November 15, 2024 • 44 mins
Hello listeners! Today we're sitting down with Bill, a man who turned his personal journey of recovery into a mission of hope. After finding sobriety at Recovery Centers of America in Monroeville, Bill was inspired to give back to others battling addiction. He went on to found Rods 4 Recovery, a non-profit that combines his passion for fishing with a purpose—helping others on their path to recovery. Tune in to hear Bill’s inspiring story, how he overcame addiction, and how Rods 4 Recovery is making waves in the recovery community. Whether you're in recovery or supporting someone who is, this episode is a testament to the power of second chances and the healing impact of community.
*The views and opinions expressed by the guests of this podcast are their own and not necessarily those of RCA. These interviews are personal testimonials of recovery and should not be considered medical or treatment advice.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Hello listeners, welcome to the Strength and Recovery podcast.
(00:22):
We have a special guest with us today.
I'm joined by Bill Petrosky.
He is an alum of our Monroeville location and agreed to speak with us today just about
his recovery, a new nonprofit that he's developed, and what recovery and what life is like now.
So thank you so much for joining us.
(00:44):
Thank you.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you came to RCA.
In 2021 I was diagnosed with liver cancer after suffering from mesophageal varices.
All the blood vessels in my throat exploded from the use of alcohol.
And whenever I was diagnosed with liver cancer, I was put on the transplant list but continued
(01:08):
to drink.
So I got knocked off the transplant list because you can't do both.
So I knew that I needed to do something about this issue if I wanted to live.
And that's when I found RCA and I agreed to the outpatient program, which I took advantage
(01:28):
of not having to be present.
I took advantage of the Zoom.
I was still drinking while I was on doing the groups because I was Zooming it.
So the counselor here that was leading the group kind of knew what was going on.
(01:51):
She had talked to my girlfriend in the past and had great communication with her.
And she called me out and made me come in one day and told me that she felt I needed
more help than outpatient.
And I agreed and I walked on in.
Now, what's that conversation like?
(02:12):
You were telling us a little bit last night.
So you're going to these groups, you were going in person, you realized there's a virtual
option and you're like, oh, that's going to work for me.
That's what addicts do.
And I can still skirt the issue and drink during the day.
Yeah, I can make my family be so proud of me for going to outpatient rehab.
(02:36):
And someone decides the counselor calls and says, what's up?
What's that moment like?
She's smarter than I think.
You know, it's just like, but at the same time, it's like she cares.
Yeah.
And are you relieved that somebody's finally...
A thousand percent.
Yeah.
(02:56):
It's...
I had a good relationship with the counselor coming in.
She was very good at what she does, but yet very stern.
And she's only about four foot seven, but she's a firecracker.
And to this day, I don't come here without popping my head in her office and getting
(03:18):
higher, getting the hug.
And yeah, it just, it made a difference.
And this month, you're celebrating one year?
No, last month.
Last month.
Yeah.
August 24th, I celebrated one year.
That's amazing.
Yes.
It was, it was.
I mean, there's no other way I could put it because I've celebrated a year before that
(03:43):
really wasn't all that.
There was cheating involved.
And I still pretended like I wasn't drinking and just took advantage of everything.
And like, I was like, hey, look, I celebrated one year.
I really didn't, but I told everybody I had one year and I went out and bought a Harley.
Like I, I deserve something.
(04:03):
I didn't deserve nothing.
I lied my way through a year because I was still a high.
But this time was different.
Talk a little bit about that.
The, what I learned here, just walking in the door and the compassion you get from others.
(04:29):
The way that employees here can recognize with what you're going through and be so compassionate
about it and not make you feel out of place where society puts you in a perspective of
being labeled.
You know, we're normal people.
(04:53):
We just had a problem.
Now, how long did it take for you to realize that drinking was a problem?
Was it the cancer diagnosis?
Was it?
It was COVID in general.
I mean, I had health issues during COVID, but I also got separated early March of 2020.
(05:16):
And then August 16th, my mother passed away while she was basically getting ready to make
breakfast for everyone.
We had a birthday party for my son the day before.
She said breakfast tomorrow morning.
We were all up at our camp and I said, me and George are going to go fishing because
that's, we grew up fishing.
(05:38):
And George is my son and me and him were out on the boat and it was just before nine o'clock
and my phone was ringing and I looked over at my phone and it said mom.
And I said, there's grandma getting ready to yell at us because we're not back for something,
for breakfast.
And I started laughing and when I answered the phone, it was my neighbor and she said,
(05:59):
you got to get here as quick as you can, your mom's face down on the floor.
And when we got there, she was gone.
Sausage was in the sink, thawing out.
I'm so sorry.
Thanks.
Yeah.
She had a massive heart attack.
And your background is?
CPR on first aid.
And you know.
(06:19):
And I wasn't there.
I lived with that every day.
I'm so sorry.
And so then you're dealing with those emotions, your mom's death.
And I just got, I don't even think I grieved my mother much because I went right to alcohol.
(06:43):
And my dad, when I did get separated, I moved in with my parents, but I was working from
home because of COVID.
Basically putting fires out at work, we called it, if they needed me, I had to go in.
I worked at wastewater treatment plant for 23 years and my job was pretreatment.
(07:06):
I was down in manholes all day.
And we went down to skeleton crews and I was on the phone and answering emails as much
as I could just to try to keep everything flowing, literally.
And so living with my parents, but they weren't there.
(07:26):
And then because all summer they would be up at camp.
And I had, I brought my dad home that day.
And you know, I finally started to realize he's never wrote a check.
He's never paid a bill.
He has no idea what kind of debt they have.
And I was there and I got, I don't want to say wrapped up into it, but like I started
(07:50):
trying to figure everything out, you know, we're going to the funeral home, we're making
arrangements, calling family, everything we had to do.
The work that's around that can be enormous.
And then in the drop of a hat, it all goes away, the family leaves, the visitors leave.
(08:12):
The day she was buried, we had a big thing in the backyard for a week.
My dad stressed no alcohol.
I had it hidden everywhere in the house.
And as people tripled out, that was it.
It was me and him.
And I just went every day, but it was like, I took advantage of his vulnerability at the
(08:39):
time because him and my mom just celebrated 50 years in April.
They couldn't have a, we wanted to have a big anniversary party.
It didn't happen because of COVID.
And he was, he lost his best friend.
I mean, they did everything together.
If she went and got her hair done, he waited in a car so they could go to a store afterwards
(09:01):
if she wanted to or to dinner.
They were always together.
They were inseparable for 50 years.
And he's there, you know, I didn't want to go to work because I didn't want him to be
alone.
And so knowing that he was just not in the right state, it made it easier.
(09:25):
I can't, like I showered at work because I told you I was dining manholes all day.
I'm not going to get in my truck or come home.
So I always had a backpack.
And before I would get home, I would dump a 15 pack in the backpack and just walk upstairs.
And then throughout the night go up, I would always buy the little airplanes and had them
(09:47):
in my backpack.
And I just pretended like he didn't, he ain't going to know what's going on because he's,
his mind is occupied.
And your mind at that point, are you thinking I have a problem and I'm hiding it or I'm
okay because I'm still going to work.
I don't think whenever you have a problem like that, you ever think you have a problem.
