Get a Grip Podcast

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes sit down with Ted Beauchaine for one of the most unbelievable addiction and recovery stories we've ever heard.
Ted takes us back to a childhood spent moving around the country, attending nine different schools before reaching high school, and eventually discovering alcohol. His first experience with drinking quickly spiraled when he consumed half a fifth of 151-proof alcohol—and the consequences that followed were only the beginning.
Despite maintaining good grades and building an impressive academic career, Ted's drinking continued to escalate. Cocaine eventually entered the picture, followed by his first experience freebasing cocaine, blackouts, and a serious car accident in Oregon.
After his first treatment experience, Ted managed to stay clean for 14 years. But eventually, the underlying issues he hadn't fully understood began catching up with him. Ted discusses living with bipolar disorder without realizing it, the events that led to his relapse, and how cocaine and crack eventually took over his life.
Ted describes interviewing at UC Berkeley, getting high afterward, buying crack from a homeless person in San Francisco's Tenderloin, and ending up in Section 8 housing. He received a job offer from Berkeley—but before he could start, his family staged an intervention.
He later accepted a position in Long Island and drove for four days while drunk, scoring crack along the way. He experienced severe alcohol withdrawal, including hallucinations, and eventually ended up in a psychiatric ward.
Ted continued moving around the country, eventually landing in Ohio, where his crack addiction became even worse. At one point, despite earning $180,000 a year, he found himself broke and living in a one-bedroom apartment.
Ted received a job offer from Notre Dame, but his addiction followed him. He describes spending enormous amounts of money on crack, smoking throughout his workday, and even using between classes. His addiction ultimately consumed his career, his finances, and nearly every part of his life.
He also opens up about trying to start a family while struggling with addiction, caring for a premature baby while still using crack, and the devastating moment when his career finally came to an end.
Today, Ted works in the treatment and recovery field, using his experiences to help others while reflecting on why he can no longer return to his former career as a professor.
This is an extraordinary story about addiction, academia, mental health, relapse, success, failure, and ultimately finding a new purpose.
Timestamps
🔥 Expect emotion. Expect truth. Expect hope.
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In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes sit down with Nick Newman for an incredibly raw and personal conversation about addiction, IV drug use, sexuality, relapse, recovery, and the moment he finally stopped hiding who he was.
Nick starts by taking us back to his childhood and high school years, eventually discovering his parents' stash of opiates. What began with partying and prescription pills eventually turned into daily drug use, taking him from college and a career in real estate to full-blown addiction.
Nick opens up about transitioning to IV drug use and what it was like shooting Dilaudid, mixing Percocet 30s with Dilaudid, and the dangerous trades and decisions that came with his addiction. Multiple attempts at treatment and even a "grand escape plan" to move away couldn't keep him from finding drugs.
He shares the unbelievable story of driving into a canal while trying to get pills, attending a Scientology treatment center, relapsing, and eventually progressing to shooting heroin and cocaine.
But there was another battle happening underneath the addiction.
Nick reveals how struggling with his sexuality and keeping that part of himself hidden became intertwined with his drug use. He talks about relationships, being told to "pray the gay away", secretly dating a man, and eventually admitting to his girlfriend—and then everyone else—that he was gay.For Nick, coming out wasn't simply about sexuality. It became part of finally confronting the truth about himself and understanding some of the reasons he had continued running back to drugs.
His addiction continued to evolve, including benzodiazepines, fentanyl, kratom, and another terrifying incident at the Cleveland Clinic. Nick describes using heroin and fentanyl at the hospital, overdosing during detox, and experiencing what he describes as the worst Narcan experience of his life.
Even after reaching two years sober, Nick experienced another devastating relapse following a breakup and eventually turned to methadone.
He shares what finally made his last relapse different, how therapy helped him begin addressing the underlying issues, and what recovery looks like for him today.This is a brutally honest conversation about addiction, identity, shame, relapse, and the freedom that can come from finally telling the truth.
🔥 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/officialgetagrippodcastFor 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 #changinglivesdaily

