True story of redemption. When Jeremy Kelsay, founder of Every 11 Minutes, speaks about his descent into the dark world of opioids, you can't help but be drawn into the raw honesty of his narrative. Together, we traverse his life story, from the clutches of heroin and fentanyl to his rebirth as a drug counselor intent on tackling the opioid epidemic head-on. It's a discussion that peels back the layers of addiction, exposing the harsh realities and the glimmers of hope that recovery brings. His voice lends a sobering perspective to the urgency of this crisis, as we're confronted with the alarming statistic that opioid-related deaths now occur every five minutes. Jeremy's candidness about the role addicts often unwittingly play in the distribution chain underscores the complexity of the issue and the profound importance of empathy and understanding.
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True story of redemption. When Jeremy Kelsay, founder of Every 11 Minutes, speaks about his descent into the dark world of opioids, you can't help but be drawn into the raw honesty of his narrative. Together, we traverse his life story, from the clutches of heroin and fentanyl to his rebirth as a drug counselor intent on tackling the opioid epidemic head-on. It's a discussion that peels back the layers of addiction, exposing the harsh realities and the glimmers of hope that recovery brings. His voice lends a sobering perspective to the urgency of this crisis, as we're confronted with the alarming statistic that opioid-related deaths now occur every five minutes. Jeremy's candidness about the role addicts often unwittingly play in the distribution chain underscores the complexity of the issue and the profound importance of empathy and understanding.
Hey SBC supporters! Want to connect with us ? You can send us a text message.
She bold, she real and she's definitely ready. Hey guys, it's your girl, Smiley B, and we are back with another bold episode. Hey guys, today it is just me. Eva G had some work scheduling conflict today, so she will not be recording with me today. However, today I have here with me Jeremy Kelsey. He is a drug counselor and the founder of Every 11 Minutes nonprofit organization. Hey Jeremy, how are you feeling today?
Speaker 2:Amazing, amazing Just got done with this total eclipse and I was promised it was going to be the show of the century. It's not going to happen again until 2044. And I went out back with my chair and my glasses on and I saw absolutely nothing. And my glasses on and I saw absolutely nothing what. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, I feel so bad. It was such an experience Me, my sister, my niece and my sons all of us, like my whole family. We were like out front, we had our glasses, we were kind of sharing, we had about five pair of glasses, we were rotating around, but it was definitely experience, it was definitely a sight to see. So I hate that you had to miss that it was I.
Speaker 2:I noticed it was a little, it was a shade darker, but yeah I don't know. No, it's never what you expect, right right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it got dark over here. I'm um, I'm in ohio for you guys listening, and Jeremy's over in California. So definitely different time zones, different experience. But it did get dark over here to the point where my streetlights came on in my complex so I was like, oh wow.
Speaker 2:And we're still here. It wasn't the end of the world, absolutely.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. I love that. Well, we're happy to have you here today on the SheBoku podcast.
Speaker 2:Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you want to kind of introduce yourself a little bit.
Speaker 2:Oh God, what do you even say here? My name's Jeremy Jeremy Kelsey. I am from Sonoma County, california. I'm a recovering addict. I was. My drugs of choice were pretty much everything, but at the end I was shooting meth and heroin. Then it turned into fentanyl and I've overdosed a number of times. My last overdose was too close for comfort.
Speaker 2:I'm very blessed that I'm still here and I decided to just do a 180 on my life and do the exact opposite, Changed everything. And now I've been a drug counselor for three years. I started a nonprofit called Every 11 minutes. At the time, every 11 minutes someone died from an opioid overdose. Up to every five minutes. It's five every five minutes now. But oh wow, Are you serious? Yeah, we're trying to branch those numbers down. Right, so, right, so wait.
Speaker 1:Every 11 minutes, when you when it, when it was that you know every 11 minutes.
Speaker 2:When you came up with that name? How long ago?
Speaker 1:was that it was about three years ago, so in the matter of three years, the same amount of people died, but in like half the time. So basically every five minutes a person dies from opioid overdose.
Speaker 2:It's up to every five minutes now, and that, the main perpetrator there being fentanyl, oh wow. And so when I was a heroin addict I want to say 2000,. You know, 2018, 2019, beginning of 2020, it was there was black tar heroin. I don't know what I can say on this podcast, or what I can't say oh no, you're fine, you're fine I'm good yeah, you're good yeah.
Speaker 2:So for me it started with norcos, which are, you know, hydrocodone. A lot of people don't know, but these pain pills that they push you, that the doctors push to you, they're very addicting. You know, this is actually the beginning of the opioid crisis, as I'm sure people are well aware, was OxyContin, which was in the early 90s, which started this whole thing. We'll probably get into that a little later. But I started with uh norco, which is hydrocodone, acetaminophen and um got strung out on those. I tried to quit. I got sick and I said, okay, well, how do I quit this thing? I looked into a harm reduction.
Speaker 2:Uh, you know, lightweight, I was just trying to still stay high because they cut me off, and so I got on methadone, which was a very big mistake. Um, and then something happened. I got an altercation with somebody and got in a physical fight and then they kicked me out of the methadone clinic. So someone had introduced me to heroin soon after, and so, yeah, heroin's a whole different. It's a whole different game, whole different beast, because it's such an early onset when you're smoking. I hadn't started shooting yet, but it's just an instantaneous high and it's not even about the high, it's about the, I guess, the chase of it. You're so sick that it feels good once you feel normal. So basically you'll hear this term thrown around. I'm just trying to get well.
