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The Road To Recovery in America

May 13, 202541 min
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Episode description

According to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics roughly over 96K people die every year due to a drug overdose. With that, opioids are a factor in 7 out of every 10 overdose deaths. Drug trafficking and drug addiction has been a constant battle in nearly every corner of the U.S. What is being done to crack down on drug trafficking and help drug afflicted citizens on the road of recovery? Are we doing enough? Adam Vibe Gunton is a recovered drug addict, overdose survivor, TED Talk speaker, and founder of Recovered On Purpose and Behavioral Health Partners who joined us to talk about how America can “recover” from the opioid epidemic!

Listen to WBZ NewsRadio on the NEW iHeart Radio app and be sure to set WBZ NewsRadio as your #1 preset!

Transcript

Speaker 1

He's a nice side with Dan Ray. I'm Wbzy Costin's Radio.

Speaker 2

In addition, a big injury to Jason Tatum. Looks as if he has heard badly hurt his right ankle. Just saw some video of him being in a wheelchair being taken from the from the arena. That is not a good look, that is for sure. Well, that is not what we're here to talk about. It's been a tough night for the Red Sox and it looks like also a tough night for the Celtics in New York. They

go down three to one. But we'll we'll move on to our next guest tonight, which is much more important on my agenda, and we're talking about the road to recovery in America. Last Thursday night, we had a very interesting guest during the eight o'clock hour. He's back with us. His name is Adam Vibe Gunton. He's a recovered drug addict attic, an overdose survivor, TED talk speaker, and founder of Recovered on Purpose and Behavioral Health Partners. Adam, welcome

back to Night's that. I really enjoyed our conversation last week on Thursday, and I'm looking forward to giving folks an opportunity to share some of their experiences and ask questions of you tonight.

Speaker 3

Welcome back, Thanks so much for having me, Dan, and I just have this sense that there's someone out there that is going to hear something that is going to change their life tonight.

Speaker 2

I'm convinced of it, to be really honest with you, and it happens. Happens in radio quite a bit. So look, I want to recreate your story for those who missed your story last Thursday night. We were one of our eight o'clock guests. So I was surprised and it was ironic. You went to Columbine High School. And the other night I asked you that Columbine High School and you said, yeah, the shooting at Columbine High School I heard in nineteen ninety nine. You were not there at the time. You

you went to Columbine after this horrific shooting. Correct.

Speaker 3

Correct, I was at Colmine Hills Elementary. I was the first class that came in when the freshmen that were there had graduated.

Speaker 2

Okay, so you graduated from Columbine High School and I know you told me you played football. You was it twenty ten that you graduated I'm trying to remember from just our conversation.

Speaker 3

Thousand and six, two seven, two thousand six is my senior year football.

Speaker 2

Okay, two thousand and seven, Okay, so you therefore, I'm assuming we're born sometime in the late eighties. So you got out of there as most kids as a senior. You probably were eighteen years old when you graduated from Colln.

Speaker 3

High School, and I round up. I round up to the nineties, even though it was the late eighties.

Speaker 2

Okay, fair enough, Okay, that's good enough. Yeah, you don't remember much of the of the eighties. I get that. I totally get that, all right, So what did you do after high school? Did you go off to college? Did you continue your education? What? What? What? What? What? Where? Did life take you beginning in about the spring of two thousand and seven.

Speaker 3

Yeah, I went up to college. I don't know if I really had a path in mind, except it was what everybody told me I was supposed to do. I wrote a really, really good paper for my English class about legalizing marijuana and got to got an A in that class and didn't have to do any more assignments. But I was mostly partying and didn't really have a career path in mind, and had a traumatic event happened my freshman year that kind of took me out.

Speaker 2

Okay, So you're having a good time as a senior in high school and you went off to college in Colorado, I assume, or somewhere.

Speaker 3

Else University of Northern Colorado.

Speaker 2

University of Northern Colorado, and it's party time. And at that point, I assume, even though you're, you know, eighteen going on nineteen years old, the hardest stuff you have a dealt with was marijuana or some beer an alcohol.

