Mark Pepper (Clinical Director at Steps Recovery Center) joins Casey Scott and Dr. Matt Woolley to open up about struggling to find his place in life growing up and how turning to weed and alcohol early in life helped him fit in during high school.

Mark also talks about falling in love with being addicted to depression during his freshman year of college in Eugene, OR, his decision to transfer to Boulder, CO for the sole purpose of partying, and how a cocaine addiction would plague his thirties.

Then we dive into Mark’s time trying to get sober while hiding his addiction, what finally pushed him over the edge to start living a life of sobriety, and how he’s helping give back to others who are battling addiction.

Related Links

Steps Recovery Center: https://www.stepsrc.com/

Live On: https://liveonutah.org/

Matthew Jackson joins Casey Scott and Dr. Matt Woolley again to talk about how his life has changed after his time on the podcast three years ago, the ways his recovery has shifted, and his decision to pursue being a Substance Use Disorder / Addiction Counselor for the youth.

We also dive into how substance abuse has evolved among the youth, modalities that Matthew uses to help the youth overcome substance abuse and addiction, as well as how dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) can help introduce emotional skills to the youth that can be used to combat addictive tendencies.

In this week's episode, Casey Scott and Dr. Matt Woolley are joined by Matthew Jackson, a former BYU professor, to talk about Matthew's experimentation with substances growing up in a small town, the shame he felt after his addiction became more well-known, and how a spiritual awakening led him to experience recovery for the first time.

Then Matthew talks about his life without substance abuse, how pursuing his Ph.D. led to a reliance on caffeine, and his decision to begin abusing energy drinks and pain pills to stay focused on his goals.

Matthew also talks about the "Holy Trinity" of addiction, the events that led to his rock bottom, and what his recovery looks like now.