(10:11):
You could have came right up to me and said you have a problem and I would have been like,
no, I'm going to work tomorrow.
I'm a functioning guy.
I was a functioning alcoholic.
And I got to the point where if I bought a 15 pack on a way home and a couple of airplanes,
I would make sure there was a couple left so that I could have a beer to brush my teeth
with and a couple drinks on my way to work.
(10:33):
And I was driving a company vehicle with a government plate on it.
Thankfully I was, well, I don't want to say thankfully, but I'm not going to say thankfully,
I made it to retirement.
I got forced into retirement because I couldn't work around the infection and beyond the transplant
(10:57):
list.
So after I did my 30 days and I stayed in contact with my liver doctor and the transplant
team, 31 inpatient.
And I stayed in contact while I was here or my girlfriend did and with my liver doctor
and the transplant team and they seen my progression.
(11:19):
When I got out, first thing was blood work and they showed, there's something in blood
that you could tell you had a drink in 30 days or three months and it showed it on a
decline and it's stayed that way for a year.
And six months ago I was reintroduced to the transplant team and I got back on the list.
(11:43):
So everything's, I get an MRI and an ultrasound every three months and I get my throat scoped
every three months.
So you first go, you get this diagnosis.
When does the diagnosis happen?
Your mom's passed away, you're helping care for your dad and you get this diagnosis.
December 9th of 21.
(12:08):
What happened was we were going to Latrobe Airport because we were getting, we have friends
that live in Florida and whenever we see Spirit offer some stupid deal, you save 40 bucks
by buying them over the counter.
So I said, where we live in the South Hills, I'm more towards the Century 3 area for anybody
(12:28):
listening that might be in Pittsburgh.
There's nothing around.
So I told my girlfriend, my fiance now, but my girlfriend at the time, if we go get plane
tickets at Latrobe and save the $40, we could shop our way back because there's a bunch
of plazas and it was Christmas.
We were Christmas shopping.
(12:49):
So that was December 9th and we were leaving like on our way out.
I didn't feel good.
I was driving, but I just didn't feel right.
And it was like almost like I had the flu.
And then right away I was like, you got COVID.
I'm like, no, it's not, it's nothing like that.
So we went to a couple of stores, I don't even remember being there and I wasn't drinking.
(13:13):
And I remember we went to Dick's Sporting Goods and when we were leaving, when we walked
out, I asked her, I said, could we just go home?
I'm done.
I don't feel good.
And she said, fine, whatever.
And I said, can you drive?
We drive my truck around.
I was like, I just can't.
So she backed out of the parking spot and we're going through the parking lot and I felt the
(13:34):
urge like I was going to vomit and I opened up the door and I vomited a little bit and
I opened my eyes.
I looked at the running board on my truck and it was covered in blood.
And I didn't say anything.
She works in healthcare.
She did at the time.
She don't know more.
So I knew if I was going to say anything to her, she's going to go and say it.
(13:56):
So we went home and I laid down and periodically throughout the day, it would repeat itself.
And I remember at night, it was later on that evening, maybe around nine or 10 o'clock,
it just felt like my mouth was filling up with fluid and I had to go so I had to get
rid of it.
Like my cheeks were filling up.
I looked like a chipmunk and I didn't get it.
(14:18):
It's like not like you're dry even.
We were going to vomit.
It's just like I had to get rid of what was in my mouth.
So I ran to the bathroom and it was just all blood and she walked in behind me and she
said, you are going to the hospital now.
So I went to the hospital.
They rushed me into emergency surgery.
I was literally signing the anesthesia paperwork while I was being wheeled into the operating
(14:43):
room.
And I was in emergency surgery for seven hours.
And when I was done, the doctor walked out and she said, he told her if she would have
waited 10 more minutes, I was gone.
All the blood vessels of my throat exploded.
I had esophageal varices and it was from alcohol.
It was from the airplanes more than the beer.
(15:05):
They just took away the lining of my throat.
I think a lot of people talk about liver disease.
Not very many people talk about.
Right.
Esophageal varices and it's deadly.
And so they banned all of my blood vessels and I had to go like I probably had at this
(15:26):
time probably 30 throat scopes and each like maybe every other one, they're still banding
blood vessels in my throat.
And but while I was in there, I was hospitalized for 10 days.
I had seven blood transfusions because of the amount of blood I lost and they ran a bunch
of other tests.
So the doctor came in before I was discharged and said, I need you to go see a liver doctor.
(15:52):
And I said, okay.
I kind of figured I beat it up a little bit throughout my life.
And he said, he goes, you have end stage liver disease, severe cirrhosis and stage three
liver cancer.
So that's whenever I want to see the liver doctor.
But if I had not had esophageal varices, I may have never known I had cancer.
(16:15):
So you're here for a reason.
Yeah.
So far.
And we get this diagnosis and you're thinking at that point, well, I just have to stop drinking
or I walked out or saying, that's it.
I can't do this anymore.
And then my fiance had it was probably a little over a year after that I'm going through a
(16:48):
radiation.
So I drank before I went to radiation and I had to lay in a body cast.
They did a vase of radiation.
They wrapped me with like saran wrap, put a shot back on it and sucked all the air out
of it.
Like I couldn't wiggle my toes.
The body cast was molded to be I had to go there one day and get fitted and they made
a body cast and they would throw it up on the table when I got there.
(17:12):
I laid in it and they put me through the tube and they measured your breathing in a practice
run.
They measured what you exhale and you had to hit that number during your treatment.
So they would tell you, are you ready?
And you're like, yeah, and they would be like, breathe and you exhaled until you had to hit
this.
If you didn't hit that number, they had to redo it and you did this for an hour.
(17:36):
And I did it for four weeks, the first time and four weeks, the second time.
And I drank one time going into radiation.
And so that was one of the cheats that I had, I guess, during my quote unquote year of sobriety.
(18:00):
So you're on this transplant list and the doctor says, we have to remove you.
That's got to be a tough moment.
And I almost got removed the second time, not my fault.
But if you want to throw every possibility of a relapse at me, just keep them coming.
Because whenever I was forced into disability retirement because of the infection risk,
(18:27):
after I signed my retirement papers, I went to my office and I was boxing stuff up.
And I was like, oh, you know what?
I got shire towels probably hanging in my locker.
So I went to my locker and I opened it up and I'm getting stuff out of my locker and
put it in a garbage bag or whatever and my phone rings and it says A.H.M.
Allegheny Health Network.
(18:48):
So I'm like, okay.
It was the transplant coordinator that I talked to often.
And she said, Bill, what's going on?
And I go, nothing.
Why?
And she said because your transplants coming up denied due to insurance.
And I said, what are you talking about?
(19:10):
She said, I have no idea.
I said, hold on a minute.
So I called, excuse me.
I called HR and I said, you know, I just got this phone call from A.H.M. and they're denying
my transplant.
And they were like, yeah, whenever you take disability retirement, you lose your health
insurance.
And I'm like.
No one mentioned that.
(19:32):
I've talked to people that work there recently that don't know that's a thing.
And they've been there 20 plus years.
I said, I had no idea.
No preparation for that whatsoever.
So I finished doing what I was doing.
I rushed home and now I'm like, I have to find health insurance.
