#98 – JR Weaver: The Addiction Manifesto#98 – JR Weaver: The Addiction Manifesto
Recovery Survey
J.R. Weaver shares how years of alcohol and drug addiction, prison time and loss led him to write *The Addiction Manifesto* and build the Recovery Revolution community. The conversation highlights asking for help, daily commitment to recovery, and the power of sharing stories openly to break stigma.
31:29•26 Jan 2022
From Prison Bids to The Addiction Manifesto: J.R. Weaver’s Raw Recovery Story
Episode Overview
- Early drinking and drug use can escalate over years into serious legal, financial and personal consequences.
- Trauma, grief and untreated mental health issues can intensify addiction, but they can also become catalysts for change.
- Asking for help and engaging with programmes like VA treatment and drug court can be life-saving turning points.
- Writing and self-reflection helped J.R. recognise addiction’s patterns and build a practical strategy to stay sober.
- Sharing recovery stories publicly (“recovering out loud”) can break stigma and quietly support people who are afraid to ask for help.
“I think the smartest thing I ever did was ask for help.”
Get ready to be moved by real-life accounts of someone who went from prison cells and crack houses to writing a book and mentoring others in recovery. This episode of Recovery Survey centres on J.R. Weaver, author of *The Addiction Manifesto* and creator of the Recovery Revolution Facebook community, as he talks candidly about his past and his passion for helping others break free from addiction. J.R.
walks through his early years, from first drinks at 12 to heavy drinking in the army, then on to cocaine, heroin, and multiple prison sentences. He doesn’t sugar-coat a thing – from losing jobs and housing, to a devastating pregnancy loss, to the point where he was “just praying to God not to wake me up anymore.” If you’ve ever felt stuck in shame or convinced you’re too far gone, his honesty hits hard. The turning point comes when J.R.
lands back in jail yet again and finally picks up a pen. Those 90 days behind bars become the birthplace of *The Addiction Manifesto*, as years of CBT, mindfulness and recovery work pour out onto 77 handwritten pages. For him, writing became a way to “see addiction’s game plan” and start fighting back. Host Brett Morris keeps things relaxed and funny at times, joking about J.R.
being a “low-key celebrity,” while still holding space for serious topics like stigma, criminal records, and the grind of drug court and VA treatment. Together they stress the power of “recovering out loud” – sharing stories so that people who are still struggling might feel less alone and more willing to ask for help. If you’re wondering whether recovery is worth the fight or if your past disqualifies you, this conversation might be exactly the nudge you need.
Whose life could change if you chose to speak up about your own story today?
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