The Hopeaholics

Addicted to Hope
  • 4.8 (71)
  • Mental Health
  • Weekly

Chad Carlsen started The Hopeaholics Podcast after his soon-to-be son-in-law died of fentanyl poisoning. Not as therapy. As a response to a crisis that kills tens of thousands of people a year while most of the country looks the other way. Hosted by Chad and WWE superstar Natalie Eva Marie, The Hopeaholics brings on survivors of addiction, mental illness, and the kind of rock-bottom moments most people never talk about. Long-form, unfiltered conversations with people in recovery, families who've lost someone, and the professionals working inside the addiction treatment system. 327+ episodes. New episodes every Tuesday and Friday. If you or someone you love needs help with addiction or substance use, call 949-615-8588

  1. Oct 19

    I Called My Mom to Learn How to Shoot Heroin w/ Dave Marquess | The Hopeaholics Podcast #364

    In this episode of The Hopeaholics Podcast, we sit down with Dave Marquess, creator of Relapse vs Recovery, a recovery-based card game, to discuss his extraordinary journey through addiction, incarceration, and ultimately finding purpose in sobriety. Growing up in Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood, Dave was surrounded by addiction from an early age. With both parents struggling with substance abuse, his childhood was marked by instability, chaos, and exposure to drugs. By his early teens, Dave was already experimenting with PCP, eventually spiraling into years of heroin and cocaine addiction, drug dealing, incarceration, and life-threatening experiences. From smoking PCP before school to calling his own mother to learn how to inject heroin, Dave opens up about the devastating realities of addiction and the environment that shaped his early life. After enduring brutal withdrawals, repeated encounters with the law, and countless rock-bottom moments, he eventually reached a turning point that changed the course of his life. Today, approaching a decade of sobriety, Dave has transformed his experiences into something meaningful. As the creator of Relapse vs Recovery, a satirical card game inspired by the realities of addiction and recovery, he's using humor, creativity, and shared experiences to bring people together and make sober living more engaging. Throughout this conversation, we explore generational addiction, the psychological toll of substance abuse, the challenges of rebuilding a life in recovery, and how Dave turned some of his darkest experiences into a creative outlet that helps others connect, laugh, and heal. Dave's story is a powerful reminder that no matter how far addiction takes someone, recovery is possible, and sometimes finding purpose means learning to laugh along the way. Connect with Dave Marquess: Instagram: @relapsevsrecoverygame Follow The Hopeaholics Podcast: Instagram: @thehopeaholics Subscribe for more conversations about addiction, recovery, mental health, and stories of hope. #TheHopeaholics #DaveMarquess #RelapseVsRecovery #AddictionRecovery #HeroinAddiction #Sobriety #RecoveryIsPossible #MentalHealthAwareness Follow the Hopeaholics on our Socials: https://www.instagram.com/thehopeaholics  https://linktr.ee/thehopeaholics Go to www.Wolfpak.com today and support our sponsors. Don't forget to use code: HOPEAHOLICSPODCAST for 10% off! Visit our Treatment Centers: https://www.hopebythesea.com If you or a loved one needs help, please call or text 949-615-8588. We have the resources to treat mental health and addiction.  Sponsored by the Infiniti Group LLC: https://www.infinitigroupllc.com  Join our patreon to get access to an EXTRA EPISODE every week of ‘Off the Record’, exclusive content, a thriving recovery community, and opportunities to be featured on the podcast. https://patreon.com/TheHopeaholics  Our Merch:  https://thehopeaholics.myshopify.com #TheHopeaholics #redemption #recovery #AlcoholAddiction #AddictionRecovery #wedorecover #SobrietyJourney #MyStory #Hope #wedorecover #treatmentcenter #natalieevamarie

  2. Oct 12

    "Losing Custody of My Daughter Was My Wake-Up Call" - Abbey Fickley | The Hopeaholics Re-release

