From Combat Hero to Homeless Addict: An Unbelievable True Story

Brenda Zane was a successful advertising executive living what looked like a normal life—until her son’s addiction turned everything upside down. From early warning signs to marijuana at 13… to running away, arrests, and eventually fentanyl use—this is the raw, unfiltered reality of what families go through when addiction takes over. In this episode, Brenda shares: The moment she realized her son was in real danger Sending him to wilderness therapy at 16 The chaos of addiction—jail, running away, and near-death experiences The heartbreak of setting boundaries and “letting go” How she turned her pain into purpose to help other parents This conversation is for anyone who has loved someone struggling with addiction—or is trying to understand what families go through behind the scenes. If you or someone you love is struggling, you are not alone. If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction or mental health, you don’t have to do it alone. Reach out to my partners at Compassion Behavioral Health. They offer individualized care and a full continuum of treatment. Call or Text: 844-443-5669 Visit: https: https://compassionbehavioralhealth.com/?utm_source=rise%20above%20with%20kevin%20lanning&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=april Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Rokee’s story is a terrifying look at the lengths an addict will go to maintain a "perfect" life. By day, he was a high-earning union steamfitter. By night, he was a "chameleon" trapped in a $1.2 million downward spiral, snorting up to 200 bags of heroin a week. In this raw and "brutal" interview on Rise Above with Kevin Lanning, John details the physical and financial devastation of his addiction: The $1.2M Habit: The math behind a decade of OxyContin and heroin use that drained every union fund, savings account, and personal loan. The "Water Overdose": The shocking medical anomaly that put him in a week-long coma after he tried to flush his system to beat a drug test. Knocking at the Pearly Gates: Waking up in a hospital bed to find a priest performing his last rites when doctors said he would be a "vegetable." The True Healing: How John moved past 11 years of "white-knuckle" abstinence to find true spiritual recovery and a new life as a sober coach. Connect with John Rokee: Instagram/TikTok: @JohnRokee21 Website: JohnRokee.com If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction or mental health, you don’t have to do it alone. Reach out to my partners at Compassion Behavioral Health. They offer individualized care and a full continuum of treatment. Call or Text: 844-443-5669 Visit: https://compassionbehavioralhealth.com/?utm_source=rise%20above%20with%20kevin%20lanning&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=april #RiseAbove #HeroinAddiction #RecoveryStories #ComaSurvivor #LastRites #JohnRokee #KevinLanning #AddictionRecovery #SoberCoach #OpiateCrisis #MentalHealth Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kim House’s life story sounds like a movie script, but the trauma was all too real. After fleeing an abusive home at just 14 years old, Kim found herself winning bikini contests and dancing in clubs just to survive. By her early 20s, she was diagnosed with a rare, "terminal" bone marrow cancer—but instead of getting sober, she ramped up her drug use, even attempting to balance chemotherapy with meth and alcohol. In this episode of Rise Above with Kevin Lanning, Kim details the harrowing "redline" abuse of her childhood, the insanity of flying drugs across state lines, and the moment of "existential clarity" that led her to nearly a decade of sobriety. Today, she’s the founder of Sober Surfers, turning her darkest trials into a message of hope for foster youth and addicts everywhere. Connect with Kim House: Website: sobersurf.org If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction or mental health, you don’t have to do it alone. Reach out to my partners at Compassion Behavioral Health. They offer individualized care and a full continuum of treatment. Call or Text: 844-443-5669 Visit: https://compassionbehavioralhealth.com/?utm_source=rise%20above%20with%20kevin%20lanning&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=april #AddictionRecovery #Sobriety #RiseAbove #CancerSurvivor #MethAddiction #RecoveryStory #KevinLanning #SoberSurfers #TraumaHealing #MentalHealthAwareness Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Molly Haneke opens up about her journey from early self-harm and blackout drinking at just 16, to hitting a breaking point that landed her in a mental hospital at 22. What started as insecurity and isolation quickly spiraled into daily drinking, drugs, and destructive coping mechanisms. After a life-threatening moment forced everything to stop, Molly entered treatment and completely rebuilt her life. Now over two years sober, she shares how recovery, discipline, and community helped her turn pain into purpose—and how young people can get sober too. If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction or mental health, you don’t have to do it alone. Reach out to my partners at Compassion Behavioral Health. They offer individualized care and a full continuum of treatment. Call or Text: 844-443-5669 Visit: https://compassionbehavioralhealth.com/?utm_source=rise%20above%20with%20kevin%20lanning&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=april #addiction #sobriety #mentalhealth #recovery #selfharm #alcoholism #sobertok #healingjourney #rockbottom #riseabove Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sean Young survived three deployments to Afghanistan, saw his brothers-in-arms blown up in front of him, and lived through a childhood that sounds like a horror movie. In this raw and unfiltered interview on Rise Above with Kevin Lanning, Sean reveals the most salacious details of his past—including the infamous day he finalized a divorce at noon and was remarried to another woman by 3:00 PM. From the high-stakes adrenaline of being a Forward Observer in the Army to the soul-crushing reality of a suicide attempt in the Alaskan wilderness, Sean’s story is a masterclass in survival and the power of total surrender. If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction or mental health, you don’t have to do it alone. Reach out to my partners at Compassion Behavioral Health. They