In the last episode of our series on America’s fentanyl crisis, Matt Bair and Ryan Hedrick break down two critical issues: how fentanyl is increasingly mixed into various drugs, including counterfeit pills sold online, leading to sudden overdose deaths, and how fentanyl addiction often begins with a prescription. They discuss the deadly and hidden risks of fentanyl in the drug supply and explore the path from medical use to dependency.

Special Guest: ESPN’s Lauren Sisler

Lauren Sisler, ESPN broadcaster and former gymnast, joins to discuss her new book, Shatterproof, where she shares her personal story of resilience after losing both parents to addiction. She talks about her journey of healing, the impact of addiction, and her hope to inspire others to address mental health and addiction with compassion and strength.

Key Topics & Timestamps:

11:45 – 14:18: Lauren on courage and willingness to tell her story of losing her parents to addiction 22 years ago.

14:25 – 15:17: Lauren’s perspective on addiction and how it affected her parents, including their struggle with fentanyl addiction.

15:30 – 17:00: Insight into Lauren’s father’s job as a VA technician and the challenges he faced without any clear signs of his addiction’s severity.

17:08 – 20:03: How stigma around addiction may have stopped her parents from seeking help.

20:15 – 23:48: Writing Shatterproof as a therapeutic journey and a part of Lauren’s healing.

24:00 – 26:37: Lauren’s thoughts on discussing addiction with her son when he’s older.

27:00: Lauren’s advice for caregivers with loved ones suffering from addiction.

Resources: 

You can find us on X and Instagram: @sobriety_pod. Supporting Sobriety is also available on major podcast platforms like Spotify and Apple. Please like, subscribe, and rate our podcast! 

Guest link: About — Lauren Sisler

Al-Anon: Al-Anon.tiorg

Meetings: aa.rgroup.org/meengs

NA Meetings: virtual-na.orginte

Suicide Prevention Hotline: (800) 273-8255