Overtime: Answering your questionsOvertime: Answering your questions
Addict II Athlete Podcast
Coach Blu and Marissa answer community questions on medication-assisted treatment, overdose grief, and young adults feeling stuck after the pandemic. The conversation blends research, real-life stories and practical ideas for families, grandparents and people in recovery seeking fresh ways forward.
49:30•16 Aug 2024
Questions from the Front Lines of Recovery: MAT, Grief, and the “Pandemic Skip” Generation
Episode Overview
- Medication-assisted treatment can significantly boost treatment retention and reduce relapse, and deserves careful research rather than knee-jerk rejection.
- Stigma towards people using medications for recovery can push them away from support groups and increase relapse risk.
- Grandparents raising grandchildren after overdose loss should talk openly about grief and anger to help children build emotional awareness and coping skills.
- Young adults affected by the pandemic may feel emotionally behind; small goals, new rites of passage and honest conversations can help them move forward.
- Strong connections with caring adults, community events and team-based activities can give children and adults in recovery a vital sense of belonging.
“You never want to slam the door on an option just because tradition says it's one way to recover. There's a lot of different ways to recover.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This overtime Q&A session with Coach Blu Robinson and athletic director Marissa gives a front-row seat to the messy, honest, and hopeful side of recovery work. Across the episode, they answer community questions that many families quietly wrestle with. One big focus is medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid addiction.
They break down methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone in plain language, share research stats on treatment retention and reduced relapse, and talk frankly about the ongoing stigma. As Coach Blu puts it, "You never want to slam the door on an option just because tradition says it's one way to recover. There's a lot of different ways to recover." They also tackle the heartbreak of "opioid orphans"—children losing parents to overdose and being raised by grandparents.
A grandmother raising her grandson after her daughter's death writes in, and the hosts respond with compassion, talking about anger, grief, and how sharing emotions with the child can build emotional intelligence instead of burying pain. They highlight the power of community support and simple, human connection—like adults just knowing a child's name—as a quiet but powerful protective factor.
Another powerful segment looks at young adults stuck after Covid—the "pandemic skip generation" who feel their emotional age hasn't caught up with their years. Blu and Marissa link common struggles (lack of motivation, "failure to launch", bouncing between jobs) to missed rites of passage, and suggest practical ways parents can help: small goals, honest conversations, shared timelines, and creating new meaningful milestones together.
Threaded through it all are updates on recovery events like the Addict to Athlete proxy 5k, a packed softball tournament, and fundraising for racing wheelchairs that let families share the joy of finish lines together. If you or someone you love feels stuck in recovery, parenting, or grief, could this kind of straight-talking, team-based approach be the fresh angle you've been needing?
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