Get a Grip Podcast

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig sits down with Lauren Hayes for an incredibly honest conversation about addiction, trauma, recovery, and the dangers of emerging substances that many people still know very little about.
Lauren's story begins with a chaotic childhood that led her into risky situations at a very young age. By the fourth grade, she was already partying with high school students, setting the stage for years of unhealthy coping mechanisms and destructive choices.
At 15, she met the man who would become her husband, and by 18 she was a mother. Soon after, she discovered she was expecting twins while living in a tiny apartment and struggling to make ends meet.
As life became more overwhelming, Lauren found herself battling an eating disorder that influenced many of her decisions surrounding substances and self-image. Everything changed when she began working at a pharmacy. What started as taking a couple of hydrocodone pills quickly spiraled into a serious addiction. With access to medications and opportunities that few people have, Lauren found herself trapped in a cycle she couldn't control.
Throughout the episode, she shares the realities of addiction, her experiences seeking help from healthcare providers, and the long road toward recovery. But recovery wasn't a straight line. From moving to Florida for a fresh start, to returning to Ohio, surviving mental health crises, family tragedies, DUIs, theft charges, and the collapse of a 20-year marriage, Lauren's story is one of resilience through repeated setbacks.
The conversation takes a particularly important turn as Lauren discusses her experience with 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), a powerful compound found in some kratom-derived products. She explains how quickly it took hold of her life, how it felt compared to prescription opioids, and how it eventually led her into dangerous combinations with stimulants and methamphetamine.
Lauren also shares the terrifying moment her addiction nearly killed her, how her son helped save her life, and why she believes more people need to understand the risks associated with substances that are often misunderstood or underestimated.
This episode is a powerful story of survival, motherhood, addiction, recovery, and hope.
🔥 Expect emotion. Expect truth. Expect hope.
🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more powerful stories on addiction, recovery, and resilience.
Get a Grip Podcast Social Media: Find our TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio links, a more on our Link Tree below!
Get a Grip Social Media Links: ⁠https://linktr.ee/officialgetagrippodcast
For Collaboration and Business inquiries, please use the contact information below:
📩 Email: getagrippodcast614@gmail.com
👇 Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
#getagrip #redemptionstory #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #addictionrecovery #recoveryjourney #trauma #childhood #oxy #dealer #soberlife #wedorecover #childhoodtrauma #healing #inspiration #awareness #kingpin #trafficking #hustle #opioidcrisis #neardeathexperience #fyp #prison #bar #mistake #change #survivor #survival #tv #television #inspire #parole #officer #school #teacher #students #study #student #changinglives

In this deeply emotional episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig sits down with Bob Miller to share the story of Dareion Davis—a young man whose life was filled with promise, challenges, redemption, and ultimately tragedy.
Bob first met Dareion when he was just a kid and quickly became much more than a mentor. As Dareion's family struggled, Bob stepped in to help, eventually bringing him into his home and obtaining temporary guardianship. What began as an effort to help a young man find stability grew into a father-son relationship built on love, trust, and hope.
Throughout the conversation, Bob reflects on Dareion's childhood, his years growing up in Grandview, and the potential he showed as a football player. From high school athletics to earning an opportunity to play football at Muskingum University, Dareion appeared destined for success. But like so many young people, he also faced challenges, poor decisions, and struggles that threatened to derail his future.
Bob shares stories of giving Dareion second chances, watching him battle through difficult periods, and eventually seeing him embrace sobriety and begin rebuilding his life. Their relationship grew stronger than ever as Dareion worked toward becoming the man everyone knew he could be.Then everything changed.
In one of the most heartbreaking moments ever shared on the podcast, Bob recounts the day he learned Dareion had been shot and killed by a drunk teen. He describes receiving the devastating news, navigating interactions with law enforcement, and trying to make sense of a tragedy that forever changed his life.
The conversation also explores the court proceedings that followed, the sentencing of the young woman responsible, and the remarkable story of Bob's encounter with her father. Through unimaginable grief, Bob found a way to extend compassion while continuing to honor Dareion's memory.
The episode concludes with a powerful reading from one of Dareion's organ donation recipients, highlighting how even in death, his life continued to impact others in meaningful ways.This is a story about family, redemption, forgiveness, loss, and the enduring impact one person can have on the lives around them.
🔥 Expect emotion. Expect truth. Expect hope.
🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more powerful stories on addiction, recovery, and resilience.
Get a Grip Podcast Social Media: Find our TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio links, a more on our Link Tree below!
Get a Grip Social Media Links: ⁠https://linktr.ee/officialgetagrippodcast
For Collaboration and Business inquiries, please use the contact information below:
📩 Email: getagrippodcast614@gmail.com
👇 Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
#getagrip #redemptionstory #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #addictionrecovery #recoveryjourney #trauma #childhood #oxy #dealer #soberlife #wedorecover #childhoodtrauma #healing #inspiration #awareness #kingpin #trafficking #hustle #opioidcrisis #neardeathexperience #fyp #prison #bar #mistake #change #survivor #survival #tv #television #inspire #parole #officer #school #teacher #students #study #student #changinglives

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes sit down with Gary King for a wild and emotional journey through addiction, survival, recovery, and second chances.Gary's story begins with a difficult childhood before he dropped out of high school and moved to Nashville looking for a new start. Instead, he found himself pulled deeper into a world of substance abuse. What started with cocaine quickly escalated into Xanax, prescription opioids, crack cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin.
Along the way, Gary found himself living a life few could imagine. He shares stories of stealing nitrous oxide tanks, supplying drugs at major music festivals, and navigating the chaos of addiction while convincing himself he still had control. But addiction had other plans.
Everything changed when Gary began experiencing severe health issues and discovered he had cancer. He underwent an 18-hour surgery that saved his life, but the pain management that followed would introduce him to powerful prescription opioids, setting the stage for years of addiction to Percocet, OxyContin, Opana, Xanax, and more.
As the drugs intensified, so did the consequences.Gary opens up about waking up in hospitals after Xanax blackouts, finding a friend dead after a night of drug use, and eventually progressing from snorting methamphetamine to injecting meth and heroin. He shares the devastating impact addiction had on his family, including the heartbreaking moment he had to tell his daughter he was leaving to seek treatment.This episode is a raw and honest look at the destruction caused by addiction, the reality of withdrawal and recovery, and the hope that exists on the other side.
🔥 Expect emotion. Expect truth. Expect hope.
🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more powerful stories on addiction, recovery, and resilience.
Get a Grip Podcast Social Media: Find our TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio links, a more on our Link Tree below!
Get a Grip Social Media Links: ⁠https://linktr.ee/officialgetagrippodcast
For Collaboration and Business inquiries, please use the contact information below:📩 Email: getagrippodcast614@gmail.com
👇 Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
#getagrip #redemptionstory #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #addictionrecovery #recoveryjourney #trauma #childhood #oxy #dealer #soberlife #wedorecover #childhoodtrauma #healing #inspiration #awareness #kingpin #trafficking #hustle #opioidcrisis #neardeathexperience #fyp #prison #bar #mistake #change #survivor #survival #tv #television #inspire #parole #officer #school #teacher #students #study #student #changinglives

