267 Odyssey House Journals - Selwyn267 Odyssey House Journals - Selwyn
Odyssey House Journals
Selwyn shares how alcohol, meth and anger led to federal indictments on his reservation, and why he chose treatment at Odyssey House after repeated setbacks. He talks about Native pride, acts of service, and his commitment to staying sober so his young son knows a different version of him.
29:47•23 Oct 2026
Selwyn’s Story: From Anger and Alcohol to a Kinder, Sober Life
Episode Overview
- Pride and shame can make asking for help far harder than facing legal consequences.
- Alcohol and anger can be tightly linked, leading to blackouts, violence and repeated arrests.
- Structured programmes that emphasise accountability, boundaries and service can support long-term change.
- Helping others in recovery is described as a way to stay out of your own head and strengthen your own sobriety.
- Choosing an environment that supports recovery, even if it means not returning home, can be crucial for staying sober.
“My pride took more power over asking for help… I don’t really got this.”
Get ready to be moved by real-life accounts of how addiction can collide with identity, culture, and family. This conversation centres on Selwyn, a member of the Yuma Island Ute tribe from Colorado, who talks openly about alcohol, meth, and the anger that followed him into federal courtrooms and reservation jails. You’ll hear how a man described by everyone as “kind” and “gentle” once lived a very different life: blackouts, federal indictments, and waking up in police cars.
Selwyn explains that alcohol and anger were tightly linked for him, especially on a dry reservation where every can or bottle counts as a separate charge, while a liquor store sits just beyond tribal boundaries. Proud of his Native heritage, Selwyn shares what it meant to sing at Ute Heritage Day during a University of Utah football game and to feel genuinely supported away from home.
He contrasts the spiritual grounding he found at Natsu Warrior Spirit with the structure, accountability and boundaries he’s now embracing at Odyssey House. As he puts it, he’s learning to see “acts of service” as a good thing: “By helping a person helps me.” Host Randall Carlisle and guest co-host Nicole Slack, both in recovery themselves, keep things honest and down-to-earth.
Nicole recalls first speaking to Selwyn on the phone and being struck by how much he cared about his family and his young son. Now, Selwyn focuses on making sure his two-year-old “will only know [him] as a sober Selwyn,” and he’s clear that returning to the reservation wouldn’t support his recovery right now. If you’re wrestling with pride, shame, or the fear of asking for help, Selwyn’s honesty about failing, trying again, and slowly rebuilding trust might hit home.
What choices today could help the people you love know a different version of you tomorrow?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.