Speaker 2:But what getting well looks like is boosting from Home Depot or boosting from Friedman Brothers and selling electronic tools and laying people down and doing a bunch of evil stuff to get your money. And then you go flip it and then that's the thing is most of these people they're like string up these fentanyl dealers. Um, no mercy, give them life in jail and death sentence to all. Most of these dudes are just trying to support a habit. They don't even know how they got into it. So the heroin?
Speaker 2:What would happen out here is the heroin would drought out. So everybody would be sick and you'd be like what's going on? There's literally no heroin. And then for about a week everyone's bringing me money. Hey, once you cop, you got me, yeah, I got you, I got you. I'm sitting on stacks of money. And then the new product hits. You buy the new product and get it off to everyone. And then there's bodies everywhere and you're just like wait Right, what the heroin is killing people? No, it's because they droughted it so they could introduce fentanyl and pretty soon all the heroin was gone and it was all fentanyl.
Speaker 2:All the product was fentanyl oh, wow and so you went from a uh unknowingly, overnight from a heroin addict to a fentanyl. And now it's being disguised as other drugs.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:The most. Yeah, I get weekly. I get fentanyl laced marijuana, fentanyl laced cocaine, fentanyl laced, of course, percocet, and these people, these kids, are taking it unknowingly and dying in record numbers. Year olds, 13 years old I just got a two-year-old.
Speaker 1:One-year-old yeah, I've seen that. Yeah broke my heart. So um with that you said like you said, with the hospitals and people um being prescribed that. I thought that was super um important that you said that, because a lot of people don't understand um when they looking at, when they're looking at people um from the outside, looking in, and they're looking at people who are struggling with addiction, it's just like you know, immediate, like judgment almost, but it's like you said, it's like it only takes for you to maybe break a leg or get into a car accident and they're giving you pain medicine, but it's like you don't know what type of effect that's having on someone.
Speaker 2:So I'll break it, I'll bring it, go ahead. I mean you're fine, go ahead. Now I could break it down to you like this, Right? So what's the most perfect day you could think of for you?
Speaker 1:The most perfect day.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what's a picturesque day for you A whole day.
Speaker 1:Um, so I would say waking up, of course. Um you know getting my kids up.
Speaker 2:That's always good right.
Speaker 1:Right, Waking up, getting my kids, you know, up and ready for school breakfast and then off to school. Then, you know, getting some, some things done for the podcast. I have another business that I run, so getting you know I have a daily goal list. So being able to check off everything on my daily goal list, that would make a great day list.
Speaker 1:So being able to check off everything on my daily goal list, um, that would make a great day. Maybe grabbing lunch with a colleague um, you know, come getting some. You know other errands ran um then coming home, getting the kids from school, um cooking dinner, um cleaning the home and, you know, really just spending time with my boys, that's really a perfect day for me.
Speaker 2:Um, right, like you feel, like you're serving your purpose, yeah, okay yeah now add to that we're gonna add to that that you won the lottery that day oh yeah, that'd be lovely okay so all of that, your purpose-driven life, you're, you're all your goals. And on top of that, you won the lottery right.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So that day, that perfect day, is going to give you maximum. I want to say 75 to 100 nanograms per centiliter of dopamine. Okay, Okay. So an average someone with a substance use disorder. They inject heroin or say meth. Can you imagine or just try to guess how much dopamine that is?
Speaker 1:I don't know.
Speaker 2:And we're going to compare that to 75 to a hundred nanograms per centile. So when you use that drug you're getting anywhere from 900 to 1100 nanograms per centiliter when you use that drug.
Speaker 1:Wow.
Speaker 2:So compare 100 to 1100. That's quite a difference right, yeah. So what happens is your transmitting neurons are shooting neurotransmitters to your receiving neurons and your receptors, and so it's an overflow of neurotransmission in your, in your synaptic vesicle I think it's called synaptic vesicle and um, you can't compare that to anything. So your perfect day. You want to have your perfect day over and over and over again, am I right that's?
Speaker 1:what we're striving for yeah, right.
Speaker 2:So these people that we were so quick to judge there's such a stigma about these people are trapped in a dream.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Literally trapped in a dream, and the things that you got to do to get these drugs. It's insane. It's you're literally. The best way I can describe it is your body is taking your soul on a sick ride through hell, like your soul, doesn't your soul's print. You're keeping your soul captive, but your body needs what it needs, and so it just takes you to the depths.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I think that I mean I've never had it broke down in that way, so scientifically, like descriptive and like really in detail. Um but I can't imagine, you know, someone being told that are just even experiencing that. You know, chasing that, um, especially just with everything that life has to offer. You know you have your ups and downs and though yeah, as I got older and I started to grow spiritually, I learned that that is the beauty in life. Is that?
Speaker 1:everything is not perfect and that you, you have to find the beauty in the not so perfect days, um, but I can understand that and even I was going to ask you. You know too, because you know, in the urban music and the music that we hear, in these rappers and things like that, they they describe it in that sense kind of in a glorified way, but just in a different. They don't, you know, break it down like as such, as you did, but you hear them saying these things about you know, popping pills and things like that. So how would you say, do you think that has the impact on these younger kids choosing to do these, do these things, and thinking that it's cool? Because they're hearing it in the music? They're hearing these rappers and artists say how great they feel when they're rolling and whatever you know terminology they use when they're describing their high in a sense.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they use when they're describing their high, in a sense yeah, um so an artist that comes up on my radar.
Speaker 1:A lot is juice world oh, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Um, who you know, his life tragically ended.