Speaker 3

I assume, Well, I was actually introduced to cocaine at twelve years old, and that's why I try to pass the message out that have the conversation with your kids early. Wow, and earlier than you think.

Speaker 2

How will you introduce to cocaine at twelve? I mean, will you hanging with a fast crowd? Do you have an older sibling who said, hey, try this stuff.

Speaker 3

An older influence.

Speaker 2

I'll say that, you know, by the way, we don't have to name names or anything like that. You know, I'm I'm just trying to understand, and I understand that. I respect that, So I understand the story. Okay, So you go off as a college freshman. There were a lot of college freshmen in that era who would have been familiar with cocaine or marijuana whatever, it's okay. When did the slide you said that there was an int or an accident? When did the slide towards even tougher

drugs hearted drugs start to occur? And was there an incident that that puts you on that path?

Speaker 3

Yeah? Actually, my freshman year, I had now drinking and partying all night like I did most nights, and I woke up to my phone ringing and vibrating down by my leg, and I swam through the sheets to find my hard phone with the bright screen that read four forty seven AM. And my best friend Chucker was calling me. Now, I remember having the choice that I could either answer the phone like I always do it, Hey, what's up Chuck? Or I could answer the way I was feeling was hello,

and am I still drunk and state? I chose the latter. Twitch A soft voice replied, Hey, what's up? Why are you calling you this late? I was just calling to say Hi, don't call me this late again. And I hung up on him, and he shot himself and within a week of that happening. I was introduced to oxycont so and that was the thing that you.

Speaker 2

Felt responsible for your friend's suicide.

Speaker 3

Absolutely and for ten years.

Speaker 2

Why did you feel responsible? I you know, again, I'm not trying to pry, but why would you not say this guy, you know, it wasn't like he said to if you don't talk to me, I'm going to kill myself. He just he apparently needed to talk to you. You were not in a condition where you could really have a conversation. Why did you take that burden on yourself?

Speaker 3

You know, because I was young and I'd never been taught about it. And the thing is that if you don't know about tough communication, you know, I've done a bunch of communication courses at this point, so to learn how to have those hard conversations and learn how to, you know, take responsibility for your own actions, your own words, and then also let people take responsibility for theirs. But at the time, I'm eighteen nineteen years old, I didn't understand.

All I can do is take everything personally, okay, yeah, And I had to bottle it down and I couldn't tell anybody about it.

Speaker 2

So then you slid right to OxyContin to basically suppress the pain that you felt, the guilt that you felt.

Speaker 3

I guess everything was partying until that moment, and after that moment, I was consciously using drugs and alcohol to mask the way that I felt.

Speaker 2

Okay, how long did you stay in school or were you doomed to drop out?

Speaker 3

Pretty quickly, very quickly, very quickly.

Speaker 2

Okay, So then you're in a kind of a spiral here. This is still twenty or so years ago, but you're in a downward spiral. And you told me last week that at one point you were living in an unheated house with six other addicts in Billings, Montana, in the

winter time. When we get back, I want to know how you ended up there, and then I want to start talking about your recovery, how you were able to somehow get the monkey off you're back, and what you've done and what you're trying to do with other people. And I hope you don't feel on being tough on you, but I just wanted to get the story out a little bit more slowly than we got it out the other night, so that everybody could understand that this is

not something that happened you overnight. Obviously, there's a sequence of events, one leading to the other, and then ultimately now you find yourself in buildings Montana, living in an unheeded home with six other addicts. That must have been an experience. And we'll talk about that, and then we'll talk about your own personal recovery, and we'll talk about what you're trying to do for other people. My guest

is an amazing young guy, Adam Vibe Gunton. I can't tell you how much I respect people who overcome this. I've had friends, close friends who have overcome heroin. H There's there's that. The paths are there. People find the path finds them or they find the path and they're they're good people. And sometimes people don't don't find the help that they need.

Speaker 3

Uh.

Speaker 2

And that's what hopefully we can do Tonight. We'll be back on night Side. If you like to join the conversation at any point, you know the numbers. We'll be back on Nightside right after this.

Speaker 1

Night Side with Dan Ray Boston's News Radio. You're on Night Side with Dan Ray on Boston's News Radio.

