Brock Armors UpBrock Armors Up
Chase The Vase
Former undercover officer Brock Bevel shares how injury, medical retirement and painkillers led to opioid addiction, and how a desperate bathroom moment sparked his long-term sobriety. He also explains how a brief chat with a young man on the streets grew into the Fentanyl Project Arizona and why ten intentional minutes with someone can matter so much.
52:18•10 Aug 2026
Armouring Up: Brock Bevel’s Battle with Opioids, Identity and Faith
Episode Overview
- Losing a work identity can be a major trigger for addiction, especially when purpose and community are tied to the job.
- Opioid dependence often grows gradually as pills are used to quiet emotional pain, not just physical pain.
- A personal turning point in recovery may come from a moment of brutal self-honesty rather than a single dramatic 'rock bottom'.
- Simple, consistent human contact—like ten focused minutes a day—can genuinely change someone’s direction.
- Building a small circle of people who truly have your best interests at heart is crucial for long-term sobriety.
“If you're an addict and you give me a shovel, I can dig as far as I need to go.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This conversation with former undercover cop and current recovery advocate Brock Bevel is raw, funny in places, and brutally honest about what addiction really looks like. You’ll hear Brock talk about how being a police officer wasn’t just a job, it was his whole identity.
He describes the buzz of undercover work, the "nitro circus" lifestyle, and how much pride he took in chasing drug dealers—before injury, surgery and opioid painkillers flipped his life upside down. When he was medically retired, the uniform, the team and the status disappeared overnight, and pills quietly stepped in to fill the gap. Brock doesn’t glamorise any of it. He explains how he became a "freaking good liar", hiding his opioid addiction from everyone, including himself.
His turning point came alone on a bathroom floor, deep in withdrawal after flushing his pills: "If you're an addict and you give me a shovel, I can dig as far as I need to go." That moment led to a desperate prayer and the start of 16 years of sobriety. The episode also shows what recovery can grow into.
Brock shares how a simple 10-minute chat with a young man outside a church sparked the Fentanyl Project Arizona, a grassroots effort where he takes water, clothes, Narcan and simple human kindness to people living with addiction on the streets. This one’s aimed squarely at men who’ve been taught to stay quiet about pain, but anyone who’s faced addiction, loves someone who’s struggling, or works in recovery will get something from it.
You’ll come away with a challenge too: take ten minutes a day to really look someone in the eye, listen, and remind them they matter. Who could your ten minutes go to today?
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