S2 E18 Christopher Schenewerk, M.D.

Who this episode is for:

• Anyone who thinks addiction can't touch high-achieving professionals 🧠💉
• People who think "functioning alcoholic" is a badge of honor 🥃🏆
• Those stalling on help because \"work is too busy\" 🏃‍♂️📅
• Anyone who's survived a brutal divorce 💔
• Healthcare workers, therapists & rehab skeptics 🩺🧪
• Family members who don’t get why their addicted loved one keeps spiraling 😔👨‍👩‍👧‍👦
• People NOT in recovery but know they’re circling the drain 🚨🌀

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Dr. Chris Schenewerk is in the building. And if you think doctors are immune to the wreckage addiction brings, buckle the hell up. Chris, Jakob & (a Jeff-less) Pondoff dive into a no-holds-barred convo with the Medical Director of Illinois Recovery Center—who also happens to be a recovering alcoholic with one hell of a story.

From vodka before work & blacking out mid-interviews to meeting his now-wife in rehab & launching a recovery movement across Southern Illinois, Dr. Chris drops wisdom & one-liners like it’s second nature. This episode is raw. It’s real. It’s redemption in action. 🔥

We hit everything: colonoscopy prep as a diet plan, trauma in kids, why "functioning addict" is bullshit, & how the Three Amigos AA group grew from four in the back of a doctor’s office to 50+ strong at Life Community Church in Columbia, IL. Oh, & don’t worry—dude still remembers Halloween riots at Carbondale. 🎃💥

Highlights:

• The look in the mirror that scared him sober 👀
• Checking into rehab instead of waiting for an intervention 🚑
• Why Angela’s 12th rehab stay was the one that stuck 💪
• Letting go of a dream home for an 800 sq ft apartment & a new life 🏚️➡️🏠
• Building a recovery group where loved ones, doctors, students & misfits all get a seat at the table 🪑❤️

Get ready for a mix of heartbreak, laughter, truth bombs & a whole lotta hope. 💣💬✨

Timestamps:

• 00:00 - Bertarelli Cutlery shoutout & intro 🔪
• 01:23 - Dr. Chris Schenewerk joins the chaos 👋
• 03:00 - Colonoscopy prep & weight loss dreams 💩💭
• 05:07 - Sober date & first (only) rehab 🗓️🍷
• 06:09 - Meeting Angela in rehab 💞
• 08:40 - War stories vs. character defects 💥⚙️
• 11:38 - His kids were sponges absorbing the wreckage 🧽👶
• 13:42 - The trauma that never leaves kids 😢
• 15:20 - Divorce, drinking & blame 🥃💔
• 19:15 - Functioning alcoholic is a lie 🚫🍻
• 21:50 - Blood alcohol levels & reality checks 🧪🧠
• 26:06 - Interview gone wrong & mirror moment 🪞😨
• 29:30 - Checked in before the intervention could happen 🙏
• 31:36 - Why he refused the \"doctor-only\" rehab 🩺🚷
• 35:26 - Humility is the key to first-time success 🙇‍♂️🔑
• 39:01 - Angela's old bar used to be his watering hole 🍺🏠
• 41:13 - Her blood alcohol was nearly 0.5 before they shocked her back ⚡🩸
• 44:18 - Moved from mansion to minimalism to rebuild life 🏰➡️🛏️
• 47:32 - You won't die without your job, but you might without rehab 🚫💼➡️🏥
• 50:07 - Therapist laid it down: \"You can't fix anyone but yourself\" 🛠️🙅‍♂️
• 54:59 - The birth of the Three Amigos meeting 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦🔥
• 1:01:06 - Why their AA group is different ✨👐
• 1:03:07 - Medical students are now required to attend 🎓📖
• 1:08:47 - If you clown, expect to get called out 🤡🛑
• 1:10:15 - Triggered by truth? Good. Sit with that. 💥🧠
• 1:12:00 - Calling BS in meetings—why coddling doesn't save lives 🚫🍼
• 1:15:33 - Why victim mentality keeps people stuck 🧱😩
• 1:20:10 - Creating recovery community beyond the meeting walls 🏘️🧑‍🤝‍🧑
• 1:24:44 - Getting honest with yourself in step work 🔍🧾
• 1:30:19 - The holy ground of AA: why this stuff works 🙌📿