Speaker 2:Um from you know his plane was getting pulled over and he took an excess amount of I think it was uh, it was painkillers, right it's perks, I think, um, so, of course, I heard about juice world here and there, but, um, that's why it's so cool that I have this, this job. I'm a drug counselor and I didn't really get to that, but I'm a drug counselor now and, um, more than uh, more than anybody probably on the staff, I will get the um someone with a fentanyl use disorder, and so, um, I, I like to do this group called music therapy, where, so you have different people, different races, creeds, backgrounds, um, that's what's so cool about a rehab is, um, you, you know coming back from what we were just talking about and then being back with your tribe again, you know, being being social again. And so in these, in these music therapies, each individual gets to select a song of their choice, something that gives them an emotional charge, and then everybody gives their undivided attention, they listen to the song, and then the person explains why they chose that song. And then I had a young man choose Juice WRLD.
Speaker 2:I think it was Lean With Me and, like I said, I don't know what I can say on the podcast, but the lyrics in it are basically about drug use. Okay, the lyrics in it are basically about drug use. Okay, and she's got a real nice beat. It's just really, I want to say, hypnotizing.
Speaker 2:Oh okay, His voice, Juice WRLD his voice and the instrumentals. It's kind of haunting because when you listen to the dude rap, he's yelling help me. He's like, help me. You know what I mean. He's struggling, you can tell and people are like, yeah, help you. All right, pop another perk.
Speaker 1:Oh, wow.
Speaker 2:You know what I mean? Yeah, so this kid showed me this and I was like damn, that was amazing. So I listened to a few more of his songs, and just really for the beat at first, but to listen to his lyrics, it's a, it's a whole thing. Dude was definitely had a substance use disorder and he was struggling and I don't know if the people around him helped him.
Speaker 1:Right so he helped himself helped him right, so he helped himself. Yeah, and that's you know. And that's the thing is. Like, a lot of people typically are affected when someone that you love or someone who is dear to you is struggling, but you you never really understand it fully until you're in that situation. You know what I'm saying. I kind of um, you know, related to when I first started dealing with like anxiety and I used to just isolate myself and not want to be around people because I felt as if I didn't want to be looked at differently. I didn't want people to, you know, judge me or whatever, and then I didn't also want to have to try to explain or feel like I had to get people to try to understand, because I felt like no matter however I describe it, no matter however I try to explain to someone the feeling or what I'm going through, it's like unless they've felt it or have experienced it, they're not going to fully understand and so it's not going to make sense to them.
Speaker 1:You get what I'm saying, but when you have those people around you that really love you. Their goal is not to try to understand. Their goal is to just love you and be there and support you. And so once you have those people around you, it becomes that much easier, because it's like I don't have to, I don't have the weight of like trying to get you to understand me Now. It's just the fact that I know that you're there and if I need you, you're there, you're going to love on me, you're going to speak life into me, you're going to support me. You know, and I think that that is so important, you know, because it is, it's difficult, it's difficult to to explain to someone, like you said, even even you breaking it down how you did it's like.
Speaker 2:I still will never fully understand that, because I've never felt that.
Speaker 1:you know, yeah, thank God for that Right. So just to kind of backtrack again too, cause I didn't want to um, you know, miss anything.
Speaker 1:so that's fine with your recovery and going through everything. I know that you said you overdosed a number of times. So going back in those moments, like what was it like for you? Because one thing you know people say is like, okay, these people are not fearful of of death. Is it like? Is it that you're they're not fearful of death? You know, because you see people out here, you know, dropping like flies, like you said, from every 11 minutes to every five minutes. That is insane.
Speaker 1:I mean, we've been on this we've been on this um segment for 20 minutes now, so that means that in the past 20 minutes, four lives have ended, that is heartbreaking. That is so heartbreaking. So for you, what would you say? Was like that moment that you were like, look, I don't want to. I don't want to be that close to death again?
Speaker 2:Um man, so be that close to death again. Um man, so the high that you're, you're chasing after right. Okay, so I'll just start at the beginning. I was in a. I was in the back of a truck and I was a youngster, I was like 15, and we're going out to this uh, abandoned mansion, we're gonna have a. We had some pony kegs in the back. Dude was drunk driving. I was in the back of the truck and then it flipped over into a ravine.
Speaker 2:So the truck landed on top of me, crushed my homie and I barely made it out alive oh, wow and so I'm in the hospital and, um, just kind of going over the events, just kind of in shock and trauma, and I had a homegirl. She was cleaning out the wounds in my hands and she's kind of like singing softly to me and I have the warm hospital sheets, you know, tucked up over me and I'm in a little pain and then all of a sudden I feel the best I've ever felt in my life. I feel safe, I feel tingly, warm, I feel like I'm being held by God. What I didn't know was they're injecting me with morphine.
Speaker 1:Oh, wow, so they were giving you pain meds, and they didn't even tell you.
Speaker 2:They told me afterwards. I was like what was? What was that? They're like we gave you some pain medication, some morphine. You'll be right. As soon as they said that, as soon as I knew what that was, I was sold. The seed was planted for life. I didn't seek it out right away, but I always remembered that I didn't really. I was 15 years old, I didn't know what it was or what was going down. I found that again when I found heroin and I chased it. So I couldn't chase it anymore and the best highs I ever had were on the edge of death. It's right where you're not dead, not dead, but you're. You're not really alive, you're just kind of in that phantom nod. You're in that. You're like right on the right on the river boat, at the edge of death, just so like unconscious yeah, not even unconscious, because you don't know when you're nodding.