Speaker 2

My guest is Adam by Gunton. The organization that he has founded Recovered on Purpose and also behavioral health partners. So Adam, we're talking about a you know, high school kid who maybe drabbled a little bit in this and that goes off to call en parties hardy and then is adversely impacted by a friend who calls him at four forty seven in the morning, and not much of a conversation. Your friend hangs up and kills himself, and that puts you on a downward spiral. So I'm guessing

this is sometime now in two thousand and six. If you're a freshman at the University of Northern Colorado, how long did it take you to hit rock bottom from two thousand and six?

Speaker 3

You know, rock bottom is such an interesting concept because I can tell you about different rock bottoms throughout my addiction. Okay, by twenty thirteen, I was in an apartment alone trying to write my own suicide letter. But it got worse from there, and I thought it was rock bottom when

I was, you know, right in that suicide letter. And then I thought it was rock bottom three and a half years later, when I was in a homeless shelter looking around at the other men on cots and trying to say a prayer, and then they got kicked out of the homeless shelter, So my rock bottom it didn't exist until you can't.

Speaker 2

It sounds like to me, you're finding new rock bottoms as you're going, as you're bouncing along here. So now you're in buildings Montana in the middle of winter, which is a cold part of the world. Uh, and you're living in an unheated home. How did you find this group of fellow drug addicts? Is this the sort of thing that people who find themselves out in horrific circumstances can kind of almost sense that there are other people around them who they can affiliate with or.

Speaker 3

How does that work? Yeah, I mean when you're looking for drugs, you find the people with them, and then you don't want to be alone. You hang out with them and use drugs. And that house had no electricity, no running water, and during the winter we actually had a metal trash can in the middle of the living room that we had a fire.

Speaker 2

In inside the house to save the house. This is what year now, we're talking roughly two thousand and one.

Speaker 3

Two and sixteen seventeen.

Speaker 2

Okay, so you spent ten years on this downward spiral. Did you lose contact with your family members.

Speaker 3

When I was homeless. Yes, I actually remembered throwing my phone out the window of a car because I didn't want them to be able to contact me, because I didn't want them to watch me die. Because at this time, I didn't think I was going to be able to stop. I'd been trying basically this entire time for eight years, going to meetings or church or all kinds of different places, trying to stop, and I just couldn't. So I felt so powerless. I didn't want them to watch it anymore.

Speaker 2

So you periodically been in touch with them? Did you get a chance during that period of time to see them or were you always away?

Speaker 3

Well during my addiction, I mean they wasn't. I was high functioning. I was making six figures as a salesperson. It was just all going into my arm. I was able to have corporate housing all over the country. Yeah, it was. It was only the last about year, year and a half of my addiction where I had nothing.

Speaker 2

You had nothing, Okay, So what happened in that house in Montana or in Billings, Montana that somehow allowed you to separate from this lifestyle?

Speaker 3

Well, after trying for months going to twelve Step meetings every day, church every Saturday and Sunday, Bible study every Tuesday. I even went to the local mmagent thinking they might be able to beat recovery into me, but nothing was working. And one night before Bible study, I was sitting in this car that this girl let me borrow. It wasn't stolen, but I did have to start it with a screwdriver

for some reason. But I was sitting in this car before Bible study, and I had a realization that I had literally tried everything on the planet within my power to stop, and I still couldn't. And I sat back in that seat and I audibly said to God, I'm done. I'm not going to church, I'm not going to Bible studies, I'm not going to meetings or probation officer anymore. Please

just let me die. And for the first time I said that was such conviction and honesty that I feel like He knew that it was time that I was ready to give my life fully up to him. And at the time I didn't realize that, but I heard this whisper in my heart that you know that whisper when you hear it, and it said it's time go. And at that point, you know, you would think you get super excited, like, oh my gosh, I'm going to recover.

