The Life on Life's Terms Podcast

Brian grew up in Quincy, MA and went to High School in Braintree, MA and picked up a drink too young. He was sent to AA at age 25. He finally got sober at age 27, relapsed at age 37 and was brought to his knees. He then was blessed with another chance at life through the gift of desperation. Brian got sober again at age 44, 24 years ago. This is Brian's story!

Rick Dyer Practicing attorney for 30 yrs. and advocate for recovery both locally and nationally. He knows what it is like to be on both sides of the Law. He overcame his struggles from heroin addiction, homelessness and incarceration, in Boston received a Governor's Pardon and presently practices law in the same court he was sentenced out of over 8 times. Rick comes from a family and community of addiction/recovery. He has been featured in Parade Magazine, Lawyers Weekly, MBA Law Journal and on CBS. Rick has authored a first time chapter on addiction/recovery with Lexis Nexis in Mass Criminal Practice Hand Book. He is the only law firm that has full time recovery coaches available in his practice (RecoveryLaw.us). He recently co-founded with Stephanie McLean and Mary Kate Jurek The Terrace House a woman sober 12 step recovery house in Newton at (TheTerraceHouse.Org). Rick believes that we do recover but better together

Steven Gibbons is a recovery coach here at New Way Recovery in Quincy where we broadcast! He works under the OD2A Grant doing outreach with the homeless. He is also a musician, artist and is proud to say he has dedicated to his life, his work, to God and sobriety. He has literally turned his whole life around and has made all his dreams come true! Don't listen to the statistics it, can be done!

Kaycie Craig, is 31 and is from Stoughton, MA. He is the youngest of five and his drugs of choice were heroin and meth. Kaycie fell deep into addiction when he was discharged from the Navy. After detox Kaycie has been a peer leader at New Way Recovery center for 7 years and also serves on the advisory board as a liaison and co-chair. Here's his story...

Marshall is in long term recovery and has been sober for 7 years. His habit was up to 2k a week when he was arrested for trafficking. It was during his 11 year stay in prison he made a commitment to stay sober and also got a psychology degree. He is now admin of a Facebook Group North Shore Boston Sober and is working with a group for a North Shore recovery center.

Ethan is from Duxbury, MA. Listen as he shares his very moving story with the world.

Andrea Morse lives in Braintree and works at Turning Point Recovery Center. She has been sober, and active daily in her recovery for over six years. She feels sharing her story is an opportunity to let people know recovery is real and attainable!

Tonight we have a return guest Chris Perkins who is originally from Dorchester but lives in California. Listen now and see what been going on since he was last on with us.

Tom Nasuti grew up in Weymouth and struggled with drugs from the age of 13. Now Tom is 27 months sober! Listen to his story...

Tina is a woman in recovery and grateful to have celebrated 5 years sober. One day at a time, she has learned to live a life she never had dreamed possible. She has learned to heal, grow and love in this life of recovery and will be forever grateful for the gift of sobriety. She lives one day at a time to the best of her ability and hopes to pass this onto fellow people hurting in this world of addiction. We recover together! A life better than you can imagine is there for us all!

Anthony Froiland wrote this about sobriety and himself:“You are not a loser and there are many people who love you. Don't quit the struggle. Sobriety is awesome!”Listen to Anthony's story and stay tuned for more!FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Roy Morse has been sober since July 3, 1995 and is Project Turnabout alumni like Tom and Chris. Roy is grateful for his sister for getting him into the River Street Detox and then onto Shattuck Hospital prior to Project Turnabout. During all of his many challenges over the years, Roy felt immense fear but took God with him. Roy has sponsors who have always been there for him and he is grateful that he went for treatment. Roy is a proud sober man, sober dad, sober son, sober brother, etc.! Thank you, Roy!

Former Mayor of Quincy, Bill Phelan, was on our show to discuss his running for Sheriff and his ideas on recidivism and the opioid epidemic. It was an honor to have him speak with us!

Chris was born in Cambridge, MA but grew up in the foster care system and had lived all over the country, including CO., CA and TX. Chris had had long term sobriety in the past but recently went to treatment out of desperation and realized it was a gift. Chris been sober through the help of God, AA sponsorship and working the steps on a daily basis. He does his best to be of service to others and carry the message of God's hope for all.

Robin Leonard grew up in Quincy and drank for 40 years before she came to the halls of AA. When she was sober for 20 years, she lost her son to addiction. She now is active in her own recovery and advocates to break the sigma. She is there to support the other bereaved parents who's children died after hers. This is her story.

Rabbi Jenny Skylark is the President and founder of the Global Ahavatar Initiative, a non-profit dedicated to brining quality Ahavatar spiritual and creative programming to sober living. Also, she is the co-founder of Ahavtar Vision Quest, a longterm men's opioid program in southern Arizona. globalahavatariknitiative.org

Pat is 42 and is from Lancaster, MA. Pat has been sober for 17 years after alcoholism caused him to be removed from society and imprisoned. His path changed to sobriety through meetings and self help. He has gone from a life of despair and suicidal ideations to a great life with a beautiful family and a positive outlook. This was a compelling and emotional podcast. Pat displayed the enormous courage it takes to be vulnerable and honest. This podcast shows the strength we gain from working on ourselves for us and for the benefit of the sick and suffering.

Cory was born in Newburyport, MA and grew up in a fairly dysfunctional family. He has 3 brothers and a sister. His father worked a lot to support the family and his mother was diagnosed with mental illness when he was 9. He began messing with drugs and alcohol shortly after, and things went downhill quick. After dropping out of high school, he hit the streets and ended up in and out of jail. His first recovery period started in 2011 and his life has gotten much better since, despite a few setbacks. Corey is now a father, a successful real estate broker and an advocate of the 12-steps!

Hey guys so here we have a Terry Hirvimaki whom Chris has known for a few years. Shes works as a perscriber for people in recovery and also dual diagnosis. She is a nurse practitioner in the mental health field.

Whats good people!!!!!! So tonight we have a friend of Chrise's Dave Brids whom He has known and watched come in and out of the program for a few years and make all the mistakes one could make in recovery. Today he sits here with over 2 of sobriety and is not the same person met quite a few years ago he's going to share his story with us.

What up people!!!! So tonight we have Ryan Carey i met ryan almost a year ago at the beginning of his journey. Ive had the privilege of watching him grow and do this work and change. hes here to share his story with us.

Vince Lunato has been sober since 6/27/04 and the steps keep him moving forward. Even though he stopped drinking 15 years ago, it wasn't until 4 years into sobriety until he worked a program. Vince said "the self-centered fears [which] are the root cause of resentment lie dormant, and when they spring up I have no defense against the first drink, left to my own devices. This is why I need the steps to inventory them, get them out of my head, meditate, and then share about that solution. 10,11,12 the formula for sober success."

Dylan Zimmerle was brought up in Charlestown, MA. He drank for the first time at 12-years-old and was off and running from there. He finally hit rock bottom at age 23 and was let with nothing but a heroin habit. He began his life again, and started to grow up on May 9, 2017. His life has since taken off, and due to the 12 steps he is able to sustain the life he has today. He has more now than he ever could have imagined, and most importantly he has himself.

Kevin grew up in Braintree, MA and ran a landscaping crew for 11 years before getting sober. He is now pursing a real estate career and has developed an amazing passion in helping others, inspiring others all while trying to become the best version of himself.

Hey guys hope you tuned in for our broadcast from bww with 24 Hr. Power, Inc. tonight we have Paul J. Hunt. I met at an anniversary meeting in scituate got to talking and was inspired by his story. we have him here tonight to share it with you

What up guys sorry we have not been on for a bit. We were dealing with "life on life's term's" and we apologize. Tonight we have sarge Tommy Sargent who hails from southie.He started to get sober in his mid twenties and hasnt given up. hes had multiple years multiple times. He will share his story of perseverance with us tonigh Pause-6:46Additional Visual SettingsEnter Watch And ScrollClick to enlargeUnmute

Tonight we have Ken Feldstein he works for Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital & SMG as a recovery coach also is a co-facilatator for a Refuge Recovery meeting inside Plymouth County Correctional Facilityand at Revelations Retreat scituate. Hes here to share his story and insight on many things. — with Thomas Robinson at A New Way Recovery Center.

