From Adolescent 5150s to Ecstasy, Acid, Drinking, Whippets and DUIs to Sobriety, Spirituality, and Being a Guiding Light for Men in RecoveryFrom Adolescent 5150s to Ecstasy, Acid, Drinking, Whippets and DUIs to Sobriety, Spirituality, and Being a Guiding Light for Men in Recovery
Chasing Heroine: Addiction Recovery Podcast
Jan recounts his progression from emotional childhood struggles and party drugs to meth addiction, near-disasters and finally treatment in Canada. He now shares how spirituality, 12-step work and experiential therapy underpin his work supporting men in recovery.
2:18:00•17 Sept 2026
From Party Drugs and DUIs to Guiding Men in Recovery
Episode Overview
- Early emotional dysregulation and family turmoil set the stage for substance use long before hard drugs appeared.
- Party drugs and alcohol can create life-threatening situations, even without heroin or opiates in the mix.
- Repeated attempts to control or switch substances rarely work once addiction is fully established.
- Treatment that includes both clinical groups and experiential, outdoor work can help men open up emotionally.
- Learning to respond instead of react, and to see oneself as “chosen” rather than broken, can transform long-term recovery.
“I honestly wanted to stop, you know, for the first time I was like, okay, I want to stop. I need to from the bottom of my heart. And I couldn't.”
Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This episode of *Chasing Heroine* zooms in on Jan, a therapist and programme lead at Sacred Journey Recovery, whose story starts with adolescent chaos and ends in thoughtful, grounded recovery work with men. You’ll hear Jan trace his path from an emotional, anxious childhood and a 5150 at age 12 through years of weed, ecstasy, acid, whippets, meth and multiple DUIs.
He talks frankly about being the “party guy”, stealing from his mum’s purse, overdrafting his bank account, and driving drunk so often he should have had more than two DUIs. One haunting memory is waking up in hospital with 12 staples in his head, not knowing how he got there, and later finding a pool of dried blood by his car. The turning point comes when meth takes over and seven straight days without sleep end in complete collapse.
With his family at breaking point, Jan agrees to treatment in Canada, where he stays 64 days, engages with 12-step work, and even joins a body image and eating group that forces him to confront long-standing shame about his body and appearance.
Now sober since 2016, Jan works with men in recovery and shares the clinical and spiritual wisdom that grew from his experience: the difference between reacting and responding, how men struggle with vulnerability, and why service and community matter but can’t be used as a way to avoid boundaries.
He also talks about building a daily relationship with a higher power, shifting from “I’m broken” to “I am chosen”, and how outdoor, experiential groups can open men up in ways a standard group room often doesn’t. If you’re wondering whether your own “party drugs” story is bad enough, or how to turn deep shame into genuine purpose, this one’s worth your time. What part of Jan’s journey sounds most familiar to you?
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