Get a Grip Podcast

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes sit down with Carrie Ann for a raw and eye-opening conversation about opioid addiction, heroin, crime, motherhood, and the difficult road to recovery. Carrie Ann’s story reveals just how quickly prescription painkillers can take over someone’s life and how far addiction can push a person when getting high becomes the only thing that matters.
Carrie Ann opens up about growing up with an alcoholic father and how her life began to change after leaving a healthy relationship and getting involved with someone she describes as the “bad boy.” Her introduction to opiates eventually turned into a serious addiction, made even more complicated when she was prescribed Lortab and Percocet for severe period cramps. What started with prescription medication quickly spiraled out of control.
As her addiction progressed, Carrie Ann began stealing money from work, including taking insurance copays to support her daily pill habit. After losing her job and cashing out her 401(k), she moved from prescription painkillers to heroin and eventually began injecting drugs. She also shares how she was introduced to speedballing and just how dangerous and chaotic her addiction became.
Her story takes an even darker turn as she describes the crimes she committed to support her habit, including burglarizing a woman's home, getting followed by police, and being caught at GameStop. After spending a night in the Pike County Jail and facing a felony burglary charge, Carrie Ann went right back to using. She also opens up about robbing a store while under the influence of Xanax and the destructive decisions that continued to follow her.
Carrie Ann eventually became pregnant and managed to stay clean throughout her pregnancy, but the battle with addiction was far from over. One of the most difficult moments came when her daughter discovered that she was getting high. That experience became part of a much bigger turning point, as Carrie Ann began to recognize what addiction had taken from her and what she needed to do to change.
Today, Carrie Ann shares what finally started clicking, what recovery looks like in her life, and the lessons she hopes others can take from her experiences. This is an honest conversation about the consequences of addiction, the impact it has on families, and the possibility of finding a way out even after years of destructive choices.
🔥 Expect emotion. Expect truth. Expect hope.
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#getagrip #redemptionstory #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #addictionrecovery #recoveryjourney

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes sit down with Amber Ray for an intense and deeply personal conversation about childhood abuse, addiction, alcoholism, toxic relationships, and the long road to recovery. Amber’s story is a powerful look at how childhood trauma can follow someone into adulthood, shaping their decisions, relationships, and struggles with addiction.
Amber opens up about growing up with an abusive mother, the painful experiences she endured as a child, and the lasting impact those experiences had on her life. She also reflects on her high school years, when experimenting with ecstasy became part of her everyday world. As she got older, alcohol and Xanax became her drugs of choice, and by the age of 18, substance use had begun taking control of her life.
What followed was a devastating 16-year battle with alcohol. Amber shares stories about drinking every day, the people and situations that fueled her addiction, and even a shocking experience involving what she describes as a literal “Get Out of Jail Free Card.” Eventually, the drinking began catching up with her, and the life she had built started to fall apart.
Amber also discusses marrying someone who struggled with alcoholism, the complicated and sometimes dangerous dynamics of that relationship, and how her experiences led her down an unexpected path. Through years of pain, unhealthy relationships, and destructive choices, she eventually began finding her way toward recovery.
Today, Amber reflects on what it took to change her life and offers advice to anyone who may be struggling with addiction, trauma, or the feeling that they are trapped in a cycle they cannot escape. Her story is a reminder that the past does not have to define the future and that recovery can begin even after years of struggle.
🔥 Expect emotion. Expect truth. Expect hope.
🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more powerful stories about addiction, recovery, resilience, and redemption.
Get a Grip Podcast Social Media: Find our TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio links, and more on our Linktree below!
Get a Grip Social Media Links:
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📩 Collaboration & Business Inquiries: getagrippodcast614@gmail.com
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#getagrippodcast #addictionrecovery #alcoholism #alcoholaddiction #recoveryjourney #childhoodtrauma #childhoodabuse #mentalhealth #sobriety #xanaxaddiction #addiction #recovery #healing #trauma #toxicrelationships #wedorecover #soberlife #secondchances #inspiration #hope

