EPISODE 051526EPISODE 051526
Clean and Sober Radio
A former undercover narcotics officer turned educator talks about shifting from arrests to treatment, human trafficking, and the opioid crisis, while the hosts share sober reflections on prisons, kratom and 44 years of recovery. The conversation highlights how law enforcement, treatment, and personal experience intersect in today’s addiction landscape.
55:18•16 May 2026
From Handcuffs to Healing: Law, Recovery and Hope on Clean and Sober Radio
Episode Overview
- Arresting people alone does not reduce addiction-related harm; connecting them to professional treatment can improve public safety.
- Prison is often described as a place where people become better criminals, reinforcing the need for treatment-focused responses.
- Human trafficking frequently intersects with opioid use, with many victims coerced into commercial sex in exchange for drugs.
- Hotel staff and other frontline workers can play a crucial role by recognising red flags and contacting police when they suspect trafficking.
- Opioid settlement funds are being used in some areas to make drug treatment free at the point of use, but many families still feel justice is incomplete.
“We just can’t arrest our way out of this crisis… connecting people to professional drug treatment programs is really a way for public safety to benefit everybody.”
With three decades in drug enforcement behind him, Steve explains how his perspective shifted from simply making arrests to prioritising treatment: “We just can’t arrest our way out of this crisis… connecting people to professional drug treatment programs is really a way for public safety to benefit everybody.” He shares stories from the street, including helping a severely dependent heroin user into treatment, and talks frankly about how prison often becomes “a university for people to learn how to be better criminals.” The conversation widens into Steve’s current work as Director for Addiction and Recovery Education at Saint Joseph’s University, where he focuses on teaching communities about addiction science, treatment that actually works, and why overdose deaths have exploded since the rise of high‑potency opioids and fentanyl.
What can we learn from those who have battled addiction? Clean and Sober Radio lines up a fascinating mix of law enforcement grit, recovery wisdom and real-world controversy that’ll catch the ear of anyone curious about both sides of the drug crisis. Host Gary Hendler and co‑host Mark Sigmund sit down with long-time undercover narcotics officer turned educator, Steve Forzato.
You’ll also hear a powerful moment from Gary, who marks 44 years in recovery by spending an evening inside Montgomery County Correctional Facility, sitting quietly in an AA meeting and reflecting on how easily his life could have gone the other way. From human trafficking in hotels to “gas station heroin” like kratom and synthetic drugs, the show doesn’t shy away from uncomfortable topics.
There’s anger at companies like Purdue Pharma, debate about accountability for wealthy offenders versus street dealers, and plenty of practical talk about treatment access funded by opioid settlements. If you’re in recovery, work in treatment, or just want an honest look at addiction, policing and hope, this conversation might nudge you to ask: are we punishing people, or giving them a real chance to get well?
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