Tyler Bowman’s story is a candid journey through family disruption, early addiction patterns, relapse cycles, and the long road to lasting recovery—ultimately leading to purpose, faith, and building a treatment culture centered on doing “the next right thing.”

Growing up as an only child navigating his parents’ divorce, Tyler describes how early emotional wounds shaped later relationship patterns—and how “the behaviors start before the actual substance starts.” His addiction escalated from alcohol and marijuana to Adderall and pain pills, eventually turning into heroin and multiple overdoses. Along the way: legal charges, repeated treatment attempts, and the hard-earned realization that recovery requires both willingness and consistency.

Now in long-term recovery, Tyler shares how he rebuilt his life, navigated profound loss, and helped launch Brooks Healing Center in Normandy, Tennessee—turning a vision formed during COVID into a mission-driven program rooted in culture, accountability, and care.

You’ll Hear:

• “You are enough”—and how shame fuels addiction
• Why addiction patterns begin before substances do
• The shift from “getting high” to “feeling normal”
• Relapse, rigidity, and learning how to stay spiritually and emotionally healthy
• How grief, fatherhood, and faith reshaped Tyler’s recovery
• The origin story of Brooks Healing Center—and what makes its culture different
• Practical advice for families holding boundaries—and for individuals ready to take the first step

Why Listen:

• To understand the emotional roots that often precede substance use
• To hear an honest recovery story that includes relapse, loss, and rebuilding
• To learn what sustainable recovery looks like at 10+ years sober
• To hear how purpose and community can reshape identity after addiction
• To be reminded: “You’re never too broken to be fixed.”

If you or someone you love is struggling, help is available.
To learn more about National Addiction Specialists and the Breaking Down Addiction podcast, visit https://www.nationaladdictionspecialists.com/

Todd Mulligan’s story is a blunt look at how fast opioid addiction can take over—and what it actually takes to come back. In this episode of Breaking Down Addiction, hosts Jonny Phillip and Chad Elkin sit down with Todd to trace the arc from prescription pain pills after multiple accidents, to an 11-year spiral that included street pills, Suboxone misuse, benzodiazepines, and daily meth use.

Todd shares what it was like realizing withdrawal for the first time, the delusions and chaos of late-stage addiction, and the surreal moment he discovered he was on Intervention. He also explains why being “sent to Tennessee” for treatment at Cumberland Heights ended up changing everything—especially through the structure and accountability of Stillwaters.

Today, Todd works in the recovery space helping families navigate admissions and find quality care. This conversation is practical, unfiltered, and full of hope—without pretending recovery is easy.

You’ll Hear:
• Why pills felt like “the answer” because they removed anxiety immediately
• How fast “medical use” turned into everyday dependence—and why it went out of control immediately
• What withdrawal felt like the first time (“I thought I had the flu”)
• What it’s like to be deep in addiction while being filmed for Intervention
• Why boundaries—not rescuing—are the turning point for many families
• The moment craving finally lifted, and what “surrender” looked like for Todd
• Why purpose and service became the long-term fuel for staying sober

Why Listen:
• To understand the link between pain, anxiety, and opioid misuse
• To hear the reality of relapse risk, treatment resistance, and what finally breaks through
• To learn how structure, accountability, and community can rebuild a life
• To get practical guidance for families on boundaries and family programming
• To be reminded that as long as someone is breathing, there is still a chance

If you or someone you love is struggling, help is available.

Learn more about National Addiction Specialists and the Breaking Down Addiction podcast. https://www.nationaladdictionspecialists.com/

The video of this episode is available:

https://youtu.be/mFCH5b_QmPE

Brandon Fendor’s story is a raw journey through war, trauma, addiction, and ultimately, redemption.

A Marine Corps veteran with four combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, Brandon returned home carrying survivor’s guilt, untreated PTSD, and severe physical injuries. What began as prescribed pain medication quickly escalated into opioid addiction, heroin use, and a life marked by isolation, paranoia, and near-suicidal despair. At his lowest point—overdosing in a Burger King parking lot and sitting alone with a pistol in his mouth—one phone call from his mother changed everything: “I want my son back.”

Now sober and purpose-driven, Brandon has turned his pain into a mission. As a leader at Treehouse Recovery Tennessee in Nashville, he is helping redefine addiction treatment through community, discipline, movement, and whole-person healing—mental, physical, social, and spiritual. His work focuses on brotherhood, accountability, and rebuilding identity for veterans and others struggling with addiction.

You’ll Hear:
•What combat trauma and survivor’s guilt really feel like after coming home
•Why “being over there was easy—and coming home was the hard part”
•How pain medication numbed more than physical pain
•The moment heroin stopped being about getting high and became about “feeling normal”
•Why pride and ego keep people stuck—and why asking for help is real strength
•How Treehouse Recovery Tennessee is changing the way addiction is treated

Why Listen:
•To understand the hidden cost of war, trauma, and untreated pain
•To hear an honest account of addiction without shame or filters
•To see how community, discipline, and movement can restore purpose
•To be reminded that recovery is possible—even after the darkest moments

If you or someone you love is struggling, help is available.

Learn more about Treehouse Recovery Tennessee at treehouserecoverytn.com
Contact Brandon directly: brandon.fendor@treehouserecovery.com