Dylan’s Story: Rebuilding a Life in Recovery — Part 2Dylan’s Story: Rebuilding a Life in Recovery — Part 2
Facing Fentanyl
Part 2 of Dylan’s story is about what comes after stabilization: rebuilding relationships, finding work, and discovering community through peer-recovery meetings. We talk about what long-term recovery actually looks like two years in — the slumps,
0:00•21 Apr 2026
Dylan’s Long Road Back: From Fentanyl Chaos to Family and Purpose
Episode Overview
- Consequences alone, including multiple felonies and prison, did not stop Dylan’s use; willingness to change came only after repeated misery and a deep rock bottom.
- Opiate withdrawal is described as physically agonising, shifting substance use from pleasure to a desperate attempt to feel normal and survive.
- Faith-based treatment with staff in recovery provided genuine care, connection and a sense of belonging that helped Dylan start to heal.
- Peer meetings, a sponsor and sharing his story gave Dylan purpose and helped him feel less alone and less judged.
- Ongoing love with clear boundaries from family played a vital role in giving Dylan something worth rebuilding, including reconnection with his wife and stepdaughters.
“It is possible. It is definitely possible. It requires a lot of dedication.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? Dylan’s story offers a raw, honest look at what recovery can really look like two years in, with all the messiness, emotion and unexpected joy that comes with rebuilding a life. Across this conversation, you’ll hear Dylan trace his path from teenage hydrocodone use and dealing drugs, through fentanyl patches and multiple felonies, to a hard‑won sobriety that started on 19 January 2023.
He talks openly about the rush of selling drugs – “Selling drugs made me feel like I was on top of the world” – and the scared boy hiding underneath the cocky exterior. His description of withdrawal, “The agony is physically painful,” cuts through any romantic idea about opiates.
The episode spends plenty of time on the emotional fallout too: losing guardianship of his daughter, the heartbreak of prison, and the denial that kept him going back to “be more cautious” rather than stop. For anyone who’s ever wondered why consequences aren’t always enough to change behaviour, Dylan’s honesty is likely to hit home. What stands out most is how connection and community shifted everything.
A faith-based treatment centre staffed by people in recovery gave him “so much love and compassion” and, in his words, “changed my life.” Peer meetings, a sponsor, and hearing others’ stories helped him feel less alone and slowly open up feelings he’d shut down to survive.
Now, with over a year sober, he talks about moving back in with his wife and stepdaughters and hearing that he “sounded different” when he picked up his one‑year chip – a moment he says “touched my soul.” If you or someone you care about is wrestling with opiates, this conversation might leave you asking: what could love, boundaries and the right support make possible in your own story?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.
Related Episodes
Similar episodes from other shows in the catalogue.