258 Odyssey House Journals - Kelli258 Odyssey House Journals - Kelli
Odyssey House Journals
Kelli recounts how prescription pills, heroin, and meth shaped about 22 years of her life, from five felonies and repeated jail time to relapse after eight years clean. She describes why entering Odyssey House finally feels different and shares thoughts for families living with a loved one’s addiction.
30:00•21 Aug 2026
From Five Felonies to Fresh Hope: Kelli’s 22-Year Battle With Hardcore Use
Episode Overview
- Early access to prescription pain medication and workplace opportunity can rapidly fuel addiction.
- Drug court and jail alone did not stop Kelli’s use; she needed a different approach and was not ready at the time.
- Relapse can happen quickly even after many sober years, especially when prescribed addictive medication.
- Long-term programmes like Odyssey House focus on behaviour, boundaries, and life skills alongside abstinence.
- People in active addiction may still love their families deeply but are very sick, not heartless, and may need time and support to change.
“I wanted to get sober. I just couldn’t figure out how.”
Get ready to be moved by real-life accounts of addiction and hard-won change as Kelli shares more than two decades tied to hardcore drug use and her slow path towards a different life. This episode of Odyssey House Journals keeps things candid and unfiltered, making it easy to relate if you've ever felt stuck in a self-destructive loop.
Kelli explains how her use began at 19, swiping pain pills from the dentist’s office where she worked and forging prescriptions: three felonies came “right off the bat”, quickly followed by two more. Drug court, repeated jail stays, and residential treatment all feature in her story, but she admits, “I wanted to get sober.
I just couldn’t figure out how.” Even after eight years clean, a prescription for Percocet pulled her straight back, and she was injecting heroin and smoking meth within days. Hosts Randall Carlisle and clinical therapist Jackie Buckman keep the tone direct but humane, mixing dark humour with genuine care. Randall compares his own alcohol history, while Jackie talks about relapses in her own recovery, adding a sense of shared experience rather than judgement.
The emotional core of the episode comes when Kelli describes using “hardcore” for roughly 22 years, losing her son, wrecking relationships, and believing death would be a relief for everyone. Yet her turning point arrives through outreach workers and a decision to enter Odyssey House, a long-term programme she once resisted.
Now, she says, “I just never, ever, ever, ever want to have to put a needle in my arm ever again,” and talks about learning boundaries, communication, and basic adult skills at 47. If you’re wondering whether change is possible after years of chaos, or if someone you love seems beyond reach, Kelli’s story might challenge that idea and give you something to think about today.
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