Speaker 2:The worst thing I ever seen was a video of me nodding. I was like that's me. What hell of a little out here yeah but um yeah.
Speaker 2:So I chased that a long time, died, I was revived, I remember, uh, they dropped my body off in the corner of piner and marlo and I died in some trap house. And as soon as I, I happen to have a shot on my property. So as soon as they revived me with the Narcan and I'm like I gotta get through this wall, I got to get through this Narcan wall and so I did a shot in the lobby at the hospital. The nurse that helped revive me came in. Like what are you doing? I'm like, get out.
Speaker 2:Oh, wow so, yeah, it's the last time that that happened. Um, I was in jail for, I think, four months and I got out and I said I'm not gonna do this anymore, I'm just gonna drink. I made a promise to myself and so I'm just drinking tall cans every day. And I was in the right opportunity, the right spot and the girl I was with. Um, I didn't have to talk her into it too much and she made me like a water watered down shot of what we call red rock out here, which is, um, it's fentanyl okay was it was like a heroin, fentanyl, that's all. So she made it, made me watered down shot. I shot the little bit and I was like there's that magic feeling. This time I'm probably not coming back. I came out of it. I noticed there at the end of the garage and they had left my needle there with a full cap and I pulled back the syringe all the way and then I shot myself up and I supposedly and I don't remember this, this, but I died for about 10 to 15 minutes. Uh, luckily, the girl there had a couple of narcans on her. She narcan me once, I didn't come back. She narcan me again. I didn't come back and then she started doing chest compressions and I came back.
Speaker 2:Oh, wow, that was a big wake-up call. It wasn't like I had a near death experience or anything like that, but in my I don't know how to explain it it was like I kind of I was on into that void. I was at the threshold where I was like, damn, what did I do I? I, I messed up. I knew I would mess up. Eventually, like I was kind of like out of body. I can't really explain it in words, but I knew I had gone into that darkness and if I died like that, I'm not so sure where I'd be going, and so that was kind of spooky and it really had my gears turning. It really made me think, damn, gonna go back out. She offered, she offered me some. Right after that, couple hours after that, I'm like you know what? I'm gonna go home wait, I was waiting.
Speaker 1:The woman who revived you offered you another hit of the drugs that nearly killed you, and you were yeah, hours later. Oh, wow.
Speaker 2:And so I was like you know what, I want to go home and I don't know, maybe we'll go, because I was supposed to turn myself in to go to rehab for six months, but I would have to go to jail for a couple months and wait for a bed, and so I'm like I'm not doing that. You know, I'm used to having warrants and running and stuff like that, and so I'm just gonna go home for a minute, rest up and then hit the streets again. So I go to my parents house. My daughters are there at two, three daughters, but my two daughters were there. I forget how old they were at about probably about five and seven, I would imagine. Yeah, probably about five and seven years old. My baby's mom was up from Colorado staying up here, and they all went to bed.
Speaker 2:I'm at the house and the girl's hitting me off the chain and I'm just like I think I'm going to go back out. And then I'm like, damn, if I go back out, I feel like I'm really going to die this time. Is it worth it? I don't know. I'm like, damn, if I go back out, I feel like I'm really going to die this time. Is it worth it. I don't know. I'm going back and forth, back and forth. I'm like, well, I have the opportunity to turn myself in tomorrow. What am I going to do? I don't know what I'm going to do. Well, I'm going to go back out, but I'm going to do one last human thing.
Speaker 2:So I decided to sit in my dad's chair and watch a movie. There's a new movie out I think it was Joker with Joaquin Phoenix, and I used to like movies. That was the last human part of me. I liked to watch movies every now and then because I was so out of it from drugs. I sat there and I'm watching this movie and I'm decided you know, I'm gonna go back out and something, something eerie started happening. Um, I'm watching the screen and I'm thinking did I bring something back with me from the darkness? Which sounds crazy, right? And all of a sudden I'm sitting in a chair and I'm paralyzed. I can't move. I'm trying to will myself up, to move, and I don't know if you've ever had a terror by night or paralysis.
Speaker 1:It's basically a demonic attack. Okay.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm, it's basically a demonic attack.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:And so I can't move. I'm trying to wheel myself up and something tells me I hear audibly that we bite on the way down. And as soon as it said this, something put its hand over my left eye and it took it back. And then something pinched me on my right elbow.
Speaker 1:It was hella spooky.
Speaker 2:I got up. I got up, I started praying incessantly the Lord Jesus and God helped me call a hedge of protection, call Michael the archangel to defend me in battle. And it went away and then so not audibly. But God told me go into the room. And I went into the room and I seen my daughters there sleeping and I'm thinking what have I been doing, dude? Look at these little angels. What am I doing? Yes, and so I turned myself in the next day and that was my last overdose.
Speaker 1:That's so amazing, you know, just even like everything down to you, know you feeling the need to pray and calling on the name you know Jesus, and that is so that's so amazing With that, you know. I know you said that your daughters were in the next room. I was just going to ask you that too. Like, how do you think, like what was the effect on your kids? You know you said they were younger, yeah, yeah. So like, how was that relationship? You know, during that time when you were experiencing your worst part of addiction, so I, um I was very good at hiding my addiction.
Speaker 2:At least, I thought I was good at hiding it.
Speaker 1:Right, right right.
Speaker 2:Since they were babies. I babies, I was in their life, but you know I wasn't really there okay just like today. I woke up. I felt everything. I felt the sun on my face, I felt connected with all things around me. Then I wasn't connected. You know what I mean yeah, go ahead.