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes sit down with Chelsea Tipton for a powerful conversation about childhood trauma, addiction, loss, and finding a way forward.
Chelsea's life was filled with instability from the very beginning. Growing up with parents who struggled with legal troubles and incarceration, she faced challenges that most children could never imagine. As family trauma continued to mount, including the loss of her father and the emotional impact it had on her siblings, Chelsea found herself navigating foster care placements, psychiatric wards, and a childhood marked by uncertainty.
As she entered her teenage years, substance use became an escape. What started with marijuana and alcohol quickly progressed into pills and eventually methamphetamine. After dropping out of school in the eighth grade, Chelsea found herself surrounded by addiction and unhealthy relationships that pulled her deeper into a dangerous lifestyle.
She opens up about meeting people who normalized drug use, being paid in methamphetamine to babysit, and the devastating consequences addiction had on every aspect of her life. The conversation becomes even more emotional as Chelsea shares the pain of losing her mother and the relapse that followed.
As her addiction escalated, Chelsea eventually began injecting methamphetamine, reaching some of the darkest moments of her life. Yet through all the chaos, loss, and self-destruction, she ultimately found a path toward recovery.This episode is an honest look at how childhood trauma can shape a person's future, the grip addiction can have on someone's life, and the hope that recovery can offer even in the darkest circumstances.
🔥 Expect emotion. Expect truth. Expect hope.
🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more powerful stories on addiction, recovery, and resilience.
Get a Grip Podcast Social Media: Find our TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio links, a more on our Link Tree below!
Get a Grip Social Media Links: ⁠https://linktr.ee/officialgetagrippodcast
For Collaboration and Business inquiries, please use the contact information below:
📩 Email: getagrippodcast614@gmail.com
👇 Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
#getagrip #redemptionstory #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #addictionrecovery #recoveryjourney #trauma #childhood #oxy #dealer #soberlife #wedorecover #childhoodtrauma #healing #inspiration #awareness #kingpin #trafficking #hustle #opioidcrisis #neardeathexperience #fyp #prison #bar #mistake #change #survivor #survival #tv #television #inspire #parole #officer #school #teacher #students #study #student #changinglives

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes sit down with Joey Blake for a raw and unforgettable conversation about addiction, poverty, fatherhood, and recovery.Joey's story begins with humble beginnings, born to a 14-year-old mother and raised in circumstances that made life difficult from the start. By the time he was a teenager, he was already experimenting with alcohol and marijuana, while simultaneously facing the responsibilities of becoming a father at just 16 years old. Less than a year later, he was expecting another child.
As the pressure mounted, Joey found himself chasing money, drugs, and escape. He shares how he blew through $200,000 in just a few months, the destruction addiction brought into his life, and the chaos that followed. From methamphetamine and crack cocaine to a devastating opioid addiction, Joey's life spiraled into survival mode.
The conversation dives deep into life in the Bottoms of Columbus, Ohio, where addiction, poverty, and crime became everyday realities. Joey opens up about running a Florida pill mill operation, encounters with Child Protective Services, dangerous living conditions, and the heartbreaking impact addiction had on his family and children.
Despite years of chaos, loss, and self-destruction—including the death of his mother from an aneurysm related to substance abuse—Joey eventually found a way out.
He shares the moment recovery finally started to make sense, the importance of finding the right sponsor, and how sobriety transformed not only his life but the lives of his children. Today, Joey is navigating recovery, raising a large family, and proving that change is possible no matter how far someone has fallen.
This episode is a powerful reminder that addiction doesn't care where you come from—but recovery is available to anyone willing to fight for it.
🔥 Expect emotion. Expect truth. Expect hope.
🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more powerful stories on addiction, recovery, and resilience.
Get a Grip Podcast Social Media: Find our TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio links, a more on our Link Tree below!
Get a Grip Social Media Links: ⁠https://linktr.ee/officialgetagrippodcast
For Collaboration and Business inquiries, please use the contact information below:
📩 Email: getagrippodcast614@gmail.com
👇 Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
#getagrip #redemptionstory #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #addictionrecovery #recoveryjourney #trauma #childhood #oxy #dealer #soberlife #wedorecover #childhoodtrauma #healing #inspiration #awareness #kingpin #trafficking #hustle #opioidcrisis #neardeathexperience #fyp #prison #bar #mistake #change #survivor #survival #tv #television #inspire #parole #officer #school #teacher #students #study #student #changinglives