But I got angry at first, because what's different about this time than all the times that I've dumped my dope in the toilet at night saying I'm never going to use again? And then I wake up in the morning and I pawn my TV to go pick up What's different about this time? And I'm screaming and I'm crying in this car and I'm hitting the steering wheel and the roof, and what's different about this time? God,

please just let me die? And I'm crying. And then after a couple of minutes, I'm calming down and I'm breathing heavy, and then that whisper in my heart just repeats himself, and he said, it's time go. I don't know how to explain it, but I got this sense of willingness that I had never had before, because up to that point, my entire plan had been so tightly in my grasp. I was scheduling my meetings. I was scheduling church and Bible studies and NMA jims and probation

officers and mentors and all this stuff. My recovery was so tightly in my grasp that I could never actually attain it. And this oment, what I was doing was giving it all up, like God, whatever you say I need to do, I'm willing to do. And I go to the Bible study I bust in. I'm twelve fifteen minutes late, and there's there's there in the middle of prayer and I interrupt him and I dropped down with my hands in the air and I'm I'm like, guys, I can't stop. I used again, please help me, Please

help me. And I'm this one hundred and forty eight pound mess crying that hasn't showered. And those guys loved me as if I was Jesus, as if they were supposed to, and they walked me through it. They prayed for me at the end, and you know that was that was what it took.

Speaker 2

So in effect, yeah, in effect, I'm going to use the phrase here that that probably you're gonna reject, but in effect, your spirit broke and you basically kind of surrendered and said, okay, you know, I'm I can't do it alone. It's up to you. I think that's what you're what I'm hearing you say.

Speaker 3

I have never heard somebody say that, Dan, and that is exactly what it was. My human spirit had completely broke, okay, and the only one that was going to be able to help me was God's spirit.

Speaker 2

Okay, I'm not the smartest guy in the world, but I could hear it in your voice. Yeah, I really could. I've had friends who have reached that point, and so I've heard that. I've heard that plea before. So you start, how do you start? What's the first step? And we got a couple of minutes here before the break, and I want to continue the story on the other side of the newscast. But so now, okay, they're going to help you. Was the first step just to take a

shower and get yourself physically clean? What was the first step you did? I'm serious when I get that. I mean you didn't go to sleep that night.

Speaker 3

I'm sure, Yeah, I mean it was. It was such a process. And the person who was leading that Bible study, Brendan, he's my best friend still and he you know, even up to that point, he was picking me up and taking me to coffee or breakfast or church or Bible study because I wouldn't have a ride, and you know he he would just continue to do that. Five days later, you know, I'm still out there trying to stay clean.

But five days later, he picks me up and takes me to I Hop for breakfast, and I haven't used so I'm super excited to have five days. And I'm sitting there across from him and talking to him, excited, and I get this text message on my phone and it's from my dope dealer, and he was like, Hey, I just got some new stuff. It's fire. I'll give you a free twenty to try out. And right when I read it, I feel something going through the top of my head all the way through my body. My

toes were tingling, my fingers were tingling. I lost my peripheral vision. All I could see was the phone, and then my thumbs just started texting back and it was in like King James. It was like, ye shall not text me again, texted me for the last time.

Speaker 2

Oh.

Speaker 3

And then when I finished the text, I feel that thing leave me go through my legs all the way up out of my head. And then I read it because I couldn't even read it. As I was writing it, I was like, what the heck? And I showed it to Brendan. I was like, dude, that wasn't me. I don't know what that was. I don't know who that was. He's like, okay, I pushed send, I close it. I'm putting it in my pocket, looking down in my pocket, and then I look back up and Jesus is sitting

across from me. The entire restaurant completely disappeared. It was like I was in a trance. There was a glow coming from behind him. He was smiling at me. I immediately knew who it was. Immediately knew it was happening. Felt my face to the table, my hand up, I said, thank you God, Thank you God, thank you. Gus came back up and he was gone, and I'm I'm of the faith. I believe in instant healing. I believe in instant cheering, and he could take away all my cravings,

on my withdrawals, everything in an instant. That didn't happen for me, And thank god it didn't, because for the the next three weeks, I'm shaking, I'm craving every day, I'm withdrawing. I'm sick. I'm sick. And the only time

I would get relief. Was when I was sitting down with somebody that was sponsoring me through a twelve step program, or when I was sitting down and I was writing out my inventory and I finished my fourth step and I did my fifth step on day twenty five, was my first ever one, and the same sponsor was picking me up from the Sober living house every morning at

six thirty am. Then on day twenty six, after my fifth step, he came and picked me up in his nineteen eighty three mailman jeep, and we were driving to this movie theater that he managed where we did the work in the basement, and I was looking over at this beautiful sunrise and for the first time since I was twelve years old, I had no desire to drink

or use. And as I'm telling you this, I have chills all over my arms because I remember that moment when everything changed, as if my life had no hope to own my gosh, I don't want to use, and anyone out there struggling, it's real. I didn't believe it.

