jared Miller after hitting 8 years clean and sober. Jared reviews his personal story, explaining what led to his addiction and what his addiction cost him. In part 2, Jared shares how he got and stayed clean, and what he has gained in recovery. 

EP 087 - Conflict Resolution with Becky Sampson

EP 087 - Conflict Resolution with Becky Sampson

EP 086 - Recovery Talk with Michael Keenan

Michael Keenan went through treatment several times before looking inward & making long-term changes. He has been clean for 14 years and is the owner/executive director of the Access Foundation & High Desert Counseling. He shares how that journey started for him & his views/opinions of why some people relapse after treatment. He shares how he did a lot of research into what was missing in the recovery process & started setting up sober living houses where individuals could transition back into life with a higher success rate. Michael shares his outlook on relapse & the best way from a treater standpoint to handle it. This episode has a lot of great content about real-world recovery concepts. 

EP 085 - Finding Grace In Grief with Cassi Barreras

Cassi Barreras grew up in a household where alcohol & drug use was normalized. She stated, "though that’s how life was for everyone". By 14, she had her first child; by 16, she was a mother of two. After a car crash at 17 years old, Cassi was introduced to pain pills and she became addicted. She realized she had a problem when experiencing withdrawals over a holiday weekend. She used methamphetamine to overcome her opioid addiction. Cassi found herself at rock bottom when her daughter called and told her to either give up substances or stay out of her family’s lives forever. 
Cassi tried to white-knuckle it but ended up drinking which led to using methamphetamine. Cassi went to treatment ready for a change. She worked the steps to prove they wouldn’t work for her - which didn’t end up being the case. Today Cassi still experiences difficult things, the loss of her daughter and her mother in a little under two years, but she has created a support system to help her through those times.

EP 084 - Recovering Addict with LT Weaver

Host Jared Miller starts off by wishing his son a happy 12th birthday & expresses his gratitude to the counties & states with the most downloads. Guest LT Weaver with Recovering Addict (non-profit), shares that his childhood was unstable & chaotic. He learned, by example, how to party and cope with life by using substances from his father and older brother. He started recreationally using at around 13 but became a daily user once he tried methamphetamine. This resulted in incarceration. "Jail scared me straight". Upon release from imprisonment, LT worked hard to rebuild his life, gaining security clearance to work on top government fighter jets. Without any recovery knowledge, LT thought that he could drink socially. This led to him becoming a full-blown alcoholic at age 36. After going to detox and doing intensive outpatient therapy, LT was able to understand the concept of powerlessness. Today, he has started a non-profit organization, Recovering Addict, where he works as a peer support specialist to help others cross over from active addiction to a life in recovery. 

EP 083 - Fatal Fentanyl

Jared Miller (CASUDC) and Terry Sellers (M.D.) review a Los Angeles Magazine article titled, "No Addiction Required: How Fake Drugs Are Quickly Killing Gen-Z". The article's content is about the rapid rise of fentanyl deaths among individuals between 14-34 years old. They share Charlie Ternan's heartbreaking story & the overdose numbers between 2010-2021, which highlight how deadly fentanyl truly is! Dr. Sellers shares the staggering statistics that for the past twelve months, ending June 2021, the CDC reported over 100,00 deaths which is a 21% increase from the previous year. Fentanyl was in 64% of all drug deaths & 84% of all opioid deaths. *Help us spread awareness by carrying the conversation & education to your local communities. 

EP 082 - Boys Will Be Boys with Mitch Payne

In episode 82, Mitch Payne explains how he went from “boys being boys”, to petty theft charges, to a full-blown addiction. 17-year-old Mitch was always against drugs and alcohol until his friends brought ecstasy on a camping trip, Mitch gave into peer pressure & the doors of addiction swung open. His friends later introduced him to alcohol, he stated “I was an alcoholic right away”. He began drinking to excess during his college years & his life became unmanageable. Mitch went to treatment 12 times before he truly surrendered. After moving back to Utah from Arizona & getting arrested, Mitch was bombarded with all of the emotions he had been suppressing with different substances for the past nine years. He knew he needed to make a change, his willingness led him to his last time in treatment and to the AA fellowship. He chose a sponsor he knew would walk through the steps with him. Today, Mitch has over 5 years clean!

EP 081 - Surrendering with Ryan Brown

Guest Ryan Brown, host Dr Terry Sellers, & guest co-host Jon Redd discuss Ryan's journey out of addiction. Ryan shares how he had a great childhood, he wasn't into the high school party scenes. He went on an LDS mission, got married in the temple and build up his own business. While snowboarding he injured his lower back & was prescribed OxyCotin which would be the start of his addiction. After cold turkey quitting the OxyCotin he began drinking hard alcohol and his life became unmanageable. After hearing Jon Redd speak about overcoming his addiction, Ryan Brown decided to surrender himself to the process of recovery. Today he has been able to rebuild his marriage, business, & spiritual connection from his decision to surrender. 

EP 080 - Medications To Avoid In Recovery

Dr. Terry Sellers and Jared Miller discuss different types of medications and how they affect the brain. The hosts share various medications that should be avoided for individuals in recovery. As well as, how individuals in recovery should go about receiving and taking medications.

EP 079 - Relapse and Recovery with Tasha Stones

Tasha Stones grew up in a small town, where she felt she never fit in. In her teen years, she used substances to overcome social anxiety. Tasha found peace after being arrested in early adulthood. After some jail time, failing out of treatment, and getting revoked by drug court she gained years of clean time through attending a twelve-step fellowship.  
However, relapse is a part of Tasha’s story. She pulled away from everyone, especially her mom. Tasha was “using to die” and her mom showed up to try and help. Tasha kicked her mom out. The next day, she received a strange text from her mom that ended up being her mother’s suicide note. Tasha tried to overdose 15-16 times, always revived, and eventually went back to treatment. 
Tasha shared that she feels her mom with her to this day and every time she sees turtles, she knows it is from her mom. Tasha also shares how her recovery comes first because without her recovery she would lose everything anyway.