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

Will Drury’s story is a raw, winding path through grief, addiction, jail, and the kind of recovery that rebuilds a life from the ground up. He started using at 13, lost close friends to DUI tragedies, and by 18 he was a “kid having a kid”—while sliding deeper into alcohol, weed, and eventually opioids.

Hydrocodone turned into oxycodone, tolerance turned into withdrawal, and survival became a daily chase to not get sick. Will shares what it was like to walk into a methadone clinic at 20, live in and out of jail, and later endure opioid withdrawal behind bars—alone, freezing, and hallucinating in what he calls the “turtle suit.”

But the episode doesn’t stay in the dark. Will opens up about the moment a simple prayer cracked something open, how treatment and the AA community helped him grow up fast, and how he rebuilt trust—especially with his son, Tyson. Today, Will has turned his recovery into service, helping others find a path forward and creating Forge Recovery Home, a safe place for men to transition into sober living.

You’ll Hear:

• How early grief and trauma helped fuel Will’s addiction
• The “lines in the sandbox” that kept moving—from weed to pills to IV drug use
• What it’s like to be dope sick at 19 with no idea what’s happening
• The methadone clinic experience at 20—and why he felt “out of place”
• Withdrawal in jail: the cold cell, hallucinations, and the “turtle suit”
• The stolen truck story that became a turning point
• The prayer that shifted everything: “God, let your will be done.”
• How recovery helped him become a dad again—and rebuild a real life
• Why boundaries matter: “Love them from a distance.”
• How Will’s purpose became a calling—and led to Forge Recovery Home

Why Listen:

• To understand how addiction hijacks choices long before someone “looks” addicted
• To hear a brutally honest account of withdrawal, jail, and what people don’t talk about
• To be reminded that grief and shame don’t have to be a life sentence
• To see what’s possible when recovery becomes community, responsibility, and service
• To hear a story that proves it’s never too late to come home—to your life, and to the people you love

Misty Pearson’s story begins where many never expect addiction to start: a legitimate injury, a doctor’s prescription, and a life that looked “put together.”

One torn ACL set off a chain reaction—opioids, shame, escalation, arrests, and ultimately nine and a half years of incarceration.

But Misty’s story doesn’t end there.

Through forced sobriety, deep personal reckoning, faith, and an unwavering commitment to growth, Misty chose a different path.

Today, she works in addiction treatment, serves as a Hope Ambassador, and dedicates her life to helping others find recovery—even while carrying the lifelong consequences of her past.

This episode is a raw, honest conversation about pride, shame, systemic failure, redemption, and what it really takes to rebuild a life after addiction.

You’ll Hear:

• How a routine ACL injury and opioid prescription led to addiction
• Why pride and shame kept Misty from asking for help
• The moment incarceration became a turning point—not the end
• What nine and a half years in prison taught her about recovery and responsibility
• How support systems can determine success or relapse after release
• Why recovery doesn’t erase consequences—and why that truth matters
• How Misty turned her story into service through treatment work and advocacy

Why Listen:

• To understand how addiction can begin quietly—and escalate fast
• To hear a powerful example of accountability without self-destruction
• To learn what long-term recovery actually requires
• To be reminded that healing is possible, even after prison
• To find hope that transformation can come from the hardest places

If you or someone you love is struggling, this episode is proof that it’s never too late to ask for help—and that choosing to “leave better” can change everything.

Patrick Custer’s story is a masterclass in courage. Raised in a conservative religious home, Patrick spent his early life feeling “different” and carrying shame he couldn’t name. Addiction took hold in college, spiraling him from functioning student to around-the-clock drinking and stimulant use. At 24, a family intervention saved his life—and sobriety opened the door to years of healing, identity acceptance, and profound self-discovery.

But the greatest test came five years into recovery: a terrifying diagnosis of a brain tumor—the very fear that had haunted him since childhood. What followed was a season of surgeries, MRSA infections, life-threatening complications, and the slow loss of hope from even his closest loved ones. Yet Patrick never picked up a drink. Instead, his resilience, spiritual grounding, and community became the lifeline that pulled him through.

Today, Patrick is the creator and host of Rooted Recovery Stories and The Patrick Custer Show, using storytelling to bring hope, understanding, and compassion to those navigating trauma, addiction, and mental health battles.

You’ll Hear:
•How growing up in a conservative, Pentecostal environment shaped Patrick’s early shame and internal conflict
•Why “tomorrow” became the lie that fueled his addiction—and how he finally broke the cycle
•The powerful intervention that sent him to treatment at 24
•How ADHD shaped his recovery, his learning style, and his self-understanding
•The shocking brain tumor diagnosis that nearly took his life—and how he stayed sober through it
•Why storytelling became his greatest tool for healing and helping others

Why Listen:
•To see what it truly looks like to rebuild your identity after addiction
•To understand the emotional and neurological realities of recovery and ADHD
•To hear how someone can face their lifelong worst fear without relapsing
•To experience the power of community, metaphor, and vulnerability in long-term sobriety
•To be reminded that resilience often appears the moment we decide to show up for ourselves

This episode is a testament to what happens when honesty meets hope—and why your story, no matter how painful, might be the key to someone else’s healing.

Justin Lowry’s story is a wild ride through chaos, collapse, and ultimately, radical redemption. Starting drugs at age 12, Justin’s life spiraled through addiction, business success, bankruptcy, and homelessness—until a near-death hospital stay and jail time forced him to face the truth: he was the problem.

Now sober and thriving, Justin has turned his pain into purpose through Smiles for Recovery, a nonprofit providing free dental implants for people in recovery. What began as a small idea in a borrowed dental chair has become a $6.5M movement that restores not just teeth, but dignity, confidence, and hope.

You’ll Hear:

• How Justin’s childhood chaos and family addiction shaped his early years
• The collapse of his multimillion-dollar business and his spiral into cocaine use
• The jail stay and suicide attempt that became his turning point
• How one mentor and a doctor’s faith gave him a second chance
• The creation of Smiles for Recovery and the miraculous 98% sobriety success rate among patients
• Why restoring a smile can be the most powerful act of recovery

Why Listen:

• To witness one man’s transformation from destruction to service
• To understand how trauma and addiction freeze emotional growth—and how healing restarts it
• To see how one small act of compassion can ripple into life-changing impact
• To be reminded that purpose, not perfection, is what sustains recovery

Former NFL linebacker Ryan Fowler opens up about the hidden world of pain, pressure, and performance inside professional football—and how it led to years of addiction. From Vicodin on the sidelines to a staff member supplying players in the locker room, Fowler shares how the drive to be perfect, strong, and “capable” nearly cost him everything.

Now in recovery, Ryan talks about rebuilding his life, mending relationships, and finding peace in simply being enough. His story is one of brutal honesty, resilience, and redemption—showing that recovery isn’t just about quitting substances, but reclaiming your sense of worth.

You’ll Hear:

• What life in the NFL was really like behind the scenes — and how painkillers became part of the game
• How Fowler’s need for validation and perfection fueled his addiction
• The shocking locker-room system that supplied drugs to players
• His descent into Adderall and Kratom dependency after football
• The breaking point that led him to call for help—and what recovery looks like today
• Why his biggest victory came after the game

Why Listen:

• To understand the hidden link between performance, pain, and addiction
• To hear a rare, first-person account of NFL culture and mental health
• To be reminded that redemption is possible, no matter how far you fall
• To find hope and practical insight for your own recovery—or someone you love