    At the height of her addiction, Abbey Fickley lost custody of her daughter to her own parents. Then, in one of the most painful turning points of her life, her father pressed felony charges against her. What followed was a journey through addiction, motherhood, sobriety, and the difficult reality of rebuilding a life in recovery. In this powerful episode of The Hopeaholics Podcast, we sit down with Abbey Fickley, a mother and recovery advocate, to discuss the devastating impact of substance abuse on her family, the heartbreak of losing custody of her daughter, and the life-changing decisions that ultimately pushed her toward sobriety. Abbey opens up about navigating addiction as a single mother, the consequences of substance use disorder, and the complicated role of tough love in addiction recovery. When her parents stepped in to protect her daughter, Abbey was forced to confront the reality of her addiction and the damage it was causing to the people she loved most. She also reflects on her father's decision to press felony charges against her, a painful experience that became a pivotal moment in her recovery journey. Through accountability, healing, and a commitment to change, Abbey began rebuilding her life and repairing the relationships that addiction had impacted. This conversation goes beyond addiction and sobriety. It's about motherhood, family intervention, generational healing, forgiveness, and what it truly takes to break free from the cycle of addiction. For anyone struggling with addiction, navigating recovery as a parent, or loving someone battling substance abuse, Abbey's story is a reminder that even when everything feels lost, recovery and a different future are possible. Watch this powerful conversation with Abbey Fickley on The Hopeaholics Podcast. Subscribe for more real conversations about addiction recovery, mental health, sobriety, family relationships, and second chances. #AbbeyFickley #AddictionRecovery #TheHopeaholics Follow the Hopeaholics on our Socials: https://www.instagram.com/thehopeaholics  https://linktr.ee/thehopeaholics Go to www.Wolfpak.com today and support our sponsors. Don't forget to use code: HOPEAHOLICSPODCAST for 10% off! Visit our Treatment Centers: https://www.hopebythesea.com If you or a loved one needs help, please call or text 949-615-8588. We have the resources to treat mental health and addiction.  Sponsored by the Infiniti Group LLC: https://www.infinitigroupllc.com  Join our patreon to get access to an EXTRA EPISODE every week of ‘Off the Record’, exclusive content, a thriving recovery community, and opportunities to be featured on the podcast. https://patreon.com/TheHopeaholics  Our Merch:  https://thehopeaholics.myshopify.com

  3. Oct 5

    $1.2 MILLION in Debt & Facing Federal Prison with Ian Bick | The Hopeaholics Rereleased

    At 18 years old, Ian Bick was running a nightclub and booking major artists. Just a few years later, everything came crashing down — leaving him facing massive debt, federal charges, and ultimately three years in federal prison. In this episode of The Hopeaholics Podcast, Ian Bick shares the unbelievable rise, fall, and comeback that completely changed the course of his life. Ian opens up about the pressure of finding success so young, the decisions that led to his federal conviction, what life was really like behind bars, solitary confinement, and the reality of rebuilding your life after prison. But Ian’s story didn’t end there. After his release, he eventually turned his experiences into a platform for second chances, redemption, and conversations about the criminal justice system. Today, he is the host of Locked In with Ian Bick, where he sits down with former inmates, law enforcement, attorneys, victims, and others to tell stories from every side of the system. This is a conversation about ambition, consequences, accountability, resilience, and what it takes to rebuild after losing everything. $1.2 MILLION in Debt & Facing Federal Prison with Ian Bick | The Hopeaholics Rereleased CHECK OUT IAN BICK HERE: https://www.youtube.com/@ianbickCT  Follow the Hopeaholics on our Socials: https://www.instagram.com/thehopeaholics  https://linktr.ee/thehopeaholics Go to www.Wolfpak.com today and support our sponsors. Don't forget to use code: PODCAST HOPEAHOLICS for 10% off! Visit our Treatment Centers: https://www.hopebythesea.com If you or a loved one needs help, please call or text 949-615-8588. We have the resources to treat mental health and addiction.  Sponsored by the Infiniti Group LLC: https://www.infinitigroupllc.com  Join our patreon to get access to an EXTRA EPISODE every week of ‘Off the Record’, exclusive content, a thriving recovery community, and opportunities to be featured on the podcast. https://patreon.com/TheHopeaholics  Our Merch:  https://thehopeaholics.myshopify.com #TheHopeaholics #redemption #recovery #AlcoholAddiction #AddictionRecovery #wedorecover #SobrietyJourney #MyStory #Hope #wedorecover #treatmentcenter #natalieevamarie

  4. Sep 28

    We Should Have Seen the Fentanyl Crisis Coming w/ Sheriff Don Barnes | Re-Release #109