Whats up folk so tonight we have 2 previous guests. Richard Sullivan and our former councilor Dan Boland who is a psycho therapist with Northeast health services specializing in trauma and addiction services. We will be discussing many things tonight. — with Thomas Robinson at A New Way Recovery Center.

One this episode we discuss our journey from just before treatment, the treatment itself and what came after. We would like this to be interactive with you guys as well so please share your stories with us also and be part of this — with Christoper M Mandeville and Thomas Robinson at A New Way Recovery Center. Pause-13:28Additional Visual SettingsEnter Watch And ScrollClick to enlargeUnmute

Tommy Delaney is originally from Southie. He has lived through many seasons of sobriety and has done his best to learn from all of them. He has not done everything gracefully but has done it with God's strength at heart. Tommy has been sober since 4/7/97 and is a married father who prioritizes God, recovery, family, social life and work. Invite God In.

Ron and Josh Orleans, father and son, share how one of them getting sober in turn and through attraction -- not promotion -- helped the other see there was a better way of life to be had.Josh is celebrating 2 years sobriety in November and his life in recovery is a miracle. He went from hopeless and full of fear to AA, a higher power and new friendships which saved him and changed how he sees life. Ron is 6 and a half years sober. For 45 years his life revolved around drugs and drink. Ron has embraced AA and a new way of living. He and his wife got sober together and their life now has never been better. Ron is very committed to helping others find their own wonderful life.

This one is Rob Pagnano a rising country artist who is close to 4 years sober. He grew up an athlete and broke his back in 2004. He's here to talk about addiction recovery and the many other facets of his life.

On this one we have Roger Hacksaw who is a personal friend of Chris' for many years. They have done some partying together in the past. Chris said "I know how he ran out there and it's amazing to see him on this path. He told me he would be up from North Carolina and it worked out to have him come on." Roger started drinking when he was 13 growing up in Brockton, MA where he lived most of his life. He has been sober for 25 months! Pause-1:02:51Additional Visual SettingsEnter Watch And ScrollClick to enlargeUnmute

Rob Demeo  grew up in Somerville, MA. He struggled with addiction for years in and out of programs. He struggled to get clean and stay clean. He finally ended up at Dimmock Detox in Roxbury. After completing treatment and recovering he started to work for Dimmock Community Health Center and is now involved with Sunrise Detox Millbury. He is on the frontlines of this deadly epidemic.

Nikki is 35 years-old and is a good place both spiritually and mentally. It did take her a long time to get to this point, years actually. Nikki was addicted to men, tattoos, work, money, shopping, drugs and alcohol. But, she is now a mother and a student and living her best life: available, to herself and others, being responsible and trustworthy and trying also the best she can.

Shannon Burke grew up in Braintree and was raised by a single mom. Shannon's dad had left home due to the disease of Alcoholism. Shannon is sober as of 2015 and is now a recovery coach and very active in AA. Shannon is also currently a graduate student at Simmons studying nutrition and has been a fitness coach, bodybuilder and marathoner. Her dad has 30 plus years of sobriety and is at Gavin House, helping others.

This was a discussion podcast that featured Jack Harper and Michael (Skinny) Cavallo. The topic was treatments. Jack is a recovery coach and Skinny had been a recovery specialist. We talked about Long Island's road back to helping people. We also covered medically assisted treatment. Jack gives us insight into what it's like to be a dedicated recovery coach whose phone never stops ringing. Skinny goes into his experience in advocacy in New Jersey and giving speeches in schools. Both of these gentlemen are beautiful poeple with lots of insight. We had a great time!

Paul Veneto, AKA the Miracle Man was a flight attendant who had 10 years sober on the morning of 9/11. As Paul deplaned in Boston, he said goodbye to 3 friends and fellow flight attendants as they re-boarded that very same jetliner. A few short hours later their plane hit the tower in NYC. This tragedy set the stage for a major relapse on a new drug of choice, Heroin.This podcast is very emotional. The trauma this man suffered and the story of his eventual victory in regaining his sobriety is a story that needs to be told and needs to be heard. Paul did an unbelievably beautiful job doing so.

