Get a Grip Podcast

Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes

Get a Grip Podcast is hosted by Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes, both in recovery from addiction and alcoholism. In each episode, they share their unfiltered stories of overcoming addiction, time in prison, and struggles with mental health—mixing raw honesty with humor. The podcast gives a voice to the underdog, breaking down the stigma surrounding addiction and recovery. Through candid conversations and real-life experiences, Louis and Aaron inspire others on their journey, showing that while recovery is challenging, it’s possible. Tune in for laughter, hope, and stories of transformation.

  1. My Whole Family Was Addicted to H3roin — Losing My Sister Changed Everything. | Ep 127

    42M AGO

    My Whole Family Was Addicted to H3roin — Losing My Sister Changed Everything. | Ep 127

    In this episode of the Get a Grip Podcast, Louis & Aaron sit down with Kathryn Grills whose life was shaped by generational addiction from childhood. From using drugs with her parents, losing her sister to an overdose, surviving multiple ODs herself, and ultimately finding recovery — this is a raw, unfiltered story of survival, trauma, and hope.This conversation dives deep into the realities of growing up in an addicted household, the normalization of drug use at a young age, and what it took to finally break the cycle.⚠️ Trigger Warning: This episode discusses drug use, overdose, trauma, and loss.If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, you’re not alone. Recovery is possible.📌 Subscribe to the Get a Grip Podcast for real stories of addiction, recovery, and redemption.📩 Share this episode — it might save a life.⏱ TIMESTAMPS0:00 – Title of First Chapter00:01:40 – Childhood and early family environment00:03:00 – Using drugs with her mom at a young age00:14:00 – Lying about her age and entering an unhealthy relationship00:16:30 – Regular drug use at 16–1700:18:00 – Using drugs with her mom00:20:00 – Both sisters dating older men while in high school00:21:45 – Discovering her sister was using at 1500:23:00 – Turning 18 and beginning regular h3roin use00:24:15 – “H3roin with the family” — addiction normalized at home00:28:00 – Getting out of rehab and staying with her grandmother00:32:00 – Self-detoxing and treatment attempts00:34:00 – Faking seizures during active addiction00:39:00 – Discovering her dad was also using00:40:00 – Turning her sister into the police00:43:00 – Pulling others into addiction00:46:15 – Her sister overdoses and dies at 1700:55:00 – The reality of being pregnant while addicted00:56:30 – Her dad becoming her dealer00:58:00 – Water breaking, hospital stay, and using drugs in the hospital01:05:00 – Baby’s father overdoses with their daughter on his chest01:15:50 – Her first overdose — 6-day coma and near death01:17:00 – What happened during the coma and how she survived01:28:00 – Homelessness, living out of her car, and stealing to survive01:30:00 – Entering recovery and getting sober01:44:00 – Detox hopping and continued use01:48:00 – Overdosing in a hospital bathroom🔥 Expect emotion. Expect truth. Expect hope.🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more powerful stories on addiction, recovery, and resilience.Get a Grip Podcast Social Media: Find our TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio links, a more on our Link Tree below!Get a Grip Social Media Links: ⁠https://linktr.ee/officialgetagrippodcastFor Collaboration and Business inquiries, please use the contact information below:📩 Email: getagrippodcast614@gmail.com👇 Let us know your thoughts in the comments.#getagrip #redemptionstory #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #addictionrecovery #recoveryjourney #trauma #childhood #oxy #dealer #soberlife #wedorecover #childhoodtrauma #healing #inspiration #awareness #kingpin #trafficking #hustle #opioidcrisis #neardeathexperience #fyp #prison #bar #mistake #change #survivor #survival #tv #television #inspire #parole #officer #school #teacher #students #study #student #changinglives

    2h 10m
  2. How I Survived Oxy & H3roin Addiction, an 18-Day Coma, and Smuggling Liquor to Palestine | Ep 126

    3D AGO

    How I Survived Oxy & H3roin Addiction, an 18-Day Coma, and Smuggling Liquor to Palestine | Ep 126