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes sit down with Amanda Gayler for a raw and emotional conversation about addiction, grief, methamphetamine, homelessness, and the incredible journey that led her and her partner to recovery. Amanda’s story is a powerful look at how someone can go from raising a family and caring for loved ones to losing nearly everything, only to find a way back to a life she never thought was possible.
Amanda opens up about her childhood and growing up with a father who was seriously ill, and how she found herself raising three children by the age of 20. After suffering a back injury, she was prescribed Percocet, but her life took another devastating turn when she was caring for her grandmother. Following her grandmother’s death, methamphetamine entered the picture, and what began as another chapter in an already difficult life quickly spiraled into a full-blown addiction.
As her meth use intensified, Amanda describes working at a nursing home while high, going days without sleep, and experiencing meth-induced psychosis. Family conflict over her grandmother’s house added even more chaos, and eventually Amanda crossed a line she never imagined she would: selling and injecting methamphetamine. She shares what it was like selling drugs out of a window, getting caught up in the lifestyle, going to jail, and ultimately becoming homeless.
But Amanda’s story reaches a breaking point when she and her partner, Jaime, are living in a garage that catches fire. With their lives in complete disarray, they find themselves facing a moment that could either destroy them or change everything. At the Hope Center, Amanda was preparing to use one last time before she and Jaime made the decision to go to treatment. What followed was a remarkable journey of getting sober together, rebuilding their lives, and discovering that recovery was possible even when the odds seemed stacked against them.
Today, Amanda and Jaime are both sober and still together, proving that even after addiction, loss, incarceration, and homelessness, a new life can begin. This is a story about love, perseverance, second chances, and the hope that can emerge from the darkest moments.
🔥 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, iHeartRadio links, and more on our Linktree below!
Get a Grip Social Media Links:
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#getagrip #redemptionstory #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #addictionrecovery #recoveryjourney #trauma #childhood #oxy #dealer #soberlife #wedorecover #childhoodtrauma #healing #inspiration #awareness #kingpin

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes sit down with Alana Hissong for a wild, unfiltered conversation about addiction, crime, prison, fentanyl, and recovery. From getting a DUI at 17 to building a shoplifting operation and facing years behind bars, Alana's story is filled with shocking twists and hard lessons.
Alana opens up about dropping out of high school, blacking out at a young age, and developing addictions to cocaine, methamphetamine, and Adderall while raising two children. As her addiction escalated, she became involved in organized shoplifting, stealing expensive merchandise and pulling off increasingly risky thefts. One attempted robbery at the Tanger Outlets ended in a police pursuit, gunfire, and the possibility of a ten-year prison sentence.
After receiving a three-year prison sentence, Alana began finding recovery, but staying sober after release proved difficult. She relapsed, returned to methamphetamine, and eventually began selling pressed fentanyl pills without initially realizing exactly what they contained. Her addiction eventually progressed to injecting fentanyl, and an overdose became another turning point in her life.
After years of chaos, Alana finally began taking recovery seriously. Despite entering treatment with eight outstanding warrants, she started rebuilding her life and eventually began working in the treatment field to help others. Her journey is a powerful reminder that even after addiction, incarceration, and repeated setbacks, change is possible.
🔥 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, iHeartRadio links, and more on our Linktree below!
Get a Grip Social Media Links:
https://linktr.ee/officialgetagrippodcast
👇 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 #changinglivesdaily

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig sits down with Justin Reynolds for a raw and powerful conversation about childhood drug use, methamphetamine, heroin addiction, overdoses, faith, and the fight to rebuild a life after addiction. Justin shares how his struggles began at a young age and how what started as experimentation eventually spiraled into a dangerous cycle that nearly cost him everything.
Justin opens up about using bath salts as a kid while playing Call of Duty, eventually moving into smoking methamphetamine and stealing prescription painkillers from girls in his life. As his addiction progressed, heroin entered the picture and quickly became his primary struggle. He reflects on the consequences of his drug use, including getting his first DUI while on meth and experiencing overdoses that brought him frighteningly close to death.
After years of destructive choices and repeated danger, Justin explains what finally pushed him toward detox and recovery. He shares how going to The Refuge became a turning point, helping him reconnect with faith and begin looking at his life differently. His journey highlights the difficult work of getting sober, finding purpose, and learning how to live without the substances that once controlled him.
Justin also talks about what life looks like today and the loss of a friend he experienced while in sobriety. His story is a reminder that recovery doesn't erase every hardship, but it can give people the strength and perspective to face life's pain without returning to addiction.
This is an honest conversation about meth, heroin, overdoses, faith, grief, and the possibility of transformation. Justin Reynolds' journey shows how far addiction can take someone—and how a commitment to recovery can open the door to a completely different life.
⏱ TIMESTAMPS
0:00 – Childhood and Growing Up
7:00 – Doing Bath Salts as a Kid While Playing COD
13:00 – Getting Hooked on Meth
16:00 – Stealing Percs From Girls
22:00 – Trying Heroin for the First Time
25:00 – When His Addiction Shifted to Heroin
29:45 – Getting His First DUI on Meth
41:00 – One of His Last Overdoses
45:00 – What Finally Led Him to Detox and Recovery
55:00 – Finding God and Going to Refuge
1:12:00 – Life in Recovery Today
1:35:00 – Losing a Friend While Sober
🔥 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, iHeartRadio links, and more on our Linktree below!
Get a Grip Social Media Links:
https://linktr.ee/officialgetagrippodcast
👇 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 #changinglivesdaily