Speaker 2

I'll tell you it's inspirational story, Adam, and you lived it and you're able to tell it. And I had the same sense listening to you that I think you're you have a sense. So we're going to take a break. We got to do a newscast here. If we had scripted this, we couldn't have timed it out better. Uh So take a break, tape it, take a deep breath. I want to talk about your recovery and what you do for other people, and if anyone would like to join the conversation. Six one, seven, two, five, four ten

thirty six one seven, nine three ten thirty. You've just heard an amazing story. But I'm a pretty good judge of credibility. That's what I've done for a living. And this is the real This guy is the real deal. Uh And I was impressed with him the other night. I'm now overly impressed with him. Now. I've never been where he was, but we all in our lives had those moments. And that was a moment that this man just described for us, pretty raw, but pretty real. Adam

Vibe Gunton recovered on purpose Behavioral Health Partners. We'll be back right after the these the newscast. I feel the same thing he feels right now. I'm telling you, right now, there's something I hope some of you understand that this this is something that is to me amazing, but it's amazing and it's amazingly real and it can happen. Back after this on Night.

Speaker 3

Side, It's Night Side.

Speaker 1

Boston's News Radio. It's Night Side with Boston's News Radio.

Speaker 2

Back with my guest, Adam Vibe Gunton. He's recovered. He's told his story of sliding into deep deep addiction, his

organizations that he's recovered, Recovered on Purpose, and Behavioral Health Partners. Adam, I don't know anything else that we need to tell in your story, but I think I want to go to phone callers and let them comment and ask questions, and then at the end, I want to make sure that we give people contact information as to how they can reach out to Recovered on Purpose or Behavioral Health Partners.

Where are you physically located these days? Do you have a a place that you call home at this point?

Speaker 3

Yeah? And it's even heat too.

Speaker 2

That's good, Okay. I like that you know where where's Where's where's your organization headquartered.

Speaker 3

Or in Denver, Colorado? Recovered on Purpose? Both of them are national, although.

Speaker 2

Right, yeah, that's fine, yeah, okay, So you serve and can help people anywhere they can be in contact. I assume yes, and you have resources, we'll talk about those, but I want to get to some callers, okay, So let's do that first, and then we'll talk about the resources that are available on how people can contact. They go to Will in Long Island, New York. Will you are next on Nice that with Adam Vibe going to GARRETA and.

Speaker 4

Will Hey, Dan, Hey, Adam. Listener's great to hear your story. And you know, I never shy away really from talking about my story. I mean I might have mentioned it to Dan over the years, but you know that's not me talk about on the radio really, but you know you do maybe, but in July, I'll be sober seventeen years right, and and for the people that are out there that are listening, which is why I don't shy I own a business in my community, I'm not afraid

to talk about I don't just advertise it. You know. Obviously I wouldn't break anyone else's annybody, But as far as my own, I'm not ashamed to talk about it because you never know who needs to hear it. I'm not running around telling everybody I ever met, obviously, but when it does come across. It needs to be mentioned. You know, I won't be afraid to say something.

Speaker 2

Will was your drug of choice alcohol.

Speaker 4

I am what they call a garbage head. I remember when I called, when I called the when I called, like I tried many times to get sober for many years. I'm a very dan. I know you talk to me now and I sound somewhat like a normal human being. And I paid, well, let's not go that.

Speaker 2

Far, Will, Let's come on. I know you too well. I'm only kid. Go ahead, you're one of my best callers, you know that. Go ahead.

Speaker 3

But I was.