    Sy Saqfelhait’s story is one of loss, survival, and ultimately redemption. Born with deep roots in Palestine, Sy spent years caught in the grip of Xanax addiction—so long that he describes it as losing nearly a decade of his life to a fog of missing memories. Entire chapters of his past are gone, erased by dependency and relapse, leaving him to piece together who he was and how far he’d fallen.Time and time again, Sy would flee back to Palestine in an attempt to get sober, hoping distance, culture, and family could save him. For a while, it worked. But each return to America pulled him back into the same patterns, the same triggers, and the same relapse that kept him stuck in a cycle he couldn’t seem to break. The tug-of-war between two worlds mirrored the war inside himself—wanting freedom while being chained to addiction.Everything changed when sobriety finally stuck. This time, Sy didn’t just quit using—he rebuilt his entire life from the ground up. Today, he stands as a sober, driven entrepreneur, owning and operating his own successful roofing company. What was once a life ruled by pills and lost time is now defined by discipline, purpose, and accountability.In this powerful episode, Sy opens up about blacked-out years, the pain of repeated relapse, the struggle of identity between two countries, and what it truly took to break free for good. His story is a raw reminder that no matter how much time addiction steals, recovery can still give you a future worth fighting for.🔥 Expect emotion. Expect truth. Expect hope.🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more powerful stories on addiction, recovery, and resilience.Get a Grip Podcast Social Media: Find our TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio links, a more on our Link Tree below!Get a Grip Social Media Links: ⁠https://linktr.ee/officialgetagrippodcastFor Collaboration and Business inquiries, please use the contact information below:📩 Email: getagrippodcast614@gmail.com👇 Let us know your thoughts in the comments.#getagrip #redemptionstory #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #addictionrecovery #recoveryjourney #trauma #childhood #oxy #dealer #soberlife #wedorecover #childhoodtrauma #healing #inspiration #awareness #kingpin #trafficking #hustle #opioidcrisis #neardeathexperience #fyp #prison #bar #mistake #change #survivor #survival #tv #television #inspire #parole #officer #school #teacher #students #study #student #changinglives

    1h 9m
  3. How a M3th & Cr4ck Addiction Had Me Facing 11 Years in Prison | Ep 125

    6D AGO

    How a M3th & Cr4ck Addiction Had Me Facing 11 Years in Prison | Ep 125

    In this unforgettable episode, Chad McClintock tells the raw and unfiltered story of living two completely opposite lives at the same time—serving as a firefighter and first responder while secretly trapped in a severe meth addiction. Chad’s journey begins in an abusive childhood filled with violence and instability, experiences that shaped his anger, survival instincts, and early decisions. As a teenager, that chaos followed him into the streets, where he began selling cocaine, eventually escalating to selling and using meth as addiction fully took hold.Despite having a family and a child who depended on him, Chad found himself unable to outrun meth. He opens up about the terrifying reality of “firefighting on meth,” responding to emergencies while high and risking not only his own life, but the lives of his crew and the public. One of the most haunting moments of his story is being the first responder to his own uncle’s death, a trauma that pushed his substance use even further out of control.As addiction deepened, Chad describes getting pulled over while eating six grams of meth, smoking crack, moving in with his dope dealer, and spiraling into increasingly reckless behavior. From smoking crack in a Walmart parking lot after his partner left, to losing everything and ending up connected to a homeless shelter, Chad paints a brutal picture of how fast addiction can dismantle a life—even one that looks respectable from the outside.Eventually, the consequences caught up. Facing 11 years over his head and later learning he was officially going to prison, Chad shares the fear, surrender, and realization that his life was either going to end behind bars or not at all. In a powerful reflection, he explains how prison—something he once feared more than anything—became the environment that finally forced him to confront himself and change.This episode is a brutally honest look at addiction, trauma, accountability, and redemption. Chad’s story is proof that addiction does not discriminate, and that even those tasked with saving lives can be silently drowning. If you want to understand the real cost of addiction—and the possibility of transformation when everything is on the line—this is an episode you don’t want to miss.⏱ TIMESTAMPS0:00 – Title of First Chapter00:01:00 Abusive childhood00:03:15 Beating up his stepdad00:07:00 Starting to sell c0caine00:09:15 Selling m3th & Firefighting on m3th00:12:00 First responding to his uncle’s death00:14:45 Getting pulled over while eating 6g of m3th00:16:15 Smoking cr4ck00:22:00 Moving in with the dope dealer00:25:00 Smoking cr4ck in a Walmart parking lot after theft00:29:00 Going to CBCF with 11 years over his head00:33:00 Taking a car and ending up at a homeless shelter00:36:30 Finding out he’s going to prison for 11 years00:39:00 How prison worked for him & final reflections🔥 Expect emotion. Expect truth. Expect hope.🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more powerful stories on addiction, recovery, and resilience.Get a Grip Podcast Social Media: Find our TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio links, a more on our Link Tree below!Get a Grip Social Media Links: ⁠https://linktr.ee/officialgetagrippodcastFor Collaboration and Business inquiries, please use the contact information below:📩 Email: getagrippodcast614@gmail.com👇 Let us know your thoughts in the comments.#getagrip #redemptionstory #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #addictionrecovery #recoveryjourney #trauma #childhood #oxy #dealer #soberlife #wedorecover #childhoodtrauma #healing #inspiration #awareness #kingpin #trafficking #hustle #opioidcrisis #neardeathexperience #fyp #prison #bar #mistake #change #survivor #survival #tv #television #inspire #parole #officer #school #teacher #students #study #student #changinglives