Speaker 1:I'm sorry no no, I was just gonna say um, um, I completely under, can relate on the on the opposite side of like, being a child who, you know, had two parents who struggled with addiction majority of my childhood. Um, so you know, I know that connection, that void of having a relationship and having that connection with my parents, but, you know, not truly understanding it because you're just a kid. But I do remember and I can recall the feeling of, like, you know, searching for the value, like do my parents love me? Or, you know, do they care about me? Like, you know, really, just as a kid, just really confused because you see other kids in their relationships with their parents and you're not purposely comparing them. But as a kid, that's where your mind goes. You're like, oh, wow, well, why isn't my dad showing up for this? Or why isn't my mom here for this?
Speaker 1:You know, I was moved around a lot and I was raised for a nice chunk of my childhood by my grandmother, so both my parents were really absentee to their addiction. But you know, as now I'm an adult and I have a more understanding and I'm able to give them grace, but I do remember, you know, feeling like that and I think that that's really what was the determining factor for me, because I grew up in a generation where that became cool. You know popping pills and getting high.
Speaker 1:And I have, you know, used marijuana and I started smoking at a young age. But I was always like, oh, it's just weed is you know, it's no problem. But even you know, like you say, you know, just even being careful of, like who you're smoking with or watching them roll. But I used to always say like I don't never want to feel like I need this or I have to have this, because I seen what that did to my parents and I've seen what they were willing to sacrifice and what they missed out on by choosing you know that or by having that struggle if it exists, it's going to transmute or transcend to the person that's close enough, um to you.
Speaker 2:Whether that's neglect, um, whether that's um addiction itself transferring it's, it happens in the family system, just like that. I come from you know parents that definitely drank and used and, um, I love my parents. Now we have a great relationship, but it wasn't. I didn't have the safest childhood right, yeah and um when I remember just uh, experiencing alcohol for the first time like, oh my god, I'm safe yeah. I'm safe now and this is my. This is my new best friend right so um with with my oldest daughter.
Speaker 2:She's 25 um she's fighting addiction right now, so I tried to show up and be consistent.
Speaker 2:I did, and then I tried to show up as a counselor, and then I tried to just show up as a friend again, and then I just started showing up as a father. So what hat do I gotta wear to defeat this thing? You know you feel so helpless as a parent. You know it's probably as helpless as she felt as my daughter, and so now that has transferred from my daughter to the mother of that child, it just hit me up. Sure, it's her choice, but it's so. This disease is so cunning, powerful and baffling you can't wrap your mind around it. No for sure, powerful and baffling, you can't wrap your mind around it. No, and I go to school. Yeah, I do this, you know, 40 hours a week and I go to school for it, to learn it, and uh, it is. It's just so confusing.
Speaker 1:It's a good fight to be in, but man yeah, no, and you know that's so important and I appreciate you sharing that and being open about that because it is, it truly is um a disease and it is. It does affect more people around you. Uh, maybe you know, if not directly, indirectly, whether they see it, they hear it or whatever. You know what I'm saying. It. Just you never get to choose how it affects you later, who it affects around you and biopsychosocial.
Speaker 1:That would be the social part yes, so true and um so I appreciate you opening up and being open about that.
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 1:And you know with you what you're doing with your, what your platform is. I think amazing Telling stories for these families, sharing their stories, giving them a voice. I know that it's not easy for them. And then even you having to put that out there, like you said, even with the two-year-old, like that is so heartbreaking A two-year-old getting a hold of such a deadly, you know, drug.
Speaker 2:Yeah, rest in peace, nevaeh Wallace yes, rest in peace.
Speaker 1:Like that's insane. So like what pivoted you? Like what started that where you started your pages and you started to want to put other stories out there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, being a survivor of the opioid crisis, it only made sense to meyan hughes, donald harvey, timon nicholson, casey, calder, noah garcia, the list goes on and on. Um. It's pretty bad out here in sonoma county too. I started doing um events out here to try to highlight the fentanyl epidemic that's going on not just in Sonoma County but you know, san Francisco the tenderloin. It's a damn war zone out there right now.
Speaker 2:Um so through a couple of events for the homeless situation out here and then realized, you know, this is good, we're helping the homeless, but what are we doing for them besides feeding them, right? So we did this event called summer aid, um, with impact foundation, and, uh, we fed the homeless, but we also got them clothes and hygiene and haircuts and you know, you know clothes. And then also, when they left they there was a booth set up. If you're a veteran, we got a booth for you. You want a covid shot? We got a covid shot. You want to get into rehab? We have a booth set up for that. And I thought, hey, we're really doing something with this. So started throwing more events like that and then went on a social media platform, learned the uh, you know the intricacies of social media through tiktok and facebook and instagram, and just started putting it out there, putting the awareness out there, and literally reached tens of millions of people.
Speaker 1:It's crazy no, for sure, I was gonna say, um, you know, I think you have like over 300,000 followers on Instagram and.
Speaker 1:I'm not sure how many on TikTok, but yeah, like that is, that's so great, like the fact that one you were, you were once going through the same struggle, the same struggle you even experience, you know, near death and then being we, you know, re-evaluating your life and being able to give, get, get a second chance and taking that second chance to make a difference and to give back and give a platform to others is amazing. That's truly what it takes to be chosen and faithful to what the Lord is calling you to do to give back.
Speaker 2:All praise to the Lord, all praise to Jesus Christ on that one.
Speaker 1:Amen. Amen to that. I think that is so amazing. Truly, that's what happened. I stumbled upon your page and I seen these stories and I was like, wow, I didn't even know it was that bad, because if it's not directly affecting you, you don't know.
