193 - Vince has been to 10+ treatment centers - What will be different this time?193 - Vince has been to 10+ treatment centers - What will be different this time?
Real Recovery Talk
Vince shares how he went through more than ten treatment centres, became a father, and still kept returning to addiction. He talks frankly with Tom and Ben about ego, fear, the Florida shuffle and what he believes has to change inside for recovery to finally last.
50:17•14 Oct 2021
Ten Rehabs and a New Baby: Why Vince Says This Time Has to Be Different
Episode Overview
- External fixes like sports success, relationships or having a child do not solve the internal pain driving addiction.
- Recovery needs to be treated as a daily practice, including meetings, prayer or spirituality, and regular contact with a sponsor.
- Honesty about thoughts, cravings, fears and past behaviour is crucial; secrets and suppressed feelings often lead back to using.
- Letting go of ego, accepting responsibility and staying open‑minded about suggested recovery actions can break the cycle of repeated treatment stays.
- Focusing first on personal recovery, rather than rushing to fix jobs, relationships or image, creates a stronger base for long‑term change.
“When I had my daughter, she was born, and within 30 minutes I was getting high in the bathroom. It was almost like I loved my addiction as much as I loved my daughter.”
What makes a recovery story truly inspiring? Vince, a 25‑year‑old from Philadelphia, lays everything on the table as he talks about going to more than ten treatment centres and still finding himself back in active addiction. From being the star athlete with a “chip on his shoulder” to a young dad getting high in the hospital bathroom 30 minutes after his daughter’s birth, his story strips away any romantic ideas about willpower fixing addiction.
“It was almost like I loved my addiction as much as I loved my daughter,” he says, a line that hits hard for anyone who’s watched addiction outrun love and good intentions. Host Tom Conrad and co‑host Ben (Benjamin B.) ask direct, sometimes uncomfortable questions: Why wasn’t becoming a father enough? What kept pulling him back after jail, homelessness, overdoses and multiple rehabs?
Vince talks honestly about chasing external validation through sports, status and relationships, while ignoring the internal pain and insecurity that never went away. You’ll hear about the so‑called “Florida shuffle” of cycling through treatment, why some people get stuck on that hamster wheel, and how much of it comes down to truly wanting recovery rather than just appeasing family or the courts.
The discussion also highlights the strength of the recovery community in South Florida and how meetings, sponsorship, prayer and daily honesty can change everything—if you actually use them. Vince doesn’t pretend to have it all figured out.
He talks about fear of being judged for his past, worries about being a good father, and learning to drop the ego, stay accountable, send daily gratitude lists to his sponsor, and accept that “drugs aren’t my solution.” If you’ve watched someone go through treatment over and over—or you’ve done that yourself—this conversation may leave you asking: what really has to change on the inside for the next attempt to finally stick?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.
Related Episodes
Similar episodes from other shows in the catalogue.