So I started calling around and you could not call an insurance broker and get insurance
(19:56):
and have some past health condition covered.
So there's a site called Penny and I went on Penny and I ended up getting covered, but
I pay out of pocket and I never paid a dime for my health insurance.
But I got covered by Penny and I called the trant and everything's good.
But it was just like, what other curveball can you throw at me?
(20:20):
So you come in, you're here for outpatient.
You're kind of phoning it in so to speak.
They call you on it.
Phone in the phony.
And you don't even go home.
No.
They just say you need to go upstairs.
I said, when I walked in, somebody instantly said take his keys and I'm like, what?
(20:46):
You know, nobody's touching my keys.
And so the council, like two people got up and moved and I sat down and the counselor
said, do you think what we're offering here in outpatient is enough?
And I said, if you're asking me that question, I'm assuming you already know the answer.
And she said, I just want to hear it from you.
(21:08):
And I said, maybe I do need more help.
And she says, well, what do you, what steps do you want to take?
And there was other people that in the group that stayed in the room and they were like,
you know, it takes a lot to walk in by yourself and it would mean a lot.
And they were like, you know, you got this, you can do it.
(21:30):
And I said to her, I said, could you do me one favor?
And she said, what's that?
I said, could I go out to my truck and make a couple phone calls because I want to let
people know what's going on.
And she said, absolutely.
And I walked out to my truck and I never took my phone out of my pocket.
I finished all the fireball I had in my truck and then I walked into inpatient.
(21:51):
And what's that like getting to the?
Walking into it.
Like I've never been to a facility and you know, they register you, they take your picture.
If someone was scared, they're like, I, there's no way I can do that.
What would you tell them?
Do it.
It's nothing.
(22:12):
And you were describing last night just how welcoming.
Yeah.
Like the community is exactly.
And so like, I didn't, and I'm sure this is an everywhere or even every RCA facility,
but whenever they take you out of the nurses station and put you in scrubs and make sure
you don't have any drugs on you or anything like that, the nurse said, okay, let me walk
(22:35):
you to your room and we're going to go up this elevator.
And I didn't realize whenever you got, I didn't know anything.
I didn't know there was a community room, let alone whenever the elevator doors open,
I'm going to be in it.
There was no groups going on at the time.
They were in between.
So everybody was in the community room and this elevator door opens and I'm just like,
(22:56):
so you're like, welcome to treatment.
Here I am.
Yeah.
And I'm just like, oh my God, you instantly like look around and start judging people
like, oh God, I'm not going to get along with you.
I hope you know, you picture in like four bunk beds in a room that you're going to have
to sleep with these people.
And I'm like, you're probably going to snore.
I don't like you.
(23:17):
And it's not like that at all.
You come in here, they show you a room.
It's like a hotel.
I remember walking out of my room and there was a guy standing up at the nurses station
and he was like, okay.
My name's So-and-so.
(23:37):
He was like, if you, this is where you're, this is where all the groups are in what time.
They'll put you with a counselor and you'll follow his lead on some groups.
This is the cafeteria menu.
If you don't like what they're having, you could substitute it with grilled cheese or
whatever, just make sure you have the paperwork filled out by 10am, blah, blah, blah.
(24:01):
And I thought he worked there and he didn't.
He was a patient.
He's helping me feel welcome.
And I'm just, yeah, just automatically.
And I'm like, wow, this is amazing.
Because I still didn't know that he didn't work there until I seen him in a group.
Sitting in a chair like I'm sitting there.
And like everybody introduced themselves and then you realize everybody's there for the
(24:23):
same reason.
You're no different than them.
And you don't feel that sense of shame or judgment.
Without a doubt.
The only thing that they have on you is they already know that we're all there for the
same reason.
I didn't know, like I knew that walking in, but I didn't feel it until I got there.
You know what I mean?
(24:44):
So it's like, it's so much of an addiction and alcoholism is isolating.
It gets you in your truck by yourself.
It gets you maybe at your hobby's fishing, fishing alone and just that sense of isolation.
So I'm sure that can be a little bit intimidating to go, oh no, I have to deal with people.
(25:09):
But yet it becomes a lifeline at the same time.
Those, the patients at any recovery center can't wait for the new guy to walk in to show
them the way because they were that person yesterday or a week ago or a month ago.
(25:35):
And they can't wait to make sure that that person feels just as welcome as they did when
they get off that elevator.
And then too, you've been a real special part of our alumni association here at Monroeville.
I don't miss.
Talk a little bit about the alumni community.
(25:57):
I think that really, and this podcast isn't designed to just tout RCA.
It's more about recovery, but I think that is what sets RCA apart is just our commitment
and the RCA's investment in the alumni.
It keeps people together.
Without that, there is no recovery for a lot of people.
You come back here every week, every Tuesday.
(26:19):
And I bring my dad with me and it changed his whole perspective on addiction.
And talk a little bit about that.
So you have your dad, you guys are grieving together.
You're going through extreme loss, trying to rebuild life.
(26:41):
And then he is now faced with knowing his son is up against the most deadly.
He knew I drank a lot.
There was no hiding it.
I mean, my dad's worked in and out of law enforcement, all his life, private security
companies.
He's not a dummy.
(27:02):
And he knew that, I mean, he knew Thanksgiving Day whenever I went to take the roaster out
of the oven without pod holders that something was wrong.
And it was just one of them.
I keep running upstairs.
And he got onto that.
Why does he keep going up there?
What's up there?
I know what he's doing.
(27:22):
But he was a beer after cutting the grass guy.
He was a Jack and Coke on Friday night guy.
There's no addiction in my family.
I don't recall anyone that had an addiction problem.
(27:49):
My dad's dad owned a bar, but he also had a full-time job.
My dad's mom was a nurse, but she bartended at the bar when need be.
1963, a tornado came through and knocked the bar down and killed my grandfather.
So I never even met him, but people say I remind them a lot of him.
(28:16):
So there's no addiction issues.
And I have a problem that I'm faced with fixing.
And I come to RCA because he knew something was going on.
And he said it was the best worst day of his life that I was walking into impasse.
Because one of the reasons I didn't want to go to inpatient was my dad being home alone.
(28:42):
And I always worried about him.
And he's a grown man.
But I just worry.
To this day, I'm like, do you eat anything?
He's like, oh, you don't worry about it.
So coming here with you.
So yeah, on Tuesday nights.
With support groups.
Yeah.
And I was inpatient, he came for every visitation, my fiance came, my son came a couple times.
(29:11):
You see family invest in you by doing that.
And it makes you stay in recovery more.
Because they're not only investing in you, but they're learning of what you went through
and are still going through.
And they learn what to look for or they learn to have a relapse plan or they learn to not
(29:37):
talk this way or they learn to like not be scared to talk around you.
But the day I walked in here, my dad took every bottle of alcohol and every beer in
the house and he dumped it down the drain.
And my dad hasn't had a drink since.
And my fiance never drank.
So it's not an issue.
And I mean, it sounds like pretty tough guy.
(29:58):
Yeah.
And he's had his own recovery of sorts.
Yeah.
And has his own support group and is able to support you.
And he's actually recently opened up in that group about my mother.
And he's never talked about it.
It gives you community.
Yeah.
The power of community.
It's amazing.