Speaker 2:it affects your city, your community, your state, your state, your country, you it affects you. It's only a matter of time before it comes around and affects you. So, I monitor what's said on the page as much as I can. I understand there's a lot of negativity and a lot of people going against what I'm trying to do, but I can't stop what I'm trying to do, but I can't stop, won't stop.
Speaker 1:so yeah, and that's you know. That's expected. You know, whenever you're doing what the lord has chosen you to do, what the enemy is going to do is come and try to steal, kill and destroy that your purpose. You know absolutely.
Speaker 2:I don't take it personally Most of these people. It's a cry for help. When it comes down to it, it's because Defense always confirms accusation Right.
Speaker 1:Correct, yeah, true.
Speaker 2:Most of these people are. Either they have wounds that we can't see, or it hasn't came around to them yet, and it will. Whatever doesn't come out in the wash comes out in the rinse, am I right?
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's so true and it's so sad that you know people would rather be used in that manner. You know being negative when we're talking about lives that are lost. Two year olds, 10 year olds, 13 year olds these are kids who are innocent, who don't even know the dangers. They don't know Maybe they never stumbled upon your page.
Speaker 1:Maybe those who do stumble upon your page, they will rethink and reconsider. Do I want to go smoke this joint with Joe Smoe after school? Maybe not, because, hey, it may have it. It may not have any fit and all in it, I don't know.
Speaker 2:I believe that. I believe that, because people have commented on that you see them tagging their kids in it Um, pay attention to this and uh, it's that. That absolutely outweighs any kind of negative negativity that I'm coming across or any kind of hate. That's fine, I'll take that. You know, it's water off a duck's back. I don't take it personally.
Speaker 1:For sure. I mean it sucks. You know I have a five-year-old and a 12-year-old and I'm already having to have conversations with my 12-year-old about you know. He's just now starting to take Tylenol and ibuprofen, so I have to tell him you don't take it from nobody but me. And that sucks you know that sucks Because he's like well I'm.
Speaker 2:It's a whole different world.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and he doesn't understand that. And it's sad that I have to break it down to him like that and almost be like, yeah, you can't trust anybody, you know, because there's kids that may really think they're giving you a title. No, hey, they don't. They're giving you a title. No, hey, they don't. They don't know what their parents may have.
Speaker 2:You see kids nowadays on the news taking what they think are gummies to school and they're filled with thc or whatever you know we even we had a taste with those too, with, uh, I think it was a delta 9 gummy someone had, I don't know, somehow got contaminated and then, uh, someone had died off that wow see it's wild, right, because I don't want to be a fear monger and I absolutely believe in harm reduction, and but it's just not that world anymore.
Speaker 2:You, you, literally in the world I grew up in, did I experiment? Hell yeah, I experimented, but we didn't have to worry about being buried at 12, 13 years old from going out and doing a line of coke or something like that. Like it's, it's different. The trajectory has changed. You will die. Don't trust anything. Literally, you have to be abstinent. If you're gonna smoke weed, grow it yourself. Grow it yourself or Grow it yourself, or go to a club, and that's not even that safe.
Speaker 1:When you say club, do you mean like the dispensaries?
Speaker 2:Yeah, go to the dispensaries. But I can't even say that's 100% safe.
Speaker 1:That's scary. Yeah, like you said, it's just bringing that awareness, giving people the knowledge, because it's truly just ignorance. You know, it just comes from not knowing and, like you said, what used to just be a smoke session after school could easily turn into somebody being laced and losing their life and kids. They get scared, they just they don't know how to react in that moment.
Speaker 2:They don't they may not have kids or narcan around.
Speaker 1:They probably don't even know what narcan is, so they're probably just, you know, running off and maybe leaving their friend. They're not knowing that they're dying, they're just like oh, maybe they're having a bad reaction or whatever.
Speaker 2:You never every, every, every american should have narcan readily available. Um, the government should make this a thing. You're like, everybody should have dark and readily available. Have one off on them at all times. The way it is, fentanyl test strips should not be illegal. That's insane. Um, I'm pretty sure they're. They're illegal in most states in in america. It's crazy, um, and now you got xylosine to worry about. So this is narcan resistant. It's called uh, what is it? Trank? They call it trank, which is showing up everywhere now and then. So people are odian. And then you go to narcan them and nothing. It's narcan resistant because it's a, it's an animal tranquilizer oh wow.
Speaker 1:So what is exactly is narcan?
Speaker 2:narcan is a blocker and it's basically a blocker. It's an antagonist. So the opioids go into the receptor and it's so much neurotransmission that it starts to mess with the central nervous system, which makes someone stop breathing and they die when they get hit with Narcan. That blocker is so strong it goes into the receptor and binds to the receptor and kicks the opioid out. Oh, so it kind of reverses the effect. Yeah, it's like a polysynaptic effect.
Speaker 1:Oh wow. And is it free? Could you get it for free from places? Or you have to pay for it. Where would you buy this from? Where would someone who who needs this? Where would they be able to find? Is this something you buy over the counter?
Speaker 2:yeah, if you're, you can buy them over the counter at like cvs, rite aid, or you can go to like for here we have a place called face to face, but they'll only give you so many, so you can. You can get them in a prescription store, unprescribed and um. I think it's like 40, 50 dollars for one. But if you're um, if you're a non-profit with a 501 c3, you can literally get like crates of this stuff shipped to you. Uh, if you go through next distro I think it's next you can literally get crates of this stuff shipped to you. You go through Next Distrocom where it's Narcan distribution. Just literally Google Narcan distribution in my county so many people hit me up about this. I'm like where are you from Nevada? You just literally Google Nevada, free Narcan.
