259 - Odyssey House Journals - Jason259 - Odyssey House Journals - Jason
Odyssey House Journals
Jason shares his journey from foster care and college basketball success to alcohol dependence and his third attempt at recovery with Odyssey House. He talks about shame, relapse, community support and why he now chooses sobriety for himself.
30:03•28 Aug 2026
From All-American to Alcohol and Back: Jason’s Third Shot at Recovery
Episode Overview
- Community and ongoing connection after treatment are crucial to avoiding relapse.
- Internal motivation (“doing it for me”) supports longer-term sobriety more than external pressure.
- Families help most with patience, clear boundaries, and resources rather than rescuing or enabling.
- Addiction is discussed as a disease, with shame seen as a major barrier to recovery.
- Planning ahead for cravings by slowing down, calling supports and “playing the whole tape through” can prevent a return to drinking.
“Recovery is a journey that starts with you. You must choose to be sober so others will too.”
What remarkable journeys have people faced head-on against addiction? This conversation with Jason, a former college All-American basketball player, answers that in a raw and surprisingly relatable way. Jason opens by reading his own poem, written in treatment, with lines like, “Recovery is a journey that starts with you.
Jason explains how constantly moving taught him to “live in survival mode 24/7”, and how sports became his whole identity: “basketball is my mother, father, sister, brother, cousin.” After college and a stint with a Spurs D-League team, he drifted away from the game and towards alcohol, drinking to numb questions like “where did I come from, who am I?” He’s now in his third round at Odyssey House and is brutally honest about shame, relapse and why he believes “third time is a charm” – because this time he wants it for himself, not to impress anyone else.
You must choose to be sober so others will too.” It sets the tone for a half-hour chat that mixes humour, honesty and some pretty tough truths about alcohol use and identity. Host Randall Carlisle and co-host, clinical therapist Jackie Buckman, talk with Jason about growing up in foster care in Texas, being adopted into a white family in Utah, and the cultural shock that came with it.
Jason talks about losing his recovery community after previous treatment and how that isolation fed relapse. He shares practical plans: slowing down, calling mentors, getting a therapist, and “playing the whole tape through” when tempted to drink.
For families, his advice is simple but tough: “Patience… don’t enable them… be ready to catch them when they’re ready.” If you’re juggling identity, family, sport, or just trying to figure out why alcohol took centre stage, this story might make you ask: what could your “second half” of life look like without the bottle?
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