(30:19):
And then to go like on different events and functions and have fun without alcohol.
And realize there are other families that look maybe similar to us or maybe don't look
similar to us, but we're dealing with the same disease, the same thought processes.
And to have that and to have your family involved, like if they want to, if they do a sober bowling
(30:46):
and you could bring your family or if they do the barbecue and you could bring your family
or picnic at the park or a pirate game, just seeing the people that get out to do that
and are able to bring their kids when maybe they can't afford it.
Because they've, there's a lot of people that their addiction put them into a lot of debt
that they haven't worked out of yet.
(31:07):
And that's kind of what drove me to want to start my nonprofit is to keep people involved.
So tell me about the nonprofit.
Rod's for, and it's the number four.
Yeah.
Rod's for recovery.
Correct.
So as a hobby, because I always, like whenever I had to retire and everything, my biggest
(31:32):
fear was boredom because boredom will lead to drinking.
I have a tattoo right there.
It says idle time is the devil's workshop.
And that's what it's all about.
That's my go to it.
And there's not a lot of opportunities for people to stay involved in this over community.
(31:55):
And I had a hobby whenever I stuck to it to, I build fishing rods for friends and family.
I ordered blanks.
They could order, they could have any company blank.
They could have a $600 blank or they could have a $20 blank.
And I put the eyelets on it and let them pick their color thread.
(32:15):
And my thing was I'm going to put sober dates on fishing rods and make them for people in
recovery because I could order them to decals and epoxy around them and make it look like
they got it at the store.
And as I started thinking about that, I was like, I could make this more.
So I thought of Rod's for recovery and what it's about is using fishing as a therapeutic
(32:42):
way in their recovery.
So people that don't know how to fish or don't know how to tie the knots, I've gone to a
recovery center that has lakes on the property.
I did a group on knot tying and rigging rubber worms different ways, took them out to the
lake and they all caught fish and they had a blast.
(33:03):
And I had a guy come up to me at the end and say, my son always wanted me to take him
fishing and my addiction stopped me.
And plus I just don't know how.
He goes, I cannot wait to get out of here and take my son fishing.
So it's rewarding.
So what I'm trying to, what I'm in the process of doing and some of it's underway and we,
(33:27):
you know, I take people fishing, but my board not only is specialized in some sort of fishing,
but my board either is in recovery themselves or had a family member.
So I mean, I have my son as a trustee.
He's 28 years old and he was a huge part of my recovery and he fishes bass tournaments.
(33:51):
So if somebody wants to go out for the day with him with, I'm working on funding, I'm
working on donations, I'm working on grants.
I want to have a brick and mortar building where I could store our equipment.
I could have meetings, open discussion meetings about recovery, a prayer group before we go
(34:14):
out to a fishing thing.
And so I've heard other people describe that fishing because it was a solo activity was
a real time when they did drink.
And so to learn with other guys who that's their passion and ladies that they can do
it sober.
Yeah.
(34:35):
Talk a little bit about that.
It's just, it's more enjoyable when you're sober.
I went through the whole drinking and fishing thing and you know, people drag their lawn
chair down to the shoreline of the river bank and put their cooler next to them and we've
all done it.
Yeah.
But now I want to get into you're in waiters standing in the middle of the water.
(34:57):
I'm going to occupy your mind.
Looking at your fishing rod with your sobriety date on there.
Right.
Like what a reminder.
Yeah.
So the equipment that I'm working on getting through donations and grants and just reaching
out to different Bass Pro Shops Cabela's.
Huck is a fishing is a clothing company that deals with fishing.
(35:20):
Sims is a closing company, Orvis.
One of the guys on my board works for Orvis and he's a fly tying specialist.
So if somebody wants to learn how to tie flies, I want to have that brick and mortar place
where we have our meetings and I could have Max come there and set up his fly tying outfit
and they're going to tie fly.
Max is an expert and Max's sister died two years ago from an overdose.
(35:44):
So they're all connected.
They're all connected and he wants to get out there and help people.
People want to learn more about rods for recovery.
Where can they go to do that?
Right now we're running off a Facebook page.
Okay.
If you go on Facebook and type in rods for recovery.
And the four is the numeral four.
Rods.
Rods the number four recovery.
Yeah.
(36:04):
Rods for recovery.
It's on Facebook and there's a donation link.
There's applications.
Memberships are $25 a year.
I do ask that you be a member.
Before we go on any fishing excursions that we're going to use a boat.
We're going to use a lot of equipment and regardless any fishing adventure I go on, I'm going to
(36:25):
involve the drug screen to make sure that people are in recovery.
If you want to use my charity and take advantage of what we offer, you're going to do it so.
So I work with UPMC, sends me drug screens.
They send me Narcan.
(36:46):
They send me xylene strips, fentanyl strips.
It's amazing.
Yeah.
So on a quarterly they just meld the stuff out.
Usually ask like what is life like now?
One year.
Yeah.
You have a non-profit.
Your dad is coming with you to support your recovery.
It's amazing.
Your son is involved.
(37:07):
Oh, every day.
I was on the phone with him two minutes before I came in.
Wow.
He was like good luck on that podcast.
He was like I know who to walk.
And you have.
But um.
You had an article in the newspaper this week.
Yeah.
If you Google Rods the number four recovery, the top thing is the we had the front page
of the health section of the post-cassette for casting a light on recovery.
(37:33):
That's amazing.
Yeah.
So we're just trying to help people one cast at a time we say.
I think so many people, you've talked a lot about grief.
So many people feel and in the beginning there is a grief process that comes with losing
your substance.
Yes.
And that's been kind of your coping mechanism.
That's in some cases your best friend.
(37:55):
I learned here something I never knew and that is you could basically grieve anything.
I was told by the grief counselor that was here.
I could grieve the loss of my liver when I get a new one.
It just happens.
And so what's it like to come through that?
It's a year later.
(38:16):
The feelings, the feelings, the emotions.
It's like you go through all these feelings that you used to drown.
If you had a bad emotion or a bad feeling or you had anxiety, you would drown it and
just not think about it.
And now you have to face it and you deal with it.
(38:40):
And that's what gave me the drive to do this is I could get through this.
I did this.
If I did that, I can do this.
If I do this, I could do that.
And like I said, it started off with I'll just make a fishing rod for somebody and tell
them go fishing behind me.
Now I want to take you.
Yeah.
(39:00):
You want to go trial fishing, stand a waiter, use a fly rod, use a spinning rod.
You want to go on the boat as long as my son's not in a tournament.
And I hope, I hope, and I've said this from day one, within due time I have a boat wrapped
in a Rods for Recovery wrap that I will use strictly for Rods for Recovery to take people
(39:24):
off.
I love it.
Thanks.
Love it.
So if anybody wants to donate a boat.
Yeah.
Hey, there's people out there.
I know.
I believe me.
I've been knocking, knocking on doors, hugging people and kissing babies.
Hey, it's for a good cause.
Thanks.
It's for a very good cause.
Yeah.
(39:45):
It's really nice for me to know that this could be.
And extra credit if the boat's purple for recovery, right?
Well, the wrap.
The wrap.
The wrap, right, yeah.
Because even my, I have table banners that I use at vendor shows, and it's purple.
Purple is the cover of recovery.
My business, my business chords are purple.