Speaker 1:Very simple to do got you okay, yeah, yeah, that that's definitely important, and I, you know, for people to know, especially, like I said, even for these younger kids who still might want to explore and, you know, do those things. It's like at least try.
Speaker 2:I would never encourage anyone to do that, but like, at least be proactive and be knowledgeable, and you know everybody, listen, everybody needs to talk to their kids about fentanyl and trust me, trust and believe, if you you have a teenager, you're not going to have a freaking camera on them at all times. Dude people want to blame the parents. Nah, listen, they got. They got availability, they got supply. All they need is a life stressor, and they're definitely going to experiment with drugs. It doesn't matter if their friend just died, they're going to. So that's a reality we need to accept, and we need to accept that this is an internal problem in the United States. We want to blame Mexico, we want to blame China? Listen, we can clean up this shit right here in our backyard. With enough awareness, we could do that.
Speaker 2:This is a problem that started here with the opioid epidemic from the OxyContin started by the Sacklers. In the early 90s, you had these, and this is all from greed. These people sent these medical companies or, I'm sorry, pharmaceutical companies out to these rural pockets all throughout the Midwest in North America, and they finessed these doctors. They gave me, gave them incentives to push this painkiller on to America. So what you're seeing right now, though, is the fallout. You're seeing the grandchildren if not great grandchildren of this 90s epidemic oh, wow it wow.
Speaker 1:That is crazy.
Speaker 2:It's Purdue responsible for all these deaths.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:It's crazy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you're teaching me something here and that's why I wanted to have you on. I just felt that you know that I would be able to learn something, but that also I would be able to, you know, offer, you know, this knowledge to our listeners, because it is very important and I feel like it's not talked about enough, in a sense of like what we can do to fix it. We talk about the impact that is having, the effect that is having on people in our communities, but we're not, we're not talking enough about what we can do to fix it, what we can do to make change. You know and where it did start and you know, giving people a more of an understanding, so that we're not just sitting around passing judgment and saying shoulda, coulda, woulda, or it couldn't be me, wouldn't be me, those types of things. When you have the knowledge, you have the background, you have someone who's like hey, I've been there.
Speaker 1:That gives you a different understanding, it gives you a different compassion, it gives you a different drive to try to make change. You know, and I think that's so important.
Speaker 2:I wouldn't take a day back. I don't have any regrets.
Speaker 1:I appreciate that you agreed to come on and speak with us and give us those gems and those tips, because you know, like you said, I felt so touched when I had reached out to you and you said you will be willing to come on. But not only that you were willing to come on, but that you prayed about it and that you you got confirmation to do so, and that just also gave me confirmation that this is what we're supposed to do. We're supposed to provide whatever you know, support and whatever knowledge that we can to those who are who will listen yeah, the, uh, the shebo podcast.
Speaker 2:I don't know if I'm saying that right yeah, shebo crew, yep anointed by god, man. I'm telling you, I appreciate telling you.
Speaker 1:I appreciate that so much. We appreciate that so much. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Chosen ones right here.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much. We appreciate it and we love that. You know anyone who comes onto the podcast. We pray that you do feel you know called to do so, because there is a bigger purpose and we just want to connect and be a support to you as well. What you're doing is nothing short of amazing and you deserve, you know, recognition for that. No for sure. Like that's so true, like I can't imagine going through what you've gone through and coming out and saying, hey, not only am I going to change my life, but I'm going to try to change and save as many lives as I can, because you know, it's some people. They'll go through things and they'll come out of them. The Lord will bring them out of it and they will just go on about their life and be thankful for that. And that's okay too. Everybody's not meant to be or called to be, chosen to be, you know, an anointed person to go save others.
Speaker 1:But you, you said no, I'm not going to just save myself to go save others, but you, you said no, I'm not going to just save myself. I was bought back for a reason.
Speaker 2:I was given a second, a third chance for a reason and that and that is important.
Speaker 1:you know, and I just want to encourage you today that you know, regardless of whatever the enemy tries to throw in your way, whatever roadbloblocks, whatever you know things he tried to do to destroy, what it is that you set out to do with every 11 minutes, continue to do that because, yeah, you're going to have those spiritual warfares, you're going to be under attack, but I'll take it.
Speaker 2:I'll take it. It's worth it. Listen, I would. I would much rather choose adventure over security.
Speaker 1:For sure.
Speaker 2:And no one wants to ride up. No one wants to ride on a flat roller coaster. Am I wrong?
Speaker 1:yeah, no let's go and the fight is definitely worth the reward. It's so worth the reward and so we're rooting you on here. We're supporting you, you know, from the other side of the world, we're all the way across the world, you know, but we're supporting you, um, you know we're following what it is that you're doing and you know, hopefully we can connect more and, you know, be able to be a part of and play a part of, be a support of the movement that you have, because it is such a big movement and it's so important. It's needed today.
Speaker 1:It's needed it really is and like we always say people gonna trust somebody who's been there, done that, more than maybe someone who is just like hey, you know, I want to help you, you know, but not really being able to understand where that person is coming from, you can understand firsthand yes, I know the darkness very well. Yeah, so for sure, and just before you know, I want you to give your social media handles and all that information so that the listeners know how to follow you, how to follow the movement and know how to find you.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, absolutely, tiktok. It's at every 11 minutes, just how it sounds At every 11, two ones minutes at every 11 minutes. And then my Instagram IG handle is at every dot, 11 dot minutes, minutes. And uh, we just had a facebook get hacked, so I'm trying to combat that right now, but uh, just put up another facebook, so it's at, and I don't know what those two dots are called an ellipsis. Is that what it's called?