    57 min
  4. My Life Full Circle: Growing Up in Beverly Hills, Cr4ck Addiction, Jail in Mexico & Losing My Leg | Ep 124

    JAN 26

    My Life Full Circle: Growing Up in Beverly Hills, Cr4ck Addiction, Jail in Mexico & Losing My Leg | Ep 124

    Drake Phillips grew up surrounded by wealth in Beverly Hills, but behind the gates and privilege was an emotionally absent father and a deep sense of rebellion that would shape the course of his life. In this episode, Louis sits down with Drake to unpack how a childhood that looked perfect from the outside led him down a dark and dangerous path. Drawn to the streets at a young age, Drake was initiated into a gang, introduced to drugs early on, and quickly found himself living a double life that spiraled out of control. As charges began stacking up, he fled to Mexico, believing he could outrun his past. Instead, he became a chameleon—blending in, moving fast, and fueling his survival with heavy cocaine use while navigating an unforgiving underworld. But running only works for so long. After stepping on the wrong toes, Drake was brutally beaten and thrown into a Mexican prison, where survival became a daily battle. Extradited back to the United States, his chaos followed him to Columbus, Ohio, where one night would nearly end his life when unknown men abducted him and attempted to saw off his leg. This raw, unfiltered conversation explores trauma, identity, addiction, violence, and the cost of chasing escape instead of healing—making Drake’s story a powerful reminder that pain doesn’t care how you were raised, and survival often comes at a terrifying price. 🔥 Expect emotion. Expect truth. Expect hope.🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more powerful stories on addiction, recovery, and resilience.Get a Grip Podcast Social Media: Find our TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio links, a more on our Link Tree below!Get a Grip Social Media Links: ⁠https://linktr.ee/officialgetagrippodcastFor Collaboration and Business inquiries, please use the contact information below:📩 Email: getagrippodcast614@gmail.com👇 Let us know your thoughts in the comments.#getagrip #redemptionstory #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #addictionrecovery #recoveryjourney #trauma #childhood #oxy #dealer #soberlife #wedorecover #childhoodtrauma #healing #inspiration #awareness #kingpin #trafficking #hustle #opioidcrisis #neardeathexperience #fyp #prison #bar #mistake #change #survivor #survival #tv #television #inspire #parole #officer #school #teacher #students #study #student #changinglives

    3h 6m
  5. Where Smoking Cr4ck & Shooting H3roin With My Parents Led Me Before I Graduated HS | Ep 123

    JAN 22

    Where Smoking Cr4ck & Shooting H3roin With My Parents Led Me Before I Graduated HS | Ep 123