Oh, cool.
Yeah, I use purple for everything because it's the recovery color.
That's amazing.
(40:05):
Yeah.
Well, Bill, thank you so much for joining us today.
Thanks for your opportunity.
Any last thoughts or anything you'd like to...
If you anyone, if you have a loved one or anyone that needs help, you know, reach out
to anyone you know, reach out to your church, reach out to, um, of course recovery centers
of America. I cannot stress how much this place has helped me and my family. It's basically
(40:30):
saved my life. And I would not, any of this would not be possible without them, without
the alumni. Like I'd never dreamed that after I got out of a recovery center, I would go
back every Tuesday night. And I mean, I'm a year, come in to volunteer. I've, yeah,
I volunteer, um, every, like I thought anything that Patrick has gone on with alumni, he knows
(40:55):
he don't, he don't even give me the sign up sheet. Just call me, you know, he knows I'm
here and, um, you know, different shows we go to. And the people that don't go to alumni
might be interested in a pirate game. So you might have been inpatient with somebody two
years ago and hook up with them at a pirate game. And I, you know, I got phone numbers
of people that I met in here that I talked to more than my average friends because they're,
(41:19):
they are my new friends. You change everything. But the one thing you've got to do, if you
go to recovery center and you spend 30 days with people or you spent 15 days and they
leave, you've got to get them phone numbers. You know, I was talking about Billy before
and me and Billy are tighter than two coats of paint. And we always make sure we talk
(41:40):
to one another. And, um, it's just like, like, like he said, if we would have known each
other 10 years ago or five years ago during our hardest days of addiction, we would not
clicked whatsoever. But here we are.
Um, we typically end with favorite recovery quote. Do you have one?
(42:06):
I honestly want to say idle time is the devil's workshop.
Yeah, you have a tattooed. You're allowed to say that.
That's what I live by.
Yeah. Keep, keep busy.
Yeah. Yeah.
Stay connected.
Yeah. And reach out.
You know, reach out. If you, you might not have got that person's phone number while
(42:29):
you were in, while you were in, um, inpatient, but you might be friends with them on Facebook.
The phone don't weigh a thousand pounds. Everybody thinks it does in recovery, but it don't.
They might appreciate a phone call. They might be looking for that phone.
Bill, thank you so much for being with us today.
(42:50):
Thank you.
Listeners, if you or someone you know needs help, please call 1-833-RCA-ALUMN. There are
people standing by will take your call that will help you find the right level of care,
the right transition plan and help you find a life in recovery.
Thank you so much for joining us. We wish you all the very best.
(43:39):
The RCA alumni team aims to provide a safe, supportive environment for those in the recovery
community, regardless of their affiliation with RCA. We host a full calendar of virtual
and in-person meetings as well as free sober events every month. To learn more about what
we do, find us at RCA alumni.com. Remember, if you or a loved one is struggling with addiction,
(44:05):
pick up the phone and dial 1-833-RCA-ALUMN. Help is available 24-7.
Listen to another episode now or join us next time for the Strength and Recovery podcast.
Hello listeners, welcome to the Strength and Recovery podcast.
(00:22):
We have a special guest with us today.
I'm joined by Bill Petrosky.
He is an alum of our Monroeville location and agreed to speak with us today just about
his recovery, a new nonprofit that he's developed, and what recovery and what life is like now.
So thank you so much for joining us.
(00:44):
Thank you.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you came to RCA.
In 2021 I was diagnosed with liver cancer after suffering from mesophageal varices.
All the blood vessels in my throat exploded from the use of alcohol.
And whenever I was diagnosed with liver cancer, I was put on the transplant list but continued
(01:08):
to drink.
So I got knocked off the transplant list because you can't do both.
So I knew that I needed to do something about this issue if I wanted to live.
And that's when I found RCA and I agreed to the outpatient program, which I took advantage
(01:28):
of not having to be present.
I took advantage of the Zoom.
I was still drinking while I was on doing the groups because I was Zooming it.
So the counselor here that was leading the group kind of knew what was going on.
(01:51):
She had talked to my girlfriend in the past and had great communication with her.
And she called me out and made me come in one day and told me that she felt I needed
more help than outpatient.
And I agreed and I walked on in.
Now, what's that conversation like?
(02:12):
You were telling us a little bit last night.
So you're going to these groups, you were going in person, you realized there's a virtual
option and you're like, oh, that's going to work for me.
That's what addicts do.
And I can still skirt the issue and drink during the day.
Yeah, I can make my family be so proud of me for going to outpatient rehab.
(02:36):
And someone decides the counselor calls and says, what's up?
What's that moment like?
She's smarter than I think.
You know, it's just like, but at the same time, it's like she cares.
Yeah.
And are you relieved that somebody's finally...
A thousand percent.
Yeah.
(02:56):
It's...
I had a good relationship with the counselor coming in.
She was very good at what she does, but yet very stern.
And she's only about four foot seven, but she's a firecracker.
And to this day, I don't come here without popping my head in her office and getting
(03:18):
higher, getting the hug.
And yeah, it just, it made a difference.
And this month, you're celebrating one year?
No, last month.
Last month.
Yeah.
August 24th, I celebrated one year.
That's amazing.
Yes.
It was, it was.
I mean, there's no other way I could put it because I've celebrated a year before that
(03:43):
really wasn't all that.
There was cheating involved.
And I still pretended like I wasn't drinking and just took advantage of everything.
And like, I was like, hey, look, I celebrated one year.
I really didn't, but I told everybody I had one year and I went out and bought a Harley.
Like I, I deserve something.
(04:03):
I didn't deserve nothing.
I lied my way through a year because I was still a high.
But this time was different.
Talk a little bit about that.
The, what I learned here, just walking in the door and the compassion you get from others.
(04:29):
The way that employees here can recognize with what you're going through and be so compassionate
about it and not make you feel out of place where society puts you in a perspective of
being labeled.
You know, we're normal people.
(04:53):
We just had a problem.
Now, how long did it take for you to realize that drinking was a problem?
Was it the cancer diagnosis?
Was it?
It was COVID in general.
I mean, I had health issues during COVID, but I also got separated early March of 2020.
(05:16):
And then August 16th, my mother passed away while she was basically getting ready to make
breakfast for everyone.
We had a birthday party for my son the day before.
She said breakfast tomorrow morning.
We were all up at our camp and I said, me and George are going to go fishing because
that's, we grew up fishing.
(05:38):
And George is my son and me and him were out on the boat and it was just before nine o'clock
and my phone was ringing and I looked over at my phone and it said mom.
And I said, there's grandma getting ready to yell at us because we're not back for something,
for breakfast.
And I started laughing and when I answered the phone, it was my neighbor and she said,
(05:59):
you got to get here as quick as you can, your mom's face down on the floor.
And when we got there, she was gone.
Sausage was in the sink, thawing out.
I'm so sorry.
Thanks.
Yeah.
She had a massive heart attack.
And your background is?
CPR on first aid.
And you know.
(06:19):
And I wasn't there.
I lived with that every day.
I'm so sorry.
And so then you're dealing with those emotions, your mom's death.
And I just got, I don't even think I grieved my mother much because I went right to alcohol.