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes sit down with Nick Newman for an incredible story that spans childhood addiction, the U.S. Army, combat deployments, prescription drugs, kratom, 7OH, and the long road toward recovery.
Nick opens up about a childhood that quickly went off the rails. By third grade, he had already been suspended twice, and by the age of 10 he was smoking weed regularly. At just 12 years old, he tried crack for the first time. What followed was a teenage life filled with schemes, getting expelled from high school, breaking into cars, and stealing.
Eventually, Nick joined the U.S. Army, but even basic training couldn't completely separate him from his addiction. He talks about getting high during basic training, deploying overseas, and what it was like arriving in Afghanistan and driving through Iraq as a young soldier.
Nick spent eight years in the Army, including working around IEDs in Afghanistan. He shares the terrifying reality of his job, finding an IED and being ordered to leave it behind, witnessing drugs overseas, and dealing with the death of a fellow soldier.
After returning home, Nick became a drill sergeant and eventually ran into serious trouble over allegations involving training abuse. Later, the VA prescribed him medications including Ambien, and his life began taking another unexpected turn.
Nick eventually discovered kratom. What began as something he believed could help quickly became another addiction. He describes how much he was using, the financial cost, quitting cold turkey, and experiencing withdrawal that he describes as being "dopesick".
Then he discovered 7OH.
Nick explains how 7OH completely changed the game for him, how much he began using, and why quitting became so difficult. He even describes traveling to Canada and experiencing severe withdrawal in an airport and on a plane.After multiple attempts to quit—including relapsing on cat's claw and kratom extract—Nick finally began finding his way out.
This is a fascinating and brutally honest conversation about how addiction can evolve, even for someone who has served his country, built a career, and achieved financial success.
🔥 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/officialgetagrippodcastFor 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 #changinglivesdaily

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig sits down with Tony Newton for a raw and honest conversation about childhood trauma, addiction, crime, relationships, and the journey from fentanyl and heroin addiction into recovery.Tony opens up about a difficult childhood, including being sexually assaulted and being exposed to drug use by his own parents. He also talks about having aspirations of becoming a drug dealer at a young age and how those early experiences eventually led him deeper into the world of addiction.
Tony shares how his substance use progressed from prescription pills to heroin and eventually fentanyl. Along the way, his addiction brought serious legal consequences, strained relationships, and decisions that would change the course of his life.
He also talks about traveling to California while his wife was pregnant, attempts to get clean followed by relapse, and the moment he realized he needed to make a serious change.The conversation takes an unexpected turn when Tony tells the story of getting caught stealing a phone from Walmart after his picture was posted on Facebook. He also discusses his relationship, stealing iPhones, and the world of fraudulent checks and how those choices kept him trapped in a cycle of addiction and survival.
But this story isn't just about what went wrong.Tony talks about where he is today and what recovery looks like after making it past 90 days and continuing to build more than a year of sobriety from fentanyl and heroin.
This is a conversation about facing your past, surviving addiction, learning from your mistakes, and discovering that a different life 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, iHeart Radio links, a more on our Link Tree below!
Get a Grip Social Media Links: ⁠https://linktr.ee/officialgetagrippodcastFor 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 #changinglivesdaily

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig and Aaron Garne's sit down for a raw conversation about growing up around addiction, crack cocaine, prison, gambling, and finding a new way to live.
Their guest shares how his life spiraled from cocaine and crack addiction into a criminal lifestyle that eventually led to 78 felony convictions and a seven-year prison sentence. He opens up about getting his first prison number, serving time in six different prisons, and what it was really like inside Noble Correctional Institution during some of its worst years.
He also shares just how far his crack addiction took him, including some unbelievable stories from the streets and the craziest thing he ever found in a car. After years of addiction, crime, and incarceration, he eventually found a way to get sober and start rebuilding his life.
But recovery came with new challenges. He talks about working security, getting away during a traffic stop, wild situations he encountered on the job, and battling another addiction—gambling. From sneaking into casinos to nearly falling back into destructive patterns, this episode is a reminder that addiction can take many different forms.This is an honest conversation about addiction, incarceration, second chances, gambling, and what it takes to finally change your life.
🔥 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 #changinglivesdaily