    In this raw, emotional, and brutally honest episode, Aaron and Louis sit down with Landon Muncy to tell the full story of a life shaped by addiction almost from the very beginning. Landon shares how he was exposed to drugs at a young age and first used heroin at just 10 years old, setting him on a dangerous path that would follow him into adulthood. He reflects on his childhood, moving to Florida with his mom, and how normal chaos and instability quickly turned into smoking crack by 15 and shooting up for the first time at 17—long before he ever graduated high school.Landon breaks down the fast-money mindset that came with addiction, including hitting Walmart licks, stealing everything a dealer owned, and being surrounded by people printing fake money just to survive and get high. The conversation doesn’t shy away from the darker moments: gun violence, a traumatic shooting, contracting Hep C, and catching a domestic violence charge that pushed his life even further off the rails. One of the most heartbreaking moments comes when Landon opens up about his father taking his own life, and later discovering that his best friend died in jail while Landon himself was serving time in Level 2 prison.The episode ultimately turns toward accountability and redemption as Landon explains how prison became the turning point that led him to sobriety. He talks candidly about getting sober after incarceration, navigating recovery, and unlearning a lifetime of using drugs with his parents. “Where smoking crack and shooting heroin before I graduated high school led me to…” is a powerful story of consequences, loss, survival, and the fight to build a better life against overwhelming odds. 🔥 Expect emotion. Expect truth. Expect hope.🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more powerful stories on addiction, recovery, and resilience.Get a Grip Podcast Social Media: Find our TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio links, a more on our Link Tree below!Get a Grip Social Media Links: ⁠https://linktr.ee/officialgetagrippodcastFor Collaboration and Business inquiries, please use the contact information below:📩 Email: getagrippodcast614@gmail.com👇 Let us know your thoughts in the comments.#getagrip #redemptionstory #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #addictionrecovery #recoveryjourney #trauma #childhood #oxy #dealer #soberlife #wedorecover #childhoodtrauma #healing #inspiration #awareness #kingpin #trafficking #hustle #opioidcrisis #neardeathexperience #fyp #prison #bar #mistake #change #survivor #survival #tv #television #inspire #parole #officer #school #teacher #students #study #student #changinglives

    1h 10m
  6. I Was Almost Trafficked by Suge Knight as a Las Vegas Stripp3r—But My C0caine Addiction Took Over | Ep 122

    JAN 19

    I Was Almost Trafficked by Suge Knight as a Las Vegas Stripp3r—But My C0caine Addiction Took Over | Ep 122

    In this raw and eye-opening episode, Louis and Aaron sit down with Catherine Pacedoves to unpack a life shaped by chaos, fast money, and survival inside the stripping world. Catherine shares how her childhood spiraled early, including her first experience with alcohol at just four years old and later being sent to an anorexia camp, setting the stage for years of instability. She walks through the moment she went from waitressing to stripping in a single night, the allure of easy money, her biggest nights on the pole, and what it was like dancing in Las Vegas at the height of excess. The conversation dives into heavy cocaine use during the stock market crash, a seizure at Scores, and surreal encounters that led to meeting and living in Suge Knight’s house, even introducing Michael Phelps to him. Catherine opens up about escaping Vegas, freebasing cocaine, blackouts, being targeted in clubs, and the final moments that pushed her to stop using. She also speaks candidly about being a sober stripper, the trauma of being trafficked by Suge Knight, and a manic episode that landed her at Jackson Pike. This episode is a brutal but powerful look at addiction, exploitation, and the fight to reclaim your life. 🔥 Expect emotion. Expect truth. Expect hope.🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more powerful stories on addiction, recovery, and resilience.Get a Grip Podcast Social Media: Find our TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio links, a more on our Link Tree below!Get a Grip Social Media Links: ⁠https://linktr.ee/officialgetagrippodcastFor Collaboration and Business inquiries, please use the contact information below:📩 Email: getagrippodcast614@gmail.com👇 Let us know your thoughts in the comments.#getagrip #redemptionstory #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #addictionrecovery #recoveryjourney #trauma #childhood #oxy #dealer #soberlife #wedorecover #childhoodtrauma #healing #inspiration #awareness #kingpin #trafficking #hustle #opioidcrisis #neardeathexperience #fyp #prison #bar #mistake #change #survivor #survival #tv #television #inspire #parole #officer #school #teacher #students #study #student #changinglives

    1h 23m
  7. How I Was Facing 40 Years to Life After Trapping Out of Airbnbs & Meth Addiction | Ep 121

    JAN 15

    How I Was Facing 40 Years to Life After Trapping Out of Airbnbs & Meth Addiction | Ep 121