(06:43):
And my dad, when I did get separated, I moved in with my parents, but I was working from
home because of COVID.
Basically putting fires out at work, we called it, if they needed me, I had to go in.
I worked at wastewater treatment plant for 23 years and my job was pretreatment.
(07:06):
I was down in manholes all day.
And we went down to skeleton crews and I was on the phone and answering emails as much
as I could just to try to keep everything flowing, literally.
And so living with my parents, but they weren't there.
(07:26):
And then because all summer they would be up at camp.
And I had, I brought my dad home that day.
And you know, I finally started to realize he's never wrote a check.
He's never paid a bill.
He has no idea what kind of debt they have.
And I was there and I got, I don't want to say wrapped up into it, but like I started
(07:50):
trying to figure everything out, you know, we're going to the funeral home, we're making
arrangements, calling family, everything we had to do.
The work that's around that can be enormous.
And then in the drop of a hat, it all goes away, the family leaves, the visitors leave.
(08:12):
The day she was buried, we had a big thing in the backyard for a week.
My dad stressed no alcohol.
I had it hidden everywhere in the house.
And as people tripled out, that was it.
It was me and him.
And I just went every day, but it was like, I took advantage of his vulnerability at the
(08:39):
time because him and my mom just celebrated 50 years in April.
They couldn't have a, we wanted to have a big anniversary party.
It didn't happen because of COVID.
And he was, he lost his best friend.
I mean, they did everything together.
If she went and got her hair done, he waited in a car so they could go to a store afterwards
(09:01):
if she wanted to or to dinner.
They were always together.
They were inseparable for 50 years.
And he's there, you know, I didn't want to go to work because I didn't want him to be
alone.
And so knowing that he was just not in the right state, it made it easier.
(09:25):
I can't, like I showered at work because I told you I was dining manholes all day.
I'm not going to get in my truck or come home.
So I always had a backpack.
And before I would get home, I would dump a 15 pack in the backpack and just walk upstairs.
And then throughout the night go up, I would always buy the little airplanes and had them
(09:47):
in my backpack.
And I just pretended like he didn't, he ain't going to know what's going on because he's,
his mind is occupied.
And your mind at that point, are you thinking I have a problem and I'm hiding it or I'm
okay because I'm still going to work.
I don't think whenever you have a problem like that, you ever think you have a problem.
(10:11):
You could have came right up to me and said you have a problem and I would have been like,
no, I'm going to work tomorrow.
I'm a functioning guy.
I was a functioning alcoholic.
And I got to the point where if I bought a 15 pack on a way home and a couple of airplanes,
I would make sure there was a couple left so that I could have a beer to brush my teeth
with and a couple drinks on my way to work.
(10:33):
And I was driving a company vehicle with a government plate on it.
Thankfully I was, well, I don't want to say thankfully, but I'm not going to say thankfully,
I made it to retirement.
I got forced into retirement because I couldn't work around the infection and beyond the transplant
(10:57):
list.
So after I did my 30 days and I stayed in contact with my liver doctor and the transplant
team, 31 inpatient.
And I stayed in contact while I was here or my girlfriend did and with my liver doctor
and the transplant team and they seen my progression.
(11:19):
When I got out, first thing was blood work and they showed, there's something in blood
that you could tell you had a drink in 30 days or three months and it showed it on a
decline and it's stayed that way for a year.
And six months ago I was reintroduced to the transplant team and I got back on the list.
(11:43):
So everything's, I get an MRI and an ultrasound every three months and I get my throat scoped
every three months.
So you first go, you get this diagnosis.
When does the diagnosis happen?
Your mom's passed away, you're helping care for your dad and you get this diagnosis.
December 9th of 21.
(12:08):
What happened was we were going to Latrobe Airport because we were getting, we have friends
that live in Florida and whenever we see Spirit offer some stupid deal, you save 40 bucks
by buying them over the counter.
So I said, where we live in the South Hills, I'm more towards the Century 3 area for anybody
(12:28):
listening that might be in Pittsburgh.
There's nothing around.
So I told my girlfriend, my fiance now, but my girlfriend at the time, if we go get plane
tickets at Latrobe and save the $40, we could shop our way back because there's a bunch
of plazas and it was Christmas.
We were Christmas shopping.
(12:49):
So that was December 9th and we were leaving like on our way out.
I didn't feel good.
I was driving, but I just didn't feel right.
And it was like almost like I had the flu.
And then right away I was like, you got COVID.
I'm like, no, it's not, it's nothing like that.
So we went to a couple of stores, I don't even remember being there and I wasn't drinking.
(13:13):
And I remember we went to Dick's Sporting Goods and when we were leaving, when we walked
out, I asked her, I said, could we just go home?
I'm done.
I don't feel good.
And she said, fine, whatever.
And I said, can you drive?
We drive my truck around.
I was like, I just can't.
So she backed out of the parking spot and we're going through the parking lot and I felt the
(13:34):
urge like I was going to vomit and I opened up the door and I vomited a little bit and
I opened my eyes.
I looked at the running board on my truck and it was covered in blood.
And I didn't say anything.
She works in healthcare.
She did at the time.
She don't know more.
So I knew if I was going to say anything to her, she's going to go and say it.
(13:56):
So we went home and I laid down and periodically throughout the day, it would repeat itself.
And I remember at night, it was later on that evening, maybe around nine or 10 o'clock,
it just felt like my mouth was filling up with fluid and I had to go so I had to get
rid of it.
Like my cheeks were filling up.
I looked like a chipmunk and I didn't get it.
(14:18):
It's like not like you're dry even.
We were going to vomit.
It's just like I had to get rid of what was in my mouth.
So I ran to the bathroom and it was just all blood and she walked in behind me and she
said, you are going to the hospital now.
So I went to the hospital.
They rushed me into emergency surgery.
I was literally signing the anesthesia paperwork while I was being wheeled into the operating
(14:43):
room.
And I was in emergency surgery for seven hours.
And when I was done, the doctor walked out and she said, he told her if she would have
waited 10 more minutes, I was gone.
All the blood vessels of my throat exploded.
I had esophageal varices and it was from alcohol.
It was from the airplanes more than the beer.
(15:05):
They just took away the lining of my throat.
I think a lot of people talk about liver disease.
Not very many people talk about.
Right.
Esophageal varices and it's deadly.
And so they banned all of my blood vessels and I had to go like I probably had at this
(15:26):
time probably 30 throat scopes and each like maybe every other one, they're still banding
blood vessels in my throat.
And but while I was in there, I was hospitalized for 10 days.
I had seven blood transfusions because of the amount of blood I lost and they ran a bunch
of other tests.
So the doctor came in before I was discharged and said, I need you to go see a liver doctor.
(15:52):
And I said, okay.
I kind of figured I beat it up a little bit throughout my life.
And he said, he goes, you have end stage liver disease, severe cirrhosis and stage three
liver cancer.
So that's whenever I want to see the liver doctor.
But if I had not had esophageal varices, I may have never known I had cancer.
(16:15):
So you're here for a reason.
Yeah.
So far.
And we get this diagnosis and you're thinking at that point, well, I just have to stop drinking
or I walked out or saying, that's it.
I can't do this anymore.
And then my fiance had it was probably a little over a year after that I'm going through a
(16:48):
radiation.
