SHAIR 106: "Holy Addiction" with JoAnn Miller, Suboxone the Cure or the Epidemic?SHAIR 106: "Holy Addiction" with JoAnn Miller, Suboxone the Cure or the Epidemic?
The SHAIR Recovery Podcast
Recovery advocate JoAnn Miller talks candidly about two decades of opioid addiction, methadone, Suboxone and the brutal withdrawals she faced. She also shares how writing, online recovery communities and openness about her past are helping her build a new life drug-free.
1:05:00•21 Feb 2017
Holy Addiction: JoAnn Miller on Suboxone, Methadone and a Brutally Honest Opioid Recovery
Episode Overview
- Fear of withdrawal and of living without the ‘warm fuzzies’ kept JoAnn trapped in opiate use for years.
- Methadone and Suboxone can keep people alive, but coming off them may involve long, severe withdrawals that are often minimised.
- JoAnn suggests medication-assisted treatment makes most sense if someone is genuinely prepared to stay on it long term.
- Writing about her experience and building Holy Addiction turned pain into a mission and strengthened her recovery.
- Online groups, live video shares and virtual meetings can be a lifeline for those who can’t or won’t attend in-person meetings.
“I was just scared of withdrawal and I was scared of what life would be like without the warm fuzzies that the drugs gave.”
Curious about how others manage the messy reality of opioid recovery? This conversation with recovery advocate and blogger JoAnn Miller pulls back the curtain on life with hydrocodone, oxycontin, methadone and, crucially, Suboxone. JoAnn shares how a single hydrocodone at 25 felt like being handed “God”, flipping a switch from everyday stress to blissful numbness.
From there, she describes years of functioning addiction behind a “soccer mum” façade, running an escort service and eventually being arrested for prostitution – a moment she calls her turning point. She’s brutally honest about why she kept using: “I was just scared of withdrawal and I was scared of what life would be like without the warm fuzzies that the drugs gave.” A big part of the episode looks at medication-assisted treatment.
JoAnn talks through long-term methadone use, the promise of Suboxone as an easy exit, and the reality of extended withdrawal that left her unable to sleep for weeks: “I paid $70 extra a week for exactly the same thing pretty much.” If you’re considering Suboxone as a way off heroin or painkillers, you’ll hear a very clear, first-hand warning about the price your body might pay. At the same time, this isn’t just horror stories.
JoAnn talks about founding Holy Addiction, watching a blog post go viral, and becoming part of an online recovery movement that runs live story-sharing sessions and offers support around the clock. She explains how online meetings, a sponsor she’s never met in person, daily service work and simply walking home from treatment became tools to get through relentless withdrawal and early sobriety.
Anyone weighing up methadone or Suboxone, supporting a loved one on opioids, or feeling ashamed of their past will find raw honesty, practical perspective and a reminder that “silence kills”. What part of JoAnn’s story sounds most like yours?
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