About Face (Part2)

About Face (Part2)

Curious about how others turn rock bottom into something meaningful and strong? This conversation between Coach Blu Robinson and athlete Jim (also known as Athlete Copeland) picks up mid‑story and carries you through some of the hardest and most hopeful chapters of a long fight with addiction.

Jim talks frankly about two decades of daily drinking, failed marriages and chasing happiness through constant travel, only to find himself spiritually empty even after a big religious conversion and nearly four years without alcohol. As he puts it, he’d stopped drinking, but he “wasn’t healed in any sense.” What follows is raw: relapse, suicidal crisis, repeated hospital stays, and a terrifying night in a VA emergency room where buried trauma finally surfaces.

Jim describes this as being “broken open” so something new could start. His story then shifts toward connection – finding Addict II Athlete, joining group runs, raising money for a headstone, and realising how much it means when a team refuses to leave anyone behind. The episode builds to Jim’s 24‑hour ultra run in Colorado. With only a few months’ training after barely being able to climb stairs, he grinds out 66.15 miles.

Along the way, he and another runner take turns lifting each other up, a perfect picture of how recovery often works. By the end he is sobbing in a camp chair, medal in hand, realising that the “caterpillar in the cocoon” has become a different kind of man.

Jim’s message is simple but tough: “Just have faith that you can do hard things.” Hold on to the people whose energy you want in your life, be honest, and don’t quit on yourself, even when you’re dragging your feet round the course. Who are the “birds of a feather” you’re choosing to flock with today?