#120 – Adam Carroll: Addict 2 Athlete

#120 – Adam Carroll: Addict 2 Athlete

What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol and drugs after years in violent chaos? This episode follows Adam Carroll, a former drug dealer from Vancouver who now works as a sober coach, breathwork therapist, and nutritionist, sharing his journey from life‑threatening trauma to long‑term sobriety. You’ll hear Adam talk about growing up in an alcoholic family, being bullied, and finding early relief in weed and alcohol.

That “relief” quickly turned into dealing, getting kicked out of school at 14, and running drug phones while living alone as a teenager. His story includes being stabbed, holding a dying friend in his arms, and a terrifying kidnapping where he was beaten with a baseball bat, tied to a chair, and genuinely certain he was about to be killed. The turning point came after yet another fight and a night in jail on his 21st birthday.

Adam describes deciding to call his mum, flee the province, and get sober. Sobriety, though, was anything but easy: panic attacks, PTSD, suicidal depression and two suicide attempts all feature in raw detail.

At one point he remembers hearing a voice in his head say, "If you killed yourself today, you'd be killing the wrong person because you don't know who you're going to become." Adam talks honestly about early experiences with AA, why step four nearly broke him, and how finding the right sponsor made all the difference. He explains how breathwork, training, nutrition and spiritual work helped him move from post‑traumatic stress to what he calls post‑traumatic growth and purpose.

Now, through his Addict 2 Athlete approach, he combines movement, food, breathwork and routine to support others in recovery. If you’re wondering whether change is possible after serious trauma, this conversation might be the proof you need to keep going one day at a time.