From Start to Finish: The Elevate Program with Seth and ConnerFrom Start to Finish: The Elevate Program with Seth and Conner
The Elevate Experience
Seth talks with recent graduate Connor about his full Elevate rehab journey, from chaotic meth use and detox through mindfulness, grief work and rebuilding family relationships. The conversation outlines each phase of the programme as Connor describes how structured support and self-awareness helped him start a new sober life.
59:29•23 Aug 2022
From Rock Bottom to Responsibility: Connor’s Full Elevate Rehab Journey
Episode Overview
- Reaching out for help often starts with a moment of honesty like admitting you can no longer function in everyday life.
- Detox can be managed safely and kindly, with staff allowing rest, food and space while the body stabilises.
- Mindfulness and meditation practices help rebuild focus, calm and the ability to sit with emotions without using substances.
- Identifying toxic relationships and codependency patterns is crucial to protecting early recovery and long-term stability.
- Writing and ritual, such as letters to lost loved ones, can release long-held grief and create powerful emotional relief.
“All the good memories of my dad started flowing in. It was no more memories of him being sick… it made my programme to be able to deal with that.”
Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This chat between host Seth Provencio and recent Elevate graduate Connor McKibben walks you through the Elevate Addiction Services programme from the first shaky phone call to life on the other side of rehab. Connor shares how a year of meth and alcohol abuse, psychosis, and losing eight jobs pushed him to ring his mum at 7am and admit, “Mom, I don't know what I'm doing.
I can't function in real life.” From there, Seth and Connor take you step by step: admissions calls with Josh in the intake office, arriving furious and high in California, and the slightly awkward but necessary body search with staff before heading to detox. Detox itself is surprisingly human and even humorous.
Connor jokes about gaining 14 pounds in four days and falling in love with the food, but doesn’t gloss over the fear, exhaustion and camaraderie in that first week. You’ll hear how mindfulness meditation, nature documentaries and simple routines started to rebuild his ability to sit with himself without drugs. Phase One focuses on “learning how to learn again” with basic dictionary work and writing, leading into emotional pieces like the “losses” chapter, where Connor finally faces his father’s death.
Phase Two shifts to self-awareness, toxic relationships and communication, helping him repair a strained but vital relationship with his mum. By Phase Three, responsibility becomes the theme, highlighted by a powerful Father’s Day exercise: Connor writes a letter of gratitude to his late dad, burns it on “frog hill”, and describes feeling “the highest I've ever been” in a sober way. The episode is honest, funny in places, and grounded in very practical detail about what actually happens in treatment.
If you’ve ever wondered what a full rehab journey looks like from the inside, could this be the story that helps you take your next step?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.