The Courage to Change: A Recovery Podcast

Parham Nematollah grew up in Iran during the Iran-Iraq war where he lived through frequent bombings that sent his whole family fleeing for safety. At 16 he moved back to the US for good but the constant change caused him to feel outside of both cultures and desperate to fit in by any means necessary. His anxiety (rooted in the early trauma of war) and the desire to fit in, caused him to start using alcohol and cocaine to deal with it all. At 25 he overdosed and finally found sobriety while sitting across from his sick mother who happened to be at the same hospital for treatment. He wondered what she did to deserve her sickness and what he was doing to her.

In this Q and A episode Ashley answers the listener question "How do I get my husband to commit to going to treatment?" Her partner has had several relapses and she can't convince him to get help. Ashley discusses how to let the crisis arrive, interventions and self work that can be extremely helpful in encouraging a loved one to get help. Ashley Loeb Blassingame has been clean and sober for 16 years, she's a drug and alcohol counselor, interventionist, and the co-founder of a telehealth company called Lionrock Recovery that provides substance use disorder treatment.

Andy grew up searching for a place to fit in and find acceptance. As a Minister’s son, kids were often brought to his house against their will in order for his morality to rub off on them. In high school he found a new persona when he got blackout drunk at a college party. Suddenly people were talking about how funny he was when he was drunk, how he was just like Will Ferrell, and he liked the attention. So he leaned into it. In college he found more acceptance by blacking out and doing wild things people could laugh about the next day. It wasn’t until his fifth serious consequence from drinking, shortly after his 25th birthday, that things began to change.

Roland Williams is an interventionist, author, trainer, counselor and consultant specializing in addiction related issues. He is one of the first Licensed Advanced Addictions Counselors in the state of California.

In this Q and A episode Ashley talks with producer Scott Drochelman about the reasons that people relapse. Hear Ashley's relapse stories and what factors put people at risk. Ashley Loeb Blassingame has been clean and sober for 16 years, she's a drug and alcohol counselor, interventionist, and the co-founder of a telehealth company called Lionrock Recovery that provides substance use disorder treatment.

Lynsie found the success she was looking for when she became Miss Teen Arizona, but it led to a strange splitting of herself. In one life she was a pageant queen riding in parades and talking to kids about not drinking or using drugs all while partying heavily and on the road to her own addiction. It wasn’t until she received an aggressive DUI from an accident that found her car wrapped around a tree with a passenger in the car that things started to change. She was sent to Tent City jail in the Arizona and then to treatment which led to her eventual recovery. Today she is 16 years sober.

Wes Geer is a professional guitar player (Korn, Hed PE), songwriter, recording artist, and producer. What many didn’t know at the time was while he was leading his band to their first-ever record deal, Wes was a full-blown drug addict, using alcohol, methamphetamines and other drugs, daily, for years. After nearly a decade of touring the world, with the biggest names in rock, Wes’ life was imploding, and he finally left in 2003, for a ‘lifestyle change’ that ultimately ended him up in rehab in 2004. In 2012 he founded Rock to Recovery (R2R), a non-profit organization created in late 2012 with the purpose of providing those in various types of treatment and recovery programs the cathartic, uplifting, healing experience of connectivity through music.

In this Q and A episode Ashley talks with producer Scott Drochelman about how to maintain hope when you've been trying to help for a long time. You might not feel like there is much more you can do. You might find it difficult to remain connected. Ashley provides practical ideas on how to approach this complicated situation without enabling.

Benjamin eventually entered treatment, found help and 6 years into his recovery, moved to Florida with the woman he would eventually marry. The two had a son together and divorced bitterly shortly after. Benjamin eventually co-authored the book, “Our Happy Divorce”, with his Ex-Wife Nikki DeBartolo, which told the story of how their journey through divorce eventually brought them closer together.

Dr. Umhau is revolutionizing alcohol use treatment, utilizing medications, diet and The Sinclair Method to change lives. He has also led a team of scientists to develop a method of measuring the brain uptake of the essential omega-3 fatty acid, DHA. His comprehensive treatment methods consider the whole person and are highly effective.

In this Q and A episode Ashley Loeb Blassingame talks with producer Scott Drochelman about how to wade into the sober dating world with intention and authenticity while avoiding some of the mistakes from her own dating experience.

After Will's mom passed away in 2017, a lifetime of suppressed memories and events came flooding back in. Will turned to food to deal with the trauma eventually climbing to 400lbs. He tried everything he could to change his trajectory including appearing in a local Biggest-Loser-style competition where he lost 88lbs in 12 weeks. But without understanding the psychology of food in his life the results didn’t last long. Eventually Will did the hard work of understanding food’s place in his life and digging into the trauma he experienced growing up.

At seventeen Pej was hung over, driving his friends to school when he had a fatal car accident causing the death of a young teenager riding his bike to school. The event caused Pej to go off the deep end, drowning his guilt, shame, and sadness with drugs and alcohol. Pej now uses his experiences to help others through his work as an interventionist, recovery coach and the creator of multiple sober communities.

In this Q and A session Ashley Loeb Blassingame talks with producer Scott Drochelman about the challenges in caring for a loved one who is addicted to something. Folks are asked to lead with empathy, but they also have a right to be angry about the behaviors they're seeing. In this episode we talk about how to hold both ideas in your mind at the same time and tips for anyone caring for someone with an addiction.

Michelle’s passion for maternal mental health emerged after becoming a mother. Alcohol became a coping tool, eventually resulting in severe alcohol use disorder. After finding her own recovery, Michelle created Recovery is the New Black, a digital community that touches thousands.