Chasing Heroine: Addiction Recovery and Sobriety

This week’s episode follows Rio, a woman whose story moves from chaos to clarity with raw honesty and hard-won hope.
Rio began using meth in high school, a path that quickly pulled her out of her parents’ home and into the control of an older woman who groomed her and introduced her to a traumatic, dangerous lifestyle. After graduating from an alternative school, Rio became a young mom, but addiction tightened its grip. She walked away from her baby and his father in pursuit of drugs, parties, and a life that only grew more volatile. What followed were years of chaos, including involvement with a motorcycle club and people who kept pushing her further into risk and destruction.
Eventually Rio entered treatment, relapsed once more, and then made the decision that changed everything, choosing sobriety for real. Today, she’s married, has regained custody of her son, is working on her degree at UCSD, and is driven by a powerful goal: to one day work with women in prison and help them find the same freedom she did.
This is a story about grooming, addiction, motherhood, relapse, resilience, and what’s possible when recovery finally sticks. 🌱
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If you or a loved one are struggling with mental health or substances, ⁠Worthy Wellness⁠can help.
Worthy Wellness Center is nestled within the charming village of Carlsbad, in North County, San Diego, less than half a mile from the tranquil local beaches. Worthy stands as a sanctuary wholly devoted to nurturing the healing and well-being of those in recovery. Committed to addressing the holistic needs of individuals navigating through life’s challenges, whether related to substance abuse, alcohol addiction, or mental and mood disorders, Worthy Wellness Center takes a comprehensive approach to healing the body, mind, and spirit.
Detox now open as well, ⁠516 Recovery⁠
516 Recovery Center transforms lives through individualized, compassionate care that rejects the “heads and beds” model of traditional treatment. Our licensed clinical team combines evidence-based therapies with holistic wellness approaches to help individuals overcome substance use disorders, mental health challenges, and co-occurring conditions in a welcoming beachside environment where personalized attention and genuine partnership drive lasting change.
Located in Carlsbad Village by the beach, we provide comprehensive treatment services, including on-site medical detoxification, making us one of the few Southern California facilities offering the complete continuum of care under one organization.
Call today: 442-430-3348

Born and raised in South Oceanside, California, Ian G grew up in the shadow of early loss. After his father passed away, Ian made a vow to himself he would never touch narcotics. Life, however, had other plans. After dropping out of high school, that promise slowly unraveled, giving way to years of heavy drinking and drug use marked by multiple DUIs, arrests, and mounting consequences.
In October of 2017, Ian was arrested for the last time. That moment became a turning point, leading him to his first stretch of sobriety. After one final relapse, Ian made a quiet but decisive choice on January 1st to get sober for good and this time, he stayed.
Today, Ian’s life looks radically different. He’s in a committed relationship, helping raise his stepdaughter, and thriving in a career in design. Alongside that, he’s cultivating a deep passion and talent for photography, channeling creativity into a life built on presence and purpose. This episode is a conversation about grief, broken promises, second chances, and what can grow when you finally stop running and start living.
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See you next week!
If you or a loved one are struggling with mental health or substances, Worthy Wellnesscan help.
Worthy Wellness Center is nestled within the charming village of Carlsbad, in North County, San Diego, less than half a mile from the tranquil local beaches. Worthy stands as a sanctuary wholly devoted to nurturing the healing and well-being of those in recovery. Committed to addressing the holistic needs of individuals navigating through life’s challenges, whether related to substance abuse, alcohol addiction, or mental and mood disorders, Worthy Wellness Center takes a comprehensive approach to healing the body, mind, and spirit.
Detox now open as well, 516 Recovery
516 Recovery Center transforms lives through individualized, compassionate care that rejects the “heads and beds” model of traditional treatment. Our licensed clinical team combines evidence-based therapies with holistic wellness approaches to help individuals overcome substance use disorders, mental health challenges, and co-occurring conditions in a welcoming beachside environment where personalized attention and genuine partnership drive lasting change.
Located in Carlsbad Village by the beach, we provide comprehensive treatment services, including on-site medical detoxification, making us one of the few Southern California facilities offering the complete continuum of care under one organization.
Call today: 442-430-3348

In this episode, we sit down with Skinny Vinny, comedian, content creator, and podcaster whose journey from idolizing the Jackass crew as a kid to eventually working alongside them is anything but linear.
Vinny’s story begins on a skateboard, smoking weed and chasing adrenaline, before escalating into a painkiller addiction and eventually heroin. His use cost him nearly everything, including housing. At one point, he was homeless in Vermont, living in a porta potty. After making his way to Los Angeles, Vinny spent three months on Skid Row, a period that marked one of the lowest points of his addiction and survival.
Instead, sobriety opened a different path. Through recovery and a series of unlikely chance encounters, Vinny found himself not only back on his feet but working with the very people he once idolized, including co-hosting Steve-O’s hit podcast Wild Ride.
Vinny’s journey is a powerful reminder that addiction does not get the final say. Even after periods of deep suffering and instability, it is possible to reclaim creativity, purpose, and long-held dreams. This conversation is about resilience, recovery, and what can happen when someone chooses to keep going.
Connect with Skinny Vinny on Instagram
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Today is a little different! I’m sharing a recording from a twelve-step meeting where I gave the lead a few years ago. It’s a simple, honest breakdown of the Twelve Steps and the process of actually working them, not as a rulebook or a rigid formula, but as a deeply personal experience.
I’ve always felt that the steps are essentially free, personalized therapy. They ask us to look at our patterns, our pain, our responsibility, and our capacity for change with a level of honesty that most of us were never taught. In this lead, I walk through how the steps build on one another, why they matter, and what they’ve given me beyond just staying sober.
Whether you’re new to recovery, thinking about working the steps, coming back after time away, or just curious about why they’ve helped so many people for so long, this episode offers a clear, human look at the process and why it still works.
No perfection. No preaching. Just one addict’s experience with a framework that helped turn survival into something that finally felt like a life. 🌱
If you or a loved one are navigating substance use or mental health concerns, please check out our sponsor ⁠Worthy Wellness Center⁠, a luxury mental health and SUD treatment center in San Diego, CA.
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Today, I am joined by my best friends of over thirty years, Keri, Scott “Gumpy” and Barbara. They are not in recovery - which is actually why I wanted them on the show and what hopefully makes this conversation meaningful and different for you guys, too. I wanted to hear from the people who loved me through addiction without ever experiencing it themselves, and to explore what it is like on the other side of an addict friendship.
Together, they reflect on watching a childhood friend slowly self destruct. The confusion, fear, frustration, and helplessness. The moments they tried to step in, the times they did not know how, and the emotional toll of caring deeply without having control. Their honesty offers a compassionate and often overlooked perspective for anyone who has loved someone struggling with substance use.
The conversation is not all heavy, though!. Woven throughout are the shared memories that come from growing up together. Field parties, driving around in a fake cop car, and me calling Barbara as an adult to talk to my mom for me. The kind of stories only lifelong friends can tell.
This episode is for friends, family members, and loved ones who have walked alongside addiction. Those who stayed close, those who pulled away, and those still trying to understand it all. Thoughtful, warm, and deeply human.
If you or a loved one are navigating substance use or mental health concerns, please check out our sponsor Worthy Wellness Center, a luxury mental health and SUD treatment center in San Diego, CA.
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See you next week!