So I drank before I went to radiation and I had to lay in a body cast.
They did a vase of radiation.
They wrapped me with like saran wrap, put a shot back on it and sucked all the air out
of it.
Like I couldn't wiggle my toes.
The body cast was molded to be I had to go there one day and get fitted and they made
a body cast and they would throw it up on the table when I got there.
(17:12):
I laid in it and they put me through the tube and they measured your breathing in a practice
run.
They measured what you exhale and you had to hit that number during your treatment.
So they would tell you, are you ready?
And you're like, yeah, and they would be like, breathe and you exhaled until you had to hit
this.
If you didn't hit that number, they had to redo it and you did this for an hour.
(17:36):
And I did it for four weeks, the first time and four weeks, the second time.
And I drank one time going into radiation.
And so that was one of the cheats that I had, I guess, during my quote unquote year of sobriety.
(18:00):
So you're on this transplant list and the doctor says, we have to remove you.
That's got to be a tough moment.
And I almost got removed the second time, not my fault.
But if you want to throw every possibility of a relapse at me, just keep them coming.
Because whenever I was forced into disability retirement because of the infection risk,
(18:27):
after I signed my retirement papers, I went to my office and I was boxing stuff up.
And I was like, oh, you know what?
I got shire towels probably hanging in my locker.
So I went to my locker and I opened it up and I'm getting stuff out of my locker and
put it in a garbage bag or whatever and my phone rings and it says A.H.M.
Allegheny Health Network.
(18:48):
So I'm like, okay.
It was the transplant coordinator that I talked to often.
And she said, Bill, what's going on?
And I go, nothing.
Why?
And she said because your transplants coming up denied due to insurance.
And I said, what are you talking about?
(19:10):
She said, I have no idea.
I said, hold on a minute.
So I called, excuse me.
I called HR and I said, you know, I just got this phone call from A.H.M. and they're denying
my transplant.
And they were like, yeah, whenever you take disability retirement, you lose your health
insurance.
And I'm like.
No one mentioned that.
(19:32):
I've talked to people that work there recently that don't know that's a thing.
And they've been there 20 plus years.
I said, I had no idea.
No preparation for that whatsoever.
So I finished doing what I was doing.
I rushed home and now I'm like, I have to find health insurance.
So I started calling around and you could not call an insurance broker and get insurance
(19:56):
and have some past health condition covered.
So there's a site called Penny and I went on Penny and I ended up getting covered, but
I pay out of pocket and I never paid a dime for my health insurance.
But I got covered by Penny and I called the trant and everything's good.
But it was just like, what other curveball can you throw at me?
(20:20):
So you come in, you're here for outpatient.
You're kind of phoning it in so to speak.
They call you on it.
Phone in the phony.
And you don't even go home.
No.
They just say you need to go upstairs.
I said, when I walked in, somebody instantly said take his keys and I'm like, what?
(20:46):
You know, nobody's touching my keys.
And so the council, like two people got up and moved and I sat down and the counselor
said, do you think what we're offering here in outpatient is enough?
And I said, if you're asking me that question, I'm assuming you already know the answer.
And she said, I just want to hear it from you.
(21:08):
And I said, maybe I do need more help.
And she says, well, what do you, what steps do you want to take?
And there was other people that in the group that stayed in the room and they were like,
you know, it takes a lot to walk in by yourself and it would mean a lot.
And they were like, you know, you got this, you can do it.
(21:30):
And I said to her, I said, could you do me one favor?
And she said, what's that?
I said, could I go out to my truck and make a couple phone calls because I want to let
people know what's going on.
And she said, absolutely.
And I walked out to my truck and I never took my phone out of my pocket.
I finished all the fireball I had in my truck and then I walked into inpatient.
(21:51):
And what's that like getting to the?
Walking into it.
Like I've never been to a facility and you know, they register you, they take your picture.
If someone was scared, they're like, I, there's no way I can do that.
What would you tell them?
Do it.
It's nothing.
(22:12):
And you were describing last night just how welcoming.
Yeah.
Like the community is exactly.
And so like, I didn't, and I'm sure this is an everywhere or even every RCA facility,
but whenever they take you out of the nurses station and put you in scrubs and make sure
you don't have any drugs on you or anything like that, the nurse said, okay, let me walk
(22:35):
you to your room and we're going to go up this elevator.
And I didn't realize whenever you got, I didn't know anything.
I didn't know there was a community room, let alone whenever the elevator doors open,
I'm going to be in it.
There was no groups going on at the time.
They were in between.
So everybody was in the community room and this elevator door opens and I'm just like,
(22:56):
so you're like, welcome to treatment.
Here I am.
Yeah.
And I'm just like, oh my God, you instantly like look around and start judging people
like, oh God, I'm not going to get along with you.
I hope you know, you picture in like four bunk beds in a room that you're going to have
to sleep with these people.
And I'm like, you're probably going to snore.
I don't like you.
(23:17):
And it's not like that at all.
You come in here, they show you a room.
It's like a hotel.
I remember walking out of my room and there was a guy standing up at the nurses station
and he was like, okay.
My name's So-and-so.
(23:37):
He was like, if you, this is where you're, this is where all the groups are in what time.
They'll put you with a counselor and you'll follow his lead on some groups.
This is the cafeteria menu.
If you don't like what they're having, you could substitute it with grilled cheese or
whatever, just make sure you have the paperwork filled out by 10am, blah, blah, blah.
(24:01):
And I thought he worked there and he didn't.
He was a patient.
He's helping me feel welcome.
And I'm just, yeah, just automatically.
And I'm like, wow, this is amazing.
Because I still didn't know that he didn't work there until I seen him in a group.
Sitting in a chair like I'm sitting there.
And like everybody introduced themselves and then you realize everybody's there for the
(24:23):
same reason.
You're no different than them.
And you don't feel that sense of shame or judgment.
Without a doubt.
The only thing that they have on you is they already know that we're all there for the
same reason.
I didn't know, like I knew that walking in, but I didn't feel it until I got there.
You know what I mean?
(24:44):
So it's like, it's so much of an addiction and alcoholism is isolating.
It gets you in your truck by yourself.
It gets you maybe at your hobby's fishing, fishing alone and just that sense of isolation.
So I'm sure that can be a little bit intimidating to go, oh no, I have to deal with people.
(25:09):
But yet it becomes a lifeline at the same time.
Those, the patients at any recovery center can't wait for the new guy to walk in to show
them the way because they were that person yesterday or a week ago or a month ago.
(25:35):
And they can't wait to make sure that that person feels just as welcome as they did when
they get off that elevator.
And then too, you've been a real special part of our alumni association here at Monroeville.
I don't miss.
Talk a little bit about the alumni community.
(25:57):
I think that really, and this podcast isn't designed to just tout RCA.
It's more about recovery, but I think that is what sets RCA apart is just our commitment
and the RCA's investment in the alumni.
It keeps people together.
Without that, there is no recovery for a lot of people.
You come back here every week, every Tuesday.
(26:19):
And I bring my dad with me and it changed his whole perspective on addiction.
And talk a little bit about that.
So you have your dad, you guys are grieving together.
You're going through extreme loss, trying to rebuild life.
(26:41):
And then he is now faced with knowing his son is up against the most deadly.