    In this re-released episode of The Hopeaholics Podcast #109, Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes shares warnings about fentanyl, the rise of counterfeit pills and the programs his department developed as the crisis grew. Sheriff Don Barnes has spent more than 35 years in law enforcement and has been confronting the fentanyl crisis in Orange County since his department began seeing the drug in 2015.  Barnes discusses naloxone deployment by deputies, medication-assisted treatment inside the jail, reentry programs, counterfeit pills sold as Xanax, Percocet and Adderall, social media drug sales, youth drug education, mental health crisis response and why he believes there is no single solution to fentanyl. We Should Have Seen the Fentanyl Crisis Coming w/ Sheriff Don Barnes | Re-Release #109 Follow the Hopeaholics on our Socials: https://www.instagram.com/thehopeaholics  https://linktr.ee/thehopeaholics Go to www.Wolfpak.com today and support our sponsors. Don't forget to use code: HOPEAHOLICSPODCAST for 10% off! Visit our Treatment Centers: https://www.hopebythesea.com If you or a loved one needs help, please call or text 949-615-8588. We have the resources to treat mental health and addiction.  Sponsored by the Infiniti Group LLC: https://www.infinitigroupllc.com  Join our patreon to get access to an EXTRA EPISODE every week of ‘Off the Record’, exclusive content, a thriving recovery community, and opportunities to be featured on the podcast. https://patreon.com/TheHopeaholics  Our Merch:  https://thehopeaholics.myshopify.com #TheHopeaholics #redemption #recovery #AlcoholAddiction #AddictionRecovery #wedorecover #SobrietyJourney #MyStory #Hope #wedorecover #treatmentcenter #natalieevamarie 0:00:00 Intro 0:05:54 Orange County starts seeing fentanyl in 2015 0:13:41 Addiction treatment inside the Orange County Jail 0:16:15 Prop 47, drug arrests and consequences for addiction 0:23:56 Marijuana, psychosis and the developing brain 0:29:19 Addiction, mental illness and homelessness 0:32:31 Why short insurance stays fail people in treatment 0:36:55 Reentry, relapse risk and counterfeit pills 0:41:35 "If it's not from a pharmacist, it's fentanyl" 0:50:02 Kids selling fentanyl and the changing drug market 0:52:39 Cartels, trafficking and border security 1:00:45 Overdose vs. poisoning 1:05:38 Fentanyl dealers, murder charges and criminal liability 1:12:13 Barnes recalls years of warnings about fentanyl 1:18:36 How Narcan races against fentanyl 1:25:59 What Orange County's death investigations show about addiction 1:36:20 Fentanyl deaths among teens and talking to your kids 1:52:51 The arrest Barnes says helped change one man's life 2:01:24 Mental health stigma and Orange County's Be Well centers 2:16:11 Chad: "This is a podcast that I wish never existed" 2:19:45 Chad thanks the deputies who helped save his life 2:22:43 Preventable deaths, education and final thoughts

  5. Sep 24

    Firefighter PTSD, Addiction & the Cost of Being "Tough" w/ James Owen | The Hopeaholics Podcast #363

    Retired Long Beach Fire Captain James Owen spent his career running toward other people’s emergencies while addiction, trauma, and post-traumatic stress were building behind the badge. In this episode of The Hopeaholics, James opens up about the murder of his close friend and fellow firefighter Captain Dave Rosa, surviving a motorcycle crash that broke his neck, losing and rebuilding his sobriety, and the realization that ultimately changed his life: after spending his career trying to save everyone else, the last patient he needed to save was himself. James joined the Long Beach Fire Department and built the career he had dreamed about, eventually becoming a fire captain. But as the job became more of his identity, his recovery began to disappear. After years of sobriety, James found himself drinking again while dealing with divorce, overwhelming stress, internal investigations, traumatic calls, and the cumulative weight of life as a first responder. James also discusses first responder PTSD and suicide, Alcoholics Anonymous, Adult Children of Alcoholics and Dysfunctional Families (ACA), nonlinear recovery, alternative recovery modalities, the importance of continuing to seek new ways to heal, and his book, The Last Patient. Firefighter PTSD, Addiction & the Cost of Being "Tough" w/ James Owen | The Hopeaholics Podcast #363

  6. Sep 14

    My AA Friend Got Me Drunk In My First 90 Days w/ Rachel Sereni | The Hopeaholics Podcast #362