Speaker 4

I was a pretty low bottom person and i've and I used a lot of heavy drugs also, right, So I remember when I called the hotline the last time when I got sober, and I said, you know, I said, uh, you know, I I'm I'm smoking drugs and doing this. And he goes, well, how much do you drink? I said, who cares how much I drink? I just told you I'm doing all these hard, you know drugs, you know what I mean. And he goes, well, how much do you drink? I goes much as the next guy. He goes, well,

how much is that? I go I don't know, like a quarter or a leader of about the day. He goes, you're an alcoholic, I said, Alcoholics push shopping carts full of cans. Okay, I have a job and this, and you know, if I show up and then I just never really equated that the alcohol right and in my mind, I'm Irish. I would have to turn in my Irish card if I couldn't drink. And I said, just stop me from doing the heavy drugs, you know, the dope, the coke, the crack that. So just stop me with that.

Don't worry about how much I drink.

Speaker 2

So you were sort of the You were what I call a five tool attic, mean, you could do it all.

Speaker 4

It's like, yeah, when you watch Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, I was like that guy, you know what I mean, Like I liked everything. But I'll say this, he mentioned something really important in my mind, like the spiritual aspect, the God thing. I never really got sober till I realized that I needed to rely on God. No matter how many times I tried, there was something

always missing. And I know a lot of people in recovery, thousands over the years, and the ones that eventually, you know, wind up becoming old timers, meaning don't drink and don't die. They always have some spiritual foundation that's something greater than themselves, their religion, their God, whatever it is. There's a purpose, right, there's a reason. I remember when I prayed, I didn't even I finally was so beaten that I didn't even pray, Like I didn't want to pray for anything. I said.

I would just say every day the same friend, God, just don't let me drink today. God just don't let me drink today. They said, I just want one thing I don't want. Don't worry about the business.

Speaker 2

Let me get in here. I want to get Adam to react to well, pretty much everything you said. Adam, let's get your analysis here of someone who walked a similar path.

Speaker 3

Yeah, it sounds like him and I have the same kind of thing. And I learned that it's not about the substance. It's not about the alcohol or the drugs. It's about what happens to me and when I don't have those things in my system. And the only solution for someone like me is that spiritual solution. Because my mental state, in my emotional state, when I'm not on drugs and alcohol, is restless, is irritable. I'm feeling just

not okay. And what I didn't realize that whole time is that drugs and alcohol were my solution, and then when they stopped working, I had to find something that worked a way to live, that solved my problems, and that was a reliance upon God. But a reliance upon God has a responsibility attached to it, and that's to serve God's people. That's what I learned, and I've been able to do say incredible things in my recovery, publish a book and do ted talks and travel and all

this kind of stuff. I would give it all back if it meant I couldn't help addicts.

Speaker 2

You know, I just want to go back to your your your experience where everybody in McDonald's disappeared and you're looking at the face of Jesus. You're convinced that was Jesus. You're convinced that this wasn't a hallucination, right, but no doubt.

Speaker 3

And the reason the reason I know that is because my entire life changed.

Speaker 2

Well can you will? Can you You maybe never had that experience, will, But as somebody who was in a similarly situated. Can you identify with that experience?

Speaker 4

I know for a fact that I can. My I didn't have the face of Jesus, but I will never forget the moment, almost like an exorcism happened right and I didn't know that that was the moment I was going to get sober. I just knew that that was the moment that I was broken enough. And it was literally like God whispered into my ear. And I'll never forget how my box. It was a spiritual awakening. And trust me, the last time I got over, the one

that lasted the whole time in seventeen years. All the other times before that, I never, I guess, really got over, but all the time that I had put together between that, there was something different about this one. Because I was so sick for so long, I didn't get better right away. There were other times in the past where I quit, where the shakes and the detox and everything was so much easier, and somehow yet I still picked up. This was so awful, and the mental addiction was so strong.

For so long, I would gag, I would shake weeks after I got so months, I would take a shower like I was getting ready to go out to the bar to go to a meeting, and I would start calling like ooh and almost vomit because of the anxiety of wanting to use And even though I was going to the meetings and doing the program and calling my sponsor and doing all these things, and it was literally like God tied my hands behind my back and wouldn't

let me drink even if I wanted to. It was because I finally had praised so much for one thing and one thing only that it was like I was spiritually bound and I'll just never forget the moment. And it wound up looking back now in retrospect seventeen years that that epiphany moment was. You know, today I look at it like I'm part of the no matter what club, you know, no matter how my life goes, no matter what I don't drink, no matter what, and all right, well within that, but.

