Addressing Addiction: Effective Support for Athletes

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00:00How has it grown each year to year in terms of guys that are going there, people getting help?

00:08Well, and I'll let Heather answer a lot of that, but, you know, the guys are reaching out to me,

00:13they're desperate for help, you know, they've been struggling for a long time in silence,

00:18you know, how we are athletes.

00:19They hide it.

00:20They hide it, you know, guilt, shame.

00:22Who doesn't?

00:23Who doesn't hide their addictions?

00:25That's the way we were raised, you know.

00:27I don't think that'll ever change.

00:30We're trying to make it easier for guys to raise their hand and ask for help.

00:34It's a bad, it's a horrible disease, is what it is.

00:38But once I get them in, you know, I turn them over to Heather and she's the one that does

00:41the real work on them, you know, digging out that whatever makes them do what they do.

00:46And, you know, usually it's a lot more than just chronic pain.

00:50They're self-medicating feelings and transition feelings and stuff like that.

00:56And Heather, respectfully, what's your last name?

00:59Stokes.

01:00Heather Stokes, the CEO of the company.

01:03And obviously, you're dealing with all these athletes and others as well.

01:08Is it just athletes or is it others?

01:09Well, anybody.

01:10It's anybody.

01:11Anybody.

01:12Anybody that needs help.

01:13And what are you seeing?

01:15I mean, it has to be crazy.

01:17It is, especially with the fentanyl epidemic, you know, a lot of individuals on the opiates

01:24and then they're not available, right, anymore.

01:26And so fentanyl is cheap and it's in everything.

01:29And so we're seeing a lot more.

01:31That doesn't scare the hell out of people.

01:33Like, I can't even fathom, like, you know, a pin needle of fentanyl kills you.

01:39Right.

01:40Who wants that in their life?

01:42I don't understand.

01:43It makes real addicts want to go out and find that, you know?

01:47Right.

01:47Oh, but that's demented.

01:49It's cheaper, right?

01:50And it's stronger.

01:51And they want that high to see if they can dance with the devil?

01:54Like, you're just dancing with death.

01:56Because I think that they would rather do that than be themselves because they're not

02:02sure who they are.

02:03Right.

02:03And they're struggling and they're suffering in silence.

02:06And they're just...

02:08So I walked down the street on Bourbon Street and, I mean, it took me five minutes before

02:12I saw, like, a hundred junkies.

02:14Yeah.

02:14Really?

02:14I mean, they're everywhere.

02:15They're like cockroaches.

02:17They're everywhere.

02:18You could just see it.

02:19Well, you never know around Bourbon Street.

02:20Well, they're suffering.

02:21I mean, they're suffering.

02:22And it's, you know, I can tell.

02:24I can see it.

02:25I've been around it my whole life.

02:26Yeah.

02:27I've been around, you know, addiction and people suffering, whether it's alcoholism,

02:32drugs, whatever.

02:34You know, what's weird is that on the same level, I talk to, like, Kyle Turley all the

02:38time, my friend, and he's into the cannabis.

02:40Right.

02:40He's into the weed end of it.

02:42Do you...

02:43Now, if you're at a recovery center, you're dealing with just full sobriety.

02:47You're not interested in people smoking weed to deal with their pain.

02:50You want them to be completely sober.

02:52Right.

02:53We meet the individual where they're at and seeing why are they self-medicating, right?

02:58And what is the root cause?

03:00And then finding holistic modalities for true healing.

03:04If there's pain, let's navigate that.

03:06Let's look at other modalities.

03:08But let's just face facts.

03:09Yeah.

03:10Guys that smoke chronic weed, that's doing narcotics as well.

03:16That is the same thing.

03:17You're getting high to mask your pain.

03:20You're still getting high.

03:21It's mind-altering.

03:23Anyway you slice it.

03:24So I've heard people say, I just deal with pain with weed and I've got no more problems.

03:29He, Jim McMahon, they've been on my show.

03:32They're like, I don't have dementia now.

03:35I don't have Alzheimer's now.

03:36I don't have the pain now.

03:38I smoke weed all day.

03:39And I'm like, you're still getting high all day.

03:42Like I'm not that dumb.

03:44Right.

03:44They're not their truest self, right?

03:46And there's more studies coming out showing the devastating effects of chronic marijuana use.

03:52And how do you, seriously, how do you feel about it?

03:54You feel like that's a dangerous slope because now it's stronger than ever.

03:57It's not the same weed.

03:58When we were growing up, you know, this stuff is genetically engineered.

04:02It's strong.

04:02It's potent.

04:03And you know, if there's any kind of underlying mental health issue going on, that's just

04:07going to exacerbate it, make it worse.

04:09And it's like, come on.

04:11It is a gateway.

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