    Rachel Sereni is co-host of the 2 Girls in a Chair podcast and sober for over 2 years. She grew up mostly alone with her little sister while their dad worked two jobs, because their mother was addicted to opiates and spent most of Rachel's early childhood nodding out on the couch. Rachel got a DUI after she left work early to drink and forgot to pick up her son from school, woke up in jail with her car impounded and her son at his grandma's house. By the end of her drinking she was 221 pounds, had over 32 W2s because she couldn't hold a job, and was blacking out most nights and cursing out her husband without remembering any of it. On April 10th, 2024, she drove to a parking lot with a bottle of wine and two shooters for one last hurrah, got halfway through the wine, started throwing a tantrum in her front seat and almost kicked her windshield in. She got out, threw everything into a field, and landed on her knees sobbing. She drove home, woke up April 11th, and that was her sobriety date. She's been sober since, lost 80 pounds, and chose April 11th as the date she married her husband. Rachel also announces an amazing surprise for the very first time in our show's history! Check out the 2 Girls In A Chair podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/@2GirlsInaChair Follow the Hopeaholics on our Socials: https://www.instagram.com/thehopeaholics  https://linktr.ee/thehopeaholics Go to www.Wolfpak.com today and support our sponsors. Don't forget to use code: HOPEAHOLICSPODCAST for 10% off! Visit our Treatment Centers: https://www.hopebythesea.com If you or a loved one needs help, please call or text 949-615-8588. We have the resources to treat mental health and addiction.  Sponsored by the Infiniti Group LLC: https://www.infinitigroupllc.com  Join our patreon to get access to an EXTRA EPISODE every week of ‘Off the Record’, exclusive content, a thriving recovery community, and opportunities to be featured on the podcast. https://patreon.com/TheHopeaholics  Our Merch:  https://thehopeaholics.myshopify.com #TheHopeaholics #redemption #recovery #AlcoholAddiction #AddictionRecovery #wedorecover #SobrietyJourney #MyStory #Hope #wedorecover #treatmentcenter #natalieevamarie 00:00 — Intro 04:00 — Pregnancy Announcement 08:00 — Day one of sobriety: got on the scale, saw 221 13:29 — In and out of halfway homes with Mom 15:14 — Mom came back at 11 16:57 — Mom had numerous overdoses 17:31 — The night mom died 21:51 — Daily drinking by 19; violent, fighting people; 22:20 — Found out she was pregnant 23:33 — The friend nobody wanted to go out with 24:18 — Left work early to drink; forgot to pick son up; woke up in jail 29:40 — The surrender moment 31:39 — Friend did an intervention while she was the one who got Rachel drunk 33:17 — Started 2 Girls in a Chair with Jessica 36:41 — She thought she'd never genuinely laugh again 37:49 — Addiction doesn't have to define your whole personality 43:55 — "I married the love of my life the day I got my life back." 46:41 — Grief in sobriety 47:24 — Started EMDR for PTSD from seeing her mom's body 50:47 — Not continuing EMDR while pregnant 53:33 — What you feel during pregnancy, the baby feels 54:33 — Her son forgives her 57:22 — Blackout drinking 57:47 — How alcohol is glamorized vs what it actually is 1:02:19 — AA experiences mirror bad church experiences 1:07:04 — How she and Jessica met 1:09:14 — Grew up with no mother; all mother figures have passed

  7. Sep 10

    I Hid My Heroin Addiction from My Wife for 3 Years w/ Jesse Sanchez | The Hopeaholics Podcast #361

    Jesse Sanchez was 11 the first time he smoked weed, 14 when he tried cocaine and opiates, and 17 when he looked up from a carpet covered in crack and thought "holy s***, what are we doing." He eventually landed on heroin as his drug of choice and spent three years hiding it from his wife, driving 4.5 hours round trip to his dealer while she thought he was at work, once using a co-worker's real funeral as cover to go pick up. When she finally found out, he ended up on his sister's couch in Washington sweating it out, then a year in AA still drinking, still taking chips for heroin. He's been six years off heroin, four years fully clean. Six months into his final sobriety, his brother Julian had died from fentanyl poisoning. The depression that followed got dark enough that when the thought of taking his son with him crossed his mind, it scared him into finally getting real help. Follow the Hopeaholics on our Socials: https://www.instagram.com/thehopeaholics  https://linktr.ee/thehopeaholics Go to www.Wolfpak.com today and support our sponsors. Don't forget to use code: HOPEAHOLICSPODCAST for 10% off! Visit our Treatment Centers: https://www.hopebythesea.com If you or a loved one needs help, please call or text 949-615-8588. We have the resources to treat mental health and addiction.  Sponsored by the Infiniti Group LLC: https://www.infinitigroupllc.com  Join our patreon to get access to an EXTRA EPISODE every week of ‘Off the Record’, exclusive content, a thriving recovery community, and opportunities to be featured on the podcast. https://patreon.com/TheHopeaholics  Our Merch:  https://thehopeaholics.myshopify.com #TheHopeaholics #redemption #recovery #AlcoholAddiction #AddictionRecovery #wedorecover #SobrietyJourney #MyStory #Hope #wedorecover #treatmentcenter #natalieevamarie 0:00    — Into 2:07    — The shirt: in memory of Julian 7:43    — Parents divorced when he was 2 8:14    — Age 11: first smoked weed with a friend, not his brother 10:06   — Age 14: no weed around, tried cocaine 13:17   — Age 17: became a crackhead 14:12   — Opiates vs everything else 17:15   — When pills got scarce, friends switched to heroin 18:06   — Met his wife from Ukraine 23:17   — Wife caught him, admitted pills, never mentioned heroin 32:37   — Used a co-worker's real funeral as cover to go pick up drugs 34:30   — Confessing addiction to wife 42:45   — Detoxing at sister's house 45:18   — 6 years off heroin, never touched it since 46:04   — Tried AA while still drinking 51:22   — Relapsed on cocaine at work, told his sponsor 55:24   — Mom calls to tell me my brother died 58:20   — 800-pound steel tube cut his fingertips off on the job 1:04:39 — Staying sober through brother's death 1:09:05 — Rock bottom in sobriety 1:17:33 — What turned the corner: therapy, EMDR 1:21:06 — What you tell your sponsor vs what you tell a therapist

