Project Recovery

Robin and Rachel Patfield join Casey and Dr. Matt this week and Robin opens up about a traumatic event that she experienced as a teenager that would lay the groundwork for addiction throughout her life. Then, Robin shares how a back injury led her to become addicted to opioids and how it impacted her relationship with her daughter, Rachel. 

Robin also recalls how her drug use came to a head when she found herself in jail after crashing her car due to her substance abuse, her mindset heading into treatment after hitting rock bottom, and why repairing her relationship with Rachel was such a crucial aspect of her recovery.

We then hear from Rachel, who shares her experiences with processing her parent’s addiction and how she is navigating her own beliefs towards alcohol.

Casey Scott and Dr. Matt Woolley dive into the six questions you need to ask yourself if you are wondering if you might have a problem. We also answer a bunch of listener-submitted questions, such as whether an eating disorder is an addiction, if dependency can become an addiction, and many more!

Casey Braithwaite joins Casey Scott and Dr. Matt Woolley to open up about how the loss of his father became an event in his life that would develop trauma that would leave him struggling to cope with the emotions he was dealing with as a teenager. Casey also talks about finding relief from the pain he was experiencing by abusing alcohol and his decision to consume anything he could get his hands on to mask the pain of his father’s passing.

Then Casey shares his decision to remove all substances from his life and go on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the shame he felt after his demon returned. He had to be relieved from his mission and how those feelings could never release their grip, even after he became married and expecting a child.

We also dive into Casey’s struggles with staying sober, the events that led to him being in a trailer surrounded by police officers, and his journey toward living a life of recovery.

Keith Morey (Economic Development Division Director for Provo) joins Casey Scott and Dr. Matt Woolley to share his first experience drinking alcohol out of curiosity in college as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, drinking to cope after being diagnosed with prostate cancer, and how his faith was shattered after his alcohol abuse began to spiral out of control.

Keith also opens up about his rock bottom, what it took to commit to a life of recovery, and how recovery has taught him that resistance promotes growth.

Michelle Kolb joins Casey and Dr. Matt to talk about growing up in a secluded community that was centered around abuse, violence, and secrecy and how that completely altered her vision of what the world appeared to be once she was separated from the community.

Michelle also opens up about her first experience with alcohol in her junior year of college, her quick progression into partying, and how becoming a parental figure for her siblings at 15 years old impacted her teenage years.

We also talk about how Michelle’s drug use escalated once she became a mother, her first stint with sobriety, and why a cancer diagnosis shook her to her core.

Lastly, Michelle shares how her last cancer diagnosis challenged her sobriety after seven years of not drinking or doing any drugs and the joy she finds in embracing every single day with her children.

Savanna Kemp joins Casey and Dr. Matt to open up about blacking out after trying alcohol for the first time, her first experiences with trying substances, and how her addiction to drugs escalated once she moved to North Dakota for work.

Then Savanna shares how her life began to spiral out of control after meeting someone who introduced her to heroin and meth, being on the verge of death after binge drinking for a week straight, and the moment she relapsed after being sober for seven months.

Lastly, we dive into what Savanna has learned about herself and her recovery after being sober for the past sixteen months.

Hanora McCarty joins Casey and Dr. Matt to talk about starting with a chip on her shoulder after being bullied early on throughout school after being born with a haemangioma on her face. 

She also opens up about turning to alcohol to help build confidence during her years in college, how her brother’s battle with addiction helped influence her decision to move to Spain to teach English for five years, and why she believed that if she could change her environment, she could find happiness.

We also dive into how her addiction began to take a toll on Hanora, why working from home continued to fuel her addiction, and the morning she realized that she was never going to get better without help.

Dr. Matt dives into how AI is being used to predict successful addiction treatment rates, why boredom can be so mentally stressful, and a recent study that shows those who suffer from Cannabis-related disorders are at a higher risk for head and neck cancers.

In this week's episode, Casey Scott and Dr. Matt Woolley are joined by Sam Wellman (Fit To Recover) to talk about his experience with experimenting with substances during college, why getting blackout drunk became a routine for him, and how his addiction sent him down a spiral into sickness and darkness.

Sam also shares his mindset of drinking every day until he died, why his routine got even worse once he began working at a treatment facility, and how the COVID-19 pandemic pushed him to the brink of death.

Lastly, we dive into Sam's decision to surrender for help and his road to recovery over the past two years.

To learn more about Sam and Fit To Recover, you can visit their website here: https://fit2recover.org/

In this week's episode, Casey Scott and Dr. Matt Woolley are joined by Ian Hacker to talk about the inspiration behind creating Fit to Recover, why he never felt good enough growing up, and how seeing a close friend pass away in front of him created a lot of untreated trauma during his teenage years.

Ian also dives into his experience with abusing alcohol and pain medication to cope with his anxiety and trauma, the moment he realized that he needed to make a change as he was sitting in a jail cell, and why he decided to commit to service and helping others find recovery through Fit to Recover.

This week, Casey Scott and Dr. Matt Woolley talk about why the idea of quitting substance abuse is much harder than most people realize, why empathy is crucial to understanding someone’s battles, and why you need to be all in to ensure a successful recovery.

Riley Loosemore (Peer Recovery Coach at USARA) joins Casey Scott and Dr. Matt Woolley to talk about how his abusive father leaving his family as a child created a hole in his life, being introduced to substances during his high school years, and how he became a father of 3 by the age of 19.

Riley also opens up about his introduction to crystal meth while running and gunning, spending 72 hours in jail as a murder suspect, and how running from the police in Ogden left him homeless for four years.

Then we talk about his attempts at getting help for his addiction throughout the years, his constant struggles with substance abuse continuing to creep back into his life, and the moment that changed his life with the introduction of Valley Camp, a recreation and rehabilitation center in Utah.

Lastly, Riley shares how he's helping others find their road to recovery by spreading awareness of substance addiction as a Peer Recovery Coach with USARA. 

You can also learn more about Riley and USARA at https://www.myusara.com/

Casey Scott and Dr. Matt Woolley are joined by Marnae Moore to talk about her struggles with the idea that she wasn't liked growing up, the life events that led Marnae to develop an eating disorder at sixteen years old, and her decision to get married and have children by the time she was twenty.

Then Marnae talks about how a divorce coupled with her eating disorder led her to abuse opioids, how the abuse ultimately forced her to have a kidney transplant, and the moment she realized that she needed to seek out help to get her on the road to recovery.

Lastly, Marnae opens up about the struggles she is still dealing with to this day and the ways that she's promoting positive behaviors to keep addiction out of her life.

Casey Scott and Dr. Matt Woolley dive into some listener comments, dopamine’s impact on obesity, as well as how cannabis use led to more severe psychotic outcomes in teenagers than any other group.

Katie Roghaar , LCSW (Huntsman Mental Health Institute), joins Casey Scott and Dr. Matt Woolley to talk about Katie’s decision to pursue social work, the importance of all-female recovery facilities, and the power of leveling with patients through Feminist Multicultural therapy.

Then, we talk about how the shame associated with addiction is evolving in society, the Bridge Program for opioid addiction through the University of Utah, and how the recovery community will continue to expand in Utah.

Dr. Matt Woolley is solo this week to talk about ways parents can help prevent teenagers from drunk driving during the summer months following graduation, lock-in parties were created to help reduce drunk driving on graduation night, and some tips on how to approach the conversation of drunk driving with our children.

We also dive into some statistics as to how the stigma of addiction has evolved based on the words and labels that can be used to inaccurately describe various disorders.