This is a discussion podcast with Jennifer Healy and Derek Lawson. Jennifer is originally from the midwest and has worked in healthcare for many years and now is an advocate for those suffering from addiction and mental health issues.Derek Lawson is originally from Virginia, is in recovery himself, and has recently become a recovery coach for dual diagnosis patients.On this episode we discuss safe consumption and injection sites. It goes deep, and for a controversial topic, made an outstanding podcast.

Mark Mulhern joined South Shore Peer Recovery in June of 2018. He knows first hand the impact of the disease of addiction has on individuals and families through personal and professional experience. In 2014, Mark lost his father after a long, hard fought battle with Alcoholism. This became a turning point in Mark's life as his own struggles with substance use intensified with his father's passing. In 2015, Mark entered treatment and has been in successful recovery since. After the completion of his treatment, Mark decided to make significant changes to his life and left his career in finance to work as recovery aid at the program he credits with changing his life, Gosnold's Miller House. Mark went on to become the Assistant Program Director at the Miller House before joining SSPR in 2018.

Don is the program manager at the South Shore Peer Recovery. He got sober in a 12 step program and went on to work in the recovery field starting as a recovery coach. Don went on to work at the Bureau of Substance Addiction Services and is now at SSPR.Jane grew up in the Midwest and now lives in Scituate. She volunteers at SSPR and feels very fortunate to be a part of the sober community.

Mark Gilson grew up in Mansfield, chasing all of the wrong things: approval, popularity, comfort -- and this eventually turned into a crack and heroin addiction. Mark is now sober by the grace of God. He is a member of Life Community Church and his hope in Jesus satisfies him more than drugs ever did or could. Hear his story now!

This was the second discussion podcast with a topic the was picked by Anthony Fitzmaurice. The topic was Self Realization through Spiritual Principles.

Lisa was born and raised in Quincy, MA as a Child in need of Services (CHINS) kid. She was troubled and became an addict. With help of the 12 steps she was able to become sober. She also started a meeting: Women Rise Up Through the 12 Steps.

Gabriel was born and raised in New Hampshire. He struggled for 20 years with his addictions and alcoholism. His decision to live sober was made on June 22, 2018. Since then, he is very active within the recovery community. Gabriel is finally at peace with himself today.

Camilla is a friend who has been sober for 27 years. She is a substance abuse counselor and has been for most of her sobriety. This woman has given back a lot to those of us in recovery. In this podcast learn all about her journey. She talks about her ex-husband Todd, who I (Tom) grew up with and who we lost this year due to alcoholism. This woman is an example and an inspiration! Thank you Camilla!

This was our first topic discussion podcast. Theresa really came through by choosing a great topic and bringing a great reading.

John and Stephanie came on the show to share their heartbreaking story, call attention to, and work toward solving the problem of parents losing children to the disease of addiction. The organization that they founded in their sons name is the EvanG Foundation. It is found at www.evangfoundation.org. The following is from their website. The Evan foundation was organized in 2014 -15 after founders, John & Stephanie Greene, lost their son, Evan, to an opiate overdose. Like so many others, Evan's journey began with one pill offered by a peer. That one pill led to a horrible addiction that ultimately ended his life. John & Stephanie bravely share Evan's Story as part of a comprehensive program that includes an educational component presented by a Massachusetts State Trooper & Drug Recognition Expert, and an awareness component presented by a recovering addict. The No First Time 45 minute presentation and 15-minute question and answer period are designed to educate young people on the danger of experimenting with drugs and engaging in risky behavior.

Kurt is originally from NYC. After years of heroin addiction, he got clean and studied religion at Eastern Nazarene College and became a Pastor. After having been clean for 8 years, Kurt relapsed with prescribed pain killers. Once again, Kurt got clean and has subsequently been reaching out to young people and addicts through the Anchor in Hull. The Anchor is an organization he started and he is doing great work in a small, isolated community.