  8. Sep 7

    My Dad Was My First Dealer w/ Jessica Nolin | The Hopeaholics Podcast #360

    Jessica Nolin is a content creator, recovery advocate, and co-host of 2 Girls in a Chair podcast. Jessica's dad dealt drugs her entire childhood and helped manage her anxiety by giving her a vodka orange at 12 along with random pills she didn't even know the names of. By 15 she was drinking daily. A few years ago she detoxed at home alone over nine days without telling anyone, sleeping an hour at a time, still showing up to work and helping customers on the sales floor between rounds of throwing up. What got her through it was sheer will and a decision she made going in that she wasn't going to be ashamed of it. After those nine days she started figuring out what sobriety actually looked like for her and found an Instagram community of people in recovery just by putting herself out there during a dry January and posting every day. Today she has two years sober, a genuine support system, and is continuing to share her experiences and spread her message with her content.  Follow the Hopeaholics on our Socials: https://www.instagram.com/thehopeaholics  https://linktr.ee/thehopeaholics Go to www.Wolfpak.com today and support our sponsors. Don't forget to use code: HOPEAHOLICSPODCAST for 10% off! Visit our Treatment Centers: https://www.hopebythesea.com If you or a loved one needs help, please call or text 949-615-8588. We have the resources to treat mental health and addiction.  Sponsored by the Infiniti Group LLC: https://www.infinitigroupllc.com  Join our patreon to get access to an EXTRA EPISODE every week of ‘Off the Record’, exclusive content, a thriving recovery community, and opportunities to be featured on the podcast. https://patreon.com/TheHopeaholics  Our Merch:  https://thehopeaholics.myshopify.com #TheHopeaholics #redemption #recovery #AlcoholAddiction #AddictionRecovery #wedorecover #SobrietyJourney #mystory  #Hope #wedorecover #treatmentcenter #natalieevamarie 01:12 — Jessica Nolin 04:38 — Parents were 17 and 18 05:27 — Struggling with anxiety and depression 06:28 — First drink at 12: dad gave her a vodka orange for her anxiety 11:46 — Living in dad's trap house 19:24 — Hair falling out, throwing up every day 25:42 — Grandpa and dad sold drugs 30:00 — Moment of clarity 31:47 — Nine days of home detox 33:46 — What's kept her sober 35:49 — Radical self-acceptance 36:46 — How she met Rachel and started their podcast 42:58 — Dad is still using; relationship with mom is better now 43:48 — Why she does this

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4.8
out of 5
71 Ratings

About

Chad Carlsen started The Hopeaholics Podcast after his soon-to-be son-in-law died of fentanyl poisoning. Not as therapy. As a response to a crisis that kills tens of thousands of people a year while most of the country looks the other way. Hosted by Chad and WWE superstar Natalie Eva Marie, The Hopeaholics brings on survivors of addiction, mental illness, and the kind of rock-bottom moments most people never talk about. Long-form, unfiltered conversations with people in recovery, families who've lost someone, and the professionals working inside the addiction treatment system. 327+ episodes. New episodes every Tuesday and Friday. If you or someone you love needs help with addiction or substance use, call 949-615-8588

Information

  • Creator
    Addicted to Hope
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    366
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Hopeaholics
  • Show Website
    The Hopeaholics

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