Speaker 2

Just that real thank you for your call. You reinforced I think exactly what.

Speaker 4

Was a great caller and a good show tonight.

Speaker 2

Thanks Will. I appreciate you.

Speaker 3

Thank you, Will. You're off, Thank you man.

Speaker 2

You well, we'll talk soon. Will is one of my best callers. We fight, we agree we disagreed.

Speaker 3

He's a fun caller.

Speaker 2

We are going to be back with Adam Vibe Gunton. I'm going to try to move everybody a little bit more quickly. I want to get a bunch of calls in here if you want to try, six one, seven, two thirty, six, seven thirty. Coming right back on Nightside.

Speaker 1

Night Side with Dan Ray on WBZ, Boston's news radio. It's night Side with Dan Ray on Boston's news Radio.

Speaker 2

My guest is Adam Vibe Clinton. He's recovering alcoholic and drug user, heavy duty drug user. An amazing story his the groups he's he's founded were covered on Purpose and behavioral health Partners. We'll get all that information for you, but I want to give the folks who have called in real quickly an opportunity. Tom had found with Tom down on the Cape. You're next on Nightside, Say had to Adam Vibe Gunton. What's your question or comment? Tom?

Speaker 5

He Adam, I want to congratulate you in your sobriety. It's very hard for people to do it on their own. I know you had some support, but I wanted to call up Dan for to tell you about the program. We're not sure if you'll ware in Massachusetts. It's one of the only US and four are the only states that provided is Section thirty five. And that's for the family members out there listening that may have children, our spouses or parents that have alcohol or drug problems that

they can go to the courts file a petition. It's called a Section thirty five and the police. The judge will have the police go out pick them up, get them a drug test to make sure they have an issue, and then they will section them forty five to ninety days. They get them sober mental health and they have to take two hundred hours of classes on sobriety.

Speaker 2

Yeah, Tom, I appreciate that, I really do. And if you want to send me some information and I'd be more than happy to do something some night on that. But I I don't want to detract from what Adam is talking about tonight.

Speaker 5

I get it. I just thought that maybe some family members are listening because I know there's nothing that can This is great for the person that ads out.

Speaker 2

Yeah, do be a favorite. Just hang on, hang on, and Noel will give you my direct phone number and also my email address, and you can just fold that I'm unfamiliar with what you're talking about. So I'm not I know what you're talking about exists, but it's it's it's a little more complicated than that because you got to get a court order and all of that. So but but hang on and feel free. You reach out to me during the during the day, any day, and

I'll see what I'll get back to that promise. Okay, all right, all right, no, give him my contact info. Let me go next to No, you got to take him down there and go okay, let's go to Jason and Walfam. Jason, you were next on nice at with Adam Vibe Goods and go right ahead.

Speaker 6

Then then thank you for having me and Adam. We say in the AA, thank you for sharing and thank you for hosting. Audition is very serious. I'm a I'm a recovery addict too, but my drag was chosen was alcohol. And then, like I was talking to the sheriffs, I'm going to start working with enough folk Sheriff's department trying to offer some help to those inmates.

Speaker 2

I'm glad that that is. I'm glad that that has worked out for you. Jason was on the phone with one of the sheriffs here in Massachusetts last week and we put them in contact and Jason, I think had spent a little time, a little bit of time and stirre at some point you told me, correct, Jason.

Speaker 6

Yes, but I didn't know. I didn't know how to ask for help. Yeah, it was just a culture thing. So I've been going to AA so so. But at last my last drunk in the AA, they said the last something called the last drunk, the last episode you had. Mine was when I went to Ohio to buy a Chess Bank building. I didn't get in touch with the rics. I ended up for a strip club. I drunk so

much I don't know how the road. I ended up in a Chick fil a black that I went to jail and I drove back to my sischusters the following they that was my last drunk.

Speaker 3

That's what.