offer individualized care and a full continuum of treatment. Call or Text: 844-443-5669 Visit: https://compassionbehavioralhealth.com/?utm_source=rise%20above%20with%20kevin%20lanning&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=april #RiseAbove #KevinLanning #SeanYoung #VeteransRecovery #CombatPTSD #SobrietyStory #AddictionRecovery #MentalHealthMatters #ArmyVeteran #HealingTrauma #RecoverOutLoud Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cassidy’s story is one of the darkest I’ve ever heard. She grew up in a good home, loving parents, big family… and still addiction found a way in. One pill turned into daily use… then heroin… then fentanyl… then she ended up in the most dangerous open-air drug market in America — Kensington. What she experienced there is not normal addiction. It’s human trafficking. Violence. Rape. Murder. Bodies in the street. Burning victims alive. Trap houses. Dealers beating people for losing product. Young girls disappearing. This is a level of hell that most people in this country will NEVER see. And she survived it. Cassidy opens up about overdoses, abusive relationships, jail, street life, losing friends, and the spiritual war that fentanyl brings with it. She rebuilt her life — and is now sober — and her story will change perspectives for families everywhere struggling to understand addiction. Watch this entire interview start to finish — share with a parent, sister, brother, someone who needs to know the reality of fentanyl before it’s too late. Rise Above. Always. #kensington #fentanyl #fentanylepidemic #opioidcrisis #philadelphia #addiction #recovery #sobriety #drugabuse #narcansaveslives #harmreduction #addictionawareness #recoveryispossible #riseabovepodcast #drugcrisis #openairdrugmarket #truecrime #streetsurvival #kensingtonphilly #fentanlyawareness Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ema Burgic was the #1 ranked junior in Europe, a standout star at Baylor, and a professional tennis powerhouse. On the outside, her life looked perfect: a successful career, a "perfect" husband, and a beautiful home. But inside, Ema was fighting a silent battle with major depression and a loss of identity that nearly cost her everything. In this episode of Rise Above, Ema gets vulnerable about the reality of being a professional athlete under extreme pressure, the "numbness" of long-term medication, and the grueling journey of rebuilding her life from zero after a divorce and a 10-year hiatus from the sport. If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction or mental health, you don’t have to do it alone. Reach out to my partners at Compassion Behavioral Health. They offer individualized care and a full continuum of treatment. Call or Text: 844-443-5669 Visit: https://compassionbehavioralhealth.com/?utm_source=rise%20above%20with%20kevin%20lanning&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=april #MentalHealth #Tennis #EmaBurgic #RiseAbove #DepressionRecovery #ProAthlete #OvercomingAdversity #DivorceRecovery #Bosnia #WTA #SurvivorStory Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Justin Clancy was a rising star in the music industry, but behind the scenes, he was battling a soul-crushing addiction to opiates. In this episode of Rise Above, Justin gets incredibly vulnerable about the "white light" moment that saved his life—literally seconds away from ending it all. If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction or mental health, you don't have to do it alone. Compassion Behavioral Health offers individualized, stigma-free care.  Visit them here: https://compassionbehavioralhealth.com/?utm_source=rise%20above%20with%20kevin%20lanning&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=march Call or Text: 844-443-5669 Follow Justin Clancy:  Instagram: @justin_clancy TikTok: @justinclancy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris was a high school football coach on top of the world—winning state championships, raising two kids, and leading one of Georgia’s most promising teams. But behind the success was a man silently battling addiction. After a devastating DUI, Chris lost everything—his job, his reputation, and his sense of self.In this raw and emotional interview, Chris opens up about childhood trauma, pressure to prove himself, spiraling into daily drinking, and the powerful moment of surrender that saved his life. Now sober and rebuilding, he’s using his pain to help others—including coaches, athletes, and anyone silently struggling. Chris's website: Www.movethechains.squarespace.com #AddictionRecovery #CoachingLife #SobrietyJourney #RockBottom #FootballCoach #DUIRecovery #StateChampion #MentalHealthAwareness #HighSchoolFootball #AlcoholAddiction #RedemptionStory #RiseAbovePodcast #MoveTheChain Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"I knew the moment I did it, this will ruin my life—and I’m going to keep doing it." In this raw and unfiltered episode of Rise Above, Kevin Lanning sits down with Alyx Gold for a follow-up to her viral interview. Alyx takes us deeper into the "underworld" of her addiction—a journey that started with shooting heroin and meth at just 15 years old. Alyx reveals the terrifying details of being held hostage for over a week by a biker gang president, the moment she was stabbed and nearly killed in an abandoned alleyway, and the miraculous stranger who saved her life. But this isn't just a story of darkness. Today, Alyx is over 8 years sober, a dedicated single mother, and is in the process of opening the Gold Center for Recovery to help others escape the same trenches she once lived in. In this episode, we discuss: The reality of being a 15-year-old IV drug user. The harrowing escape from a biker gang "trap house." Surviving a brutal assault and the "angel" who intervened. How Alyx changed her entire belief system to stay sober for 8 years. The launch of the Gold Center for Recovery. Connect with Alyx Gold: Instagram: @_alyxgold TikTok: @in_my_everything_era If you or someone you love is struggling, reach out to Compassion Behavioral Health: 844-443-5669 or visit https://compassionbehavioralhealth.com/?utm_source=rise%20above%20with%20kevin%20lanning&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=march #RiseAbove #Recovery #Addiction #HeroinAddict #Sobriety #AlyxGold #KevinLanning #BikerGang #TraumaHealing #RedemptionStory Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices