Chasing Heroine: Addiction Recovery and Sobriety

Karissa Foster was just nine years old when she entered foster care as a result of her parents' addiction. After fighting to regain custody, her parents eventually brought her home, only to voluntarily return her to foster care. Years of instability, abandonment, and addiction followed before Karissa finally found sobriety at just 22 years old.
But eight years into her recovery, Karissa would face a tragedy almost impossible to comprehend.
Seven months pregnant with twin boys, Karissa received the devastating news that her mother, father, and brother had all overdosed together in their family home. In an instant, she had lost her entire immediate family.
With a partner who was still using drugs, two babies on the way, and no family left to lean on, Karissa faced unimaginable grief while fighting to protect the life she had worked so hard to rebuild.
But through it all, Karissa never picked up a drink or drug again.
In Part Two of Karissa's story, we talk about navigating devastating loss in sobriety, grieving the parents she had always wanted but never truly had, becoming a mother without a family support system, and finding the strength to keep moving forward when everything seemed to fall apart.
Today, Karissa is raising her twin sons, has earned her associate degree, and continues working in addiction treatment, helping others find the recovery that changed her own life.
This is a conversation about grief, generational addiction, breaking cycles, and what it really means to rebuild a life in recovery, even when the people you hoped would be part of it are gone.
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Growing up in a gang-heavy neighborhood in Denver, Colorado, Taveaun Williams was exposed to a world of crime and violence at an early age. He became involved in electronics home robberies as a young teenager and began cycling through juvenile prisons by the age of 13.
At just 19 years old, Taveaun robbed a RadioShack in 2012, leading to a six-hour standoff inside the store involving a hostage negotiation team and SWAT officers trying to convince him to surrender. He ultimately received a 30-year prison sentence.
But what happened behind bars would change the trajectory of his life. Rather than allowing his circumstances to define him, Taveaun embarked on an incredible journey of reading, education, self-reflection, and personal growth. Over time, the young man who entered prison became someone entirely different.
Released in February 2026, Taveaun is now stepping into a new chapter of life with a perspective shaped by years of hard lessons and transformation.
It was great getting to sit down with Taveaun and hear his story firsthand. This is a conversation about the consequences of our choices, the power of education, and what can happen when someone decides that their past doesn't have to determine their future.
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By the age of 23, Linnsey Dolson had six children, an extreme meth addiction, and a life spiraling out of control. Five of her children were removed by CPS and adopted out as her addiction took over. She was stripping while eight months pregnant, later working as an escort, and continuing to use meth while pregnant. Some of her babies were born testing positive for drugs, with police called at the hospital. Her addiction even became something she shared with her own father.
But Linnsey’s story didn’t end there. In 2015, she got sober and began rebuilding her life from the ground up. What started as a home cleaning business grew into a multimillion-dollar company. She went on to establish a treatment center in San Diego, where she remains personally involved in the day-to-day lives of the clients she serves.
In this episode of Chasing Heroine, Linnsey shares the devastating consequences of her addiction, what it took to turn her life around, and how she transformed the pain of her past into a mission to help others recover.
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In this episode of Chasing Heroine, Karissa Foster shares a story of survival, resilience, and finding recovery when life has given you every reason to give up.
Placed in foster care at just nine years old, Karissa began drinking and using drugs at 13. By her teens, she was living in trap houses and fending for herself in circumstances no child should have to navigate. At just 16, her life had already taken her places most people could never imagine, including injecting her own aunt with cocaine.
At 20, a DUI led Karissa to AA, where she slowly began to hear a message that would eventually change her life. It took time for the words of recovery to sink in, but at 22, Karissa finally got sober and began building a life beyond the chaos she had always known.
Today, Karissa is a mother to twin boys and a powerful example of what resilience, willingness, and recovery can make possible. Her story is a reminder that our beginnings do not have to determine our endings, and that even after years of surviving, it is possible to learn how to truly live.
Tune in for an honest conversation about childhood trauma, addiction, finding sobriety, and discovering that a different future is possible.
Today's episode is brought to you by Sacred Journey Recovery in San Diego, CA. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Sacred Journey⁠⁠⁠⁠ is a mens only treatment center that blends modern clinical care with immersive outdoor therapy for men facing addiction. Each part of treatment is structured, supervised, and tied to a clear clinical goal, then reinforced through real-life application.
Experiential & Outdoor Adventure Therapy:
Climbing, hiking, jiu-jitsu, archery, yoga, and other structured challenges help men build confidence, discipline, and follow-through.
Evidenced Based Counseling:
CBT, ACT, DBT, and narrative therapy help men work through cravings, stress, trauma, and emotional regulation.
Peer Support & Brotherhood:
Men-only treatment creates a stronger environment for honesty, accountability, and real connection.
Sacred Journey accepts most insurance and will work with you or your loved one.
Call 760-214-9727 for a more information or a confidential assessment.
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Story’s addiction took her from drinking and party drugs in Minnesota to heroin, multiple arrests, and running drugs across the U.S.-Mexico border. After moving to San Diego with her longtime boyfriend in hopes of getting clean, the two became entangled with a heroin supplier in Tijuana, and Story found herself running drugs across the border as her life spiraled further into addiction and crime.
In 2022, Story finally got sober. But while in residential treatment later that year, she received news that would change her life forever: her husband had died of an overdose.
In this episode of Chasing Heroine, Story shares what it took to survive addiction, find sobriety, and face the unimaginable loss of her husband without returning to drugs. She also talks about rebuilding her life and creating The Upside to Grief, a podcast designed to help people navigate loss through community, connection, and practical tools.
Story’s life has taken some unimaginable turns, and her story is a powerful look at what recovery can make possible, even when life doesn't turn out the way you planned.
Today's episode is brought to you by Sacred Journey Recovery in San Diego, CA. ⁠⁠⁠Sacred Journey⁠⁠⁠ is a mens only treatment center that blends modern clinical care with immersive outdoor therapy for men facing addiction. Each part of treatment is structured, supervised, and tied to a clear clinical goal, then reinforced through real-life application.
Experiential & Outdoor Adventure Therapy:
Climbing, hiking, jiu-jitsu, archery, yoga, and other structured challenges help men build confidence, discipline, and follow-through.
Evidenced Based Counseling:
CBT, ACT, DBT, and narrative therapy help men work through cravings, stress, trauma, and emotional regulation.
Peer Support & Brotherhood:
Men-only treatment creates a stronger environment for honesty, accountability, and real connection.
Sacred Journey accepts most insurance and will work with you or your loved one.
Call 760-214-9727 for a more information or a confidential assesment.
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