Speaker 6

That's when it clicked, like, you know what, I need to get this stuff together because I got a family, so like soberness is between life and death. So ever, since I been in AA, there's a saying a forever saying like whatever you put before your sobriety is going to fall apart. And I'm pretty sure, Adam, until you started pulling your sobriety.

Speaker 3

First, you didn't find.

Speaker 6

The sex siss the sex sss that you have right now, right, and also another saying that saying, Hey, when I was when I was drinking, I wasn't a growing up. I was just I just I just got taller.

Speaker 3

I was still a kid. I was I was still a boy.

Speaker 6

I just got I just got taller. And you know what I mean.

Speaker 3

So I didn't. I was still a kid until I got so bad.

Speaker 6

That's when I became a man because everything else was about drinking. So I don't want to take out too much time, but I just wanted to share that and Adam, thank you for sharing.

Speaker 2

Thank you Jason as well. Appreciate it and keep me posted on your work with the so Okay, I'm delighted to have been able to get you in touch with him. Thank you, my friend.

Speaker 3

Thank you. Yeah, And if I can touch on that day Jason said, is so true. You know, I have a a program that I work and constantly in contact with God. And the interesting thing is that now whenever I'm having quote unquote a bad mental health day, right, I actually have have a solution for that because my program, my relationship with God comes first, and if it didn't, then during the hard times I wouldn't know what to do and I wouldn't be able to make it to

the good times. So one hundred percent what Jason said is true.

Speaker 2

Absolutely, let me get one more call in before we got to end our hour, which has been a great hour. Nathan from Quincy. Nathan, you are next on nice Ie with Adam Vibe going to Grit ahead. Nathan.

Speaker 5

Hello, So.

Speaker 7

This kind of hits home for me. My mom at you dealt with love, alcohol and like weed addictions over the years, like I've found her like passed out twice and unfortunately didn't end well because on March twenty fifth, she committed suicide.

Speaker 3

She was dealing with mental.

Speaker 7

Health issues and everything and self medicating with both weed and alcohol and went off all medications. So like I as I've gone through like first hand with somebody that's dealt with these issues.

Speaker 2

Sorry for what you went through, Nathan, And uh, there's nothing that anyone can say to to you know to deal with that pain. Any suggestions. We only have got a benny left for Nathan that you could give him. Adam, is there anything that your groups could could help him with? If you wanted to get in touch with him.

Speaker 3

Yeah, I mean, he's welcome to reach out. Adam at Recovered on Purpose dot org. And man, I lost my dad on Christmas Day of twenty twenty two, and there's you know, when I'm thinking about him, I make sure to think about it in a positive light. Remember the good time and you know, remember the good times with her. She loved you very much, and this disease doesn't take away our heart further. People that we love.

Speaker 2

Nathan, I hope that hopes. Thank you so much for calling and I wish I'd gotten to you earlier, could have given you more time. Thank you call anytime. Okay, thanks Nathan again. The way, folks, you can, you can check out Recovered on purpose dot org. You can go there directly if you want to email Adam Adam at Recovered on purpose dot org. Adam, your presentations and I exceeded my expectations. I had pretty high expectations. But we will. We will play this hour again on Best of Night's side.

My intention would be to play at this Sunday night at eleven o'clock on WBZ as well, so people who missed it tonight I will have a chance to hear it then. Thank you so much. I'd love to keep in touch with you man, because other people you can help and have you back periodically. Thank you so much for what you went through. Would you have overcome? Okay?

Speaker 3

Yeah, thank you Dan.

Speaker 2

What did you say about email? I'm sorry you wanted to.

Speaker 3

Oh yeah, saying you have my email? Also, would love to hear from you too. I think this is this is awesome. You have callers that love you, community that you know is out to help people. Also, I think it's awesome that the people that called in were calling into help, not not necessarily just for help, because there's people listening right now that can't reach out yet, and your callers wanted to call in and reach them too. That's awesome.

Speaker 2

Absolutely, just great, Adam Vibe Gunton, Thank you so much. Adam. The group is recovered on purpose dot org. Thank you so much. We'll talk again. Thank you, Adam.

Speaker 3

Absolutely, thank you

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