    Crystal Turner’s story is a raw, unfiltered descent into addiction, crime, and ultimately redemption. Born into instability, raised in a trailer park by a mother who was barely a teenager herself, Crystal grew up with an absent father lost to drug use and a childhood marked by survival rather than safety. What began as experimentation spiraled quickly—first heroin and Xanax, then deeper into meth—while she tried to maintain a “normal” life, even working in Human Resources as addiction quietly took control. Her relationships mirrored the chaos, including becoming involved with a man decades older and later crossing paths with one of the most powerful drug dealers in her world. During the isolation of COVID, Crystal’s addiction intensified as she became entangled in a large-scale operation that eventually drew the attention of federal authorities. When the walls closed in, ATF, FBI, and DEA agents stormed her home, leading to indictments that carried the terrifying weight of decades behind bars. From jail in Ironton, Kentucky, Crystal entered rehab, confronting not only her own addiction but the painful reality of smoking with her father as cancer and opiate dependence took his life. Facing charges that once threatened 40 years to life, Crystal now reflects on how the kingpin fell, how everything unraveled, and how sobriety rebuilt what addiction tried to destroy. Today, she shares what life looks like on the other side—clean, accountable, and grounded in gratitude—proof that even the darkest paths can lead to real recovery. 🔥 Expect emotion. Expect truth. Expect hope.🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more powerful stories on addiction, recovery, and resilience.Get a Grip Podcast Social Media: Find our TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio links, a more on our Link Tree below!Get a Grip Social Media Links: ⁠https://linktr.ee/officialgetagrippodcast👇 Let us know your thoughts in the comments.#getagrip #redemptionstory #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #addictionrecovery #recoveryjourney #trauma #childhood #oxy #dealer #soberlife #wedorecover #childhoodtrauma #healing #inspiration #awareness #kingpin #trafficking #hustle #opioidcrisis #neardeathexperience #fyp #prison #bar #mistake #change #survivor #survival #tv #television #inspire #parole #officer #school #teacher #students #study #student #changinglives

    52 min
  8. How I Survived Human Trafficking By 17, Getting Kidnapped and Cr4ck Addiction For 20 Years | Ep 120

    JAN 12

    How I Survived Human Trafficking By 17, Getting Kidnapped and Cr4ck Addiction For 20 Years | Ep 120

    In this powerful and unfiltered episode, Louis sits down with Angela Vroman to share the harrowing truth of her life—one marked by deep childhood trauma, crack addiction, kidnapping, and human trafficking. Angela opens up about her early years and how her father became the foundation of lasting trauma, leading to inappropriate physical relationships at a young age and a path of vulnerability. While homeless, her life took a terrifying turn when she was kidnapped, tortured, and ultimately sold for an eight ball of crack to a pimp, pulling her deeper into a world of exploitation. She recounts being introduced to crack, meeting other trafficked women, and descending into extreme addiction—smoking up to $1,500 worth of crack a day, staying awake for weeks without food, and surviving violent, chaotic encounters, including being pulled over at 4 a.m. in a bikini with drugs and waking up days later with no memory of what happened. Angela shares how she became an escort at 17, went to prison at 19, endured repeated abuse at knifepoint, and even drew the attention of the FBI while incarcerated. Despite relapses and episodes of drug-induced psychosis, Angela’s story is ultimately one of survival, recovery, and accountability through drug court. She closes the conversation by offering hard-earned advice and hope to those still struggling, proving that even after decades of addiction and trauma, recovery is possible. 🔥 Expect emotion. Expect truth. Expect hope.🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more powerful stories on addiction, recovery, and resilience.Get a Grip Podcast Social Media: Find our TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio links, a more on our Link Tree below!Get a Grip Social Media Links: ⁠https://linktr.ee/officialgetagrippodcast👇 Let us know your thoughts in the comments.#getagrip #redemptionstory #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #addictionrecovery #recoveryjourney #trauma #childhood #oxy #dealer #soberlife #wedorecover #childhoodtrauma #healing #inspiration #awareness #kingpin #trafficking #hustle #opioidcrisis #neardeathexperience #fyp #prison #bar #mistake #change #survivor #survival #tv #television #inspire #parole #officer #school #teacher #students #study #student #changinglives

    1h 34m
4.8
out of 5
106 Ratings

About

Get a Grip Podcast is hosted by Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes, both in recovery from addiction and alcoholism. In each episode, they share their unfiltered stories of overcoming addiction, time in prison, and struggles with mental health—mixing raw honesty with humor. The podcast gives a voice to the underdog, breaking down the stigma surrounding addiction and recovery. Through candid conversations and real-life experiences, Louis and Aaron inspire others on their journey, showing that while recovery is challenging, it’s possible. Tune in for laughter, hope, and stories of transformation.

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