Speaker 1:what is?
Speaker 2:it two dots, like whatever it's ever it's at two dots, like whatever it's ever it's at two dots. Ellipsis 11 minutes. Okay, so you told me before what is your? Uh, what?
Speaker 1:what the hell moment? Yeah, we didn't get to do the wth moment in the beginning, but I'm glad you came back to us.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, you have a wth moment you want to share with us yeah, so I'm not going to be able to probably reply to this client, but after I got off the phone with you I went to boxing. I'm on my way back from boxing and I got this email from a past client. So I can't say his name because it would be a hip violation. But so yo, jeremy it's. The name has been stricken from the narrative. Hope all is well with you. Sorry, I missed seeing you on my last day at a line. That's where I work, a line recovery center's big shout out. I just want to say that line totally changed my life and my experience there was one of the greatest of my life. You were such a huge part of that. You're one of the most inspiring people I've ever met. You showed me more than anyone that recovery just isn't necessary. But it's beautiful and hella fun. I'm enjoying life at the SLE. I'm here. It's great having blank here can't say his name. We're a good. We're a good duo when it comes to keeping each other accountable.
Speaker 2:My court case is still dragging on, but I'm not stressing about it. I'm doing iop mondays, wednesdays and fridays. I just started last week but I really like it so far. It was kind of a trip, leaving a line after 90 days. At first I just wanted to be back there because it became my home, but I'm getting used to life on the outside and it's pretty great not to be thinking about drinking. Just wanted to tell you, um, so you know, all is good and you played a huge part in truly making me believe a sober life is not only possible, but I don't miss any of that stuff I was doing before. As always, beyond grateful for you and hope you're having a good day. Much love, bro.
Speaker 1:That's so dope, and that's what it's about.
Speaker 2:I wouldn't trade that right there for my best high. Yeah At all, I wouldn't, I can't. That's the real stuff, that's the authenticity. That's the authenticity, that is the roller coaster, that's the uh. You know, I was on a 90-day journey with this young man and, um, man, it's I can't even explain it. It's all these golden moments and, um, I get to be front row seat, you know, at the best movie in the world, and it's my life.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. And you're awesome, yeah, and you're fully awakened and aware of everything you know.
Speaker 1:And I think that is so important because, like we said in the beginning, you know life is full of ups and downs, but there's beauty in all of it and you just have to really be open to receive that and then, and if you can't find it, you know, being able to lock in with yourself and take that time to reflect and have that, that divine time to really figure that out. But it does take time and everybody's journey is different, but that is amazing, that's so beautiful. But it does take time and everybody's journey is different, but that is amazing, that's so beautiful and that's how I feel. You know, similar to when I get you know, contacted or inboxes about the podcast and just the message that we put out there, because, though, I love to talk and meet new people and you know there's beauty in that, but there's also beauty in being able to have someone say, hey, like you really made a difference for me, or hey that's what I needed to hear.
Speaker 1:You know, when I thought about ending it all you and your words of inspiration that changed that you know. Just being able to say, you know, I'm this much closer to doing what the Lord has me to do. That's God showing off right there. Yeah, there's nothing that we could ever do to earn and deserve the love of God, but we can always work at it.
Speaker 2:No matter what, we can always work at it, and that's what it's about, so I love that for you, all the character flaws that I still have, and I'm able to be seated in heaven with God right now as we're on this podcast. Yes, how crazy is that amen.
Speaker 1:It's so beautiful and I'm just so thankful for this moment. I'm thankful for you, thank you for taking the time out and sharing that information with us, and being open and transparent is such a beauty and being able to own you know your journey and I love that for you. And, like I said, I hope that this is not just a one off. I hope that we can connect more and that whenever it is that you're having events or whatever, though you're in California, we're here in Ohio, we're just a flight away and, at the end of the day, we're just a call away. So it's nothing for us to connect and and and push that out there. You know, and and do and do a podcast or whatever we need to do to, to to get that support out there.
Speaker 2:I'm with it. Let's do it.
Speaker 1:Yes, did you want to leave anything else you wanted to say? You want to leave with the listeners before we end today I just much, much love and respect to everybody out there.
Speaker 2:You know, um, stay woke and choose wisely. Yes, I don't mean I don't, by the way, I don't mean be woke. You know what I mean. I'm not using that phrase woke.
Speaker 2:What I mean is wake up, open your eyes, look at your, be be aware of your surroundings, because it's not worth your life absolutely and then, uh, I'll just drop this, uh, one of my favorite verses from the bible, ephesians 6 12, for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil and heavenly realms. That's it.
Speaker 1:Amen, yes, Well, I appreciate you again and we thank you so much for having here my co-host. She was so sad she couldn't be here today. She was ready and amped for this segment. So sad she couldn't be here today. She was ready and amped for this segment, but I know she's going to love to hear the delivery.
Speaker 2:Like.
Speaker 1:I said, this isn't going to be our last time, so we're excited to see what else you do with every 11 minutes and we're in support of that in any way that we can help, Don't hesitate to reach out to us.
Speaker 2:We're locked in now.
Speaker 1:No problem. Thank you again for taking the time. You could have been anywhere else doing anything else, but you took the time to speak with us today, so we appreciate that, and until next time, guys, stay bold.