He knew I drank a lot.
There was no hiding it.
I mean, my dad's worked in and out of law enforcement, all his life, private security
companies.
He's not a dummy.
(27:02):
And he knew that, I mean, he knew Thanksgiving Day whenever I went to take the roaster out
of the oven without pod holders that something was wrong.
And it was just one of them.
I keep running upstairs.
And he got onto that.
Why does he keep going up there?
What's up there?
I know what he's doing.
(27:22):
But he was a beer after cutting the grass guy.
He was a Jack and Coke on Friday night guy.
There's no addiction in my family.
I don't recall anyone that had an addiction problem.
(27:49):
My dad's dad owned a bar, but he also had a full-time job.
My dad's mom was a nurse, but she bartended at the bar when need be.
1963, a tornado came through and knocked the bar down and killed my grandfather.
So I never even met him, but people say I remind them a lot of him.
(28:16):
So there's no addiction issues.
And I have a problem that I'm faced with fixing.
And I come to RCA because he knew something was going on.
And he said it was the best worst day of his life that I was walking into impasse.
Because one of the reasons I didn't want to go to inpatient was my dad being home alone.
(28:42):
And I always worried about him.
And he's a grown man.
But I just worry.
To this day, I'm like, do you eat anything?
He's like, oh, you don't worry about it.
So coming here with you.
So yeah, on Tuesday nights.
With support groups.
Yeah.
And I was inpatient, he came for every visitation, my fiance came, my son came a couple times.
(29:11):
You see family invest in you by doing that.
And it makes you stay in recovery more.
Because they're not only investing in you, but they're learning of what you went through
and are still going through.
And they learn what to look for or they learn to have a relapse plan or they learn to not
(29:37):
talk this way or they learn to like not be scared to talk around you.
But the day I walked in here, my dad took every bottle of alcohol and every beer in
the house and he dumped it down the drain.
And my dad hasn't had a drink since.
And my fiance never drank.
So it's not an issue.
And I mean, it sounds like pretty tough guy.
(29:58):
Yeah.
And he's had his own recovery of sorts.
Yeah.
And has his own support group and is able to support you.
And he's actually recently opened up in that group about my mother.
And he's never talked about it.
It gives you community.
Yeah.
The power of community.
It's amazing.
(30:19):
And then to go like on different events and functions and have fun without alcohol.
And realize there are other families that look maybe similar to us or maybe don't look
similar to us, but we're dealing with the same disease, the same thought processes.
And to have that and to have your family involved, like if they want to, if they do a sober bowling
(30:46):
and you could bring your family or if they do the barbecue and you could bring your family
or picnic at the park or a pirate game, just seeing the people that get out to do that
and are able to bring their kids when maybe they can't afford it.
Because they've, there's a lot of people that their addiction put them into a lot of debt
that they haven't worked out of yet.
(31:07):
And that's kind of what drove me to want to start my nonprofit is to keep people involved.
So tell me about the nonprofit.
Rod's for, and it's the number four.
Yeah.
Rod's for recovery.
Correct.
So as a hobby, because I always, like whenever I had to retire and everything, my biggest
(31:32):
fear was boredom because boredom will lead to drinking.
I have a tattoo right there.
It says idle time is the devil's workshop.
And that's what it's all about.
That's my go to it.
And there's not a lot of opportunities for people to stay involved in this over community.
(31:55):
And I had a hobby whenever I stuck to it to, I build fishing rods for friends and family.
I ordered blanks.
They could order, they could have any company blank.
They could have a $600 blank or they could have a $20 blank.
And I put the eyelets on it and let them pick their color thread.
(32:15):
And my thing was I'm going to put sober dates on fishing rods and make them for people in
recovery because I could order them to decals and epoxy around them and make it look like
they got it at the store.
And as I started thinking about that, I was like, I could make this more.
So I thought of Rod's for recovery and what it's about is using fishing as a therapeutic
(32:42):
way in their recovery.
So people that don't know how to fish or don't know how to tie the knots, I've gone to a
recovery center that has lakes on the property.
I did a group on knot tying and rigging rubber worms different ways, took them out to the
lake and they all caught fish and they had a blast.
(33:03):
And I had a guy come up to me at the end and say, my son always wanted me to take him
fishing and my addiction stopped me.
And plus I just don't know how.
He goes, I cannot wait to get out of here and take my son fishing.
So it's rewarding.
So what I'm trying to, what I'm in the process of doing and some of it's underway and we,
(33:27):
you know, I take people fishing, but my board not only is specialized in some sort of fishing,
but my board either is in recovery themselves or had a family member.
So I mean, I have my son as a trustee.
He's 28 years old and he was a huge part of my recovery and he fishes bass tournaments.
(33:51):
So if somebody wants to go out for the day with him with, I'm working on funding, I'm
working on donations, I'm working on grants.
I want to have a brick and mortar building where I could store our equipment.
I could have meetings, open discussion meetings about recovery, a prayer group before we go
(34:14):
out to a fishing thing.
And so I've heard other people describe that fishing because it was a solo activity was
a real time when they did drink.
And so to learn with other guys who that's their passion and ladies that they can do
it sober.
Yeah.
(34:35):
Talk a little bit about that.
It's just, it's more enjoyable when you're sober.
I went through the whole drinking and fishing thing and you know, people drag their lawn
chair down to the shoreline of the river bank and put their cooler next to them and we've
all done it.
Yeah.
But now I want to get into you're in waiters standing in the middle of the water.
(34:57):
I'm going to occupy your mind.
Looking at your fishing rod with your sobriety date on there.
Right.
Like what a reminder.
Yeah.
So the equipment that I'm working on getting through donations and grants and just reaching
out to different Bass Pro Shops Cabela's.
Huck is a fishing is a clothing company that deals with fishing.
(35:20):
Sims is a closing company, Orvis.
One of the guys on my board works for Orvis and he's a fly tying specialist.
So if somebody wants to learn how to tie flies, I want to have that brick and mortar place
where we have our meetings and I could have Max come there and set up his fly tying outfit
and they're going to tie fly.
Max is an expert and Max's sister died two years ago from an overdose.
(35:44):
So they're all connected.
They're all connected and he wants to get out there and help people.
People want to learn more about rods for recovery.
Where can they go to do that?
Right now we're running off a Facebook page.
Okay.
If you go on Facebook and type in rods for recovery.
And the four is the numeral four.
Rods.
Rods the number four recovery.
Yeah.
(36:04):
Rods for recovery.
It's on Facebook and there's a donation link.
There's applications.
Memberships are $25 a year.
I do ask that you be a member.
Before we go on any fishing excursions that we're going to use a boat.
We're going to use a lot of equipment and regardless any fishing adventure I go on, I'm going to
(36:25):
involve the drug screen to make sure that people are in recovery.
If you want to use my charity and take advantage of what we offer, you're going to do it so.
So I work with UPMC, sends me drug screens.
They send me Narcan.
(36:46):
They send me xylene strips, fentanyl strips.
It's amazing.
Yeah.
So on a quarterly they just meld the stuff out.
Usually ask like what is life like now?
One year.
Yeah.
You have a non-profit.
Your dad is coming with you to support your recovery.
It's amazing.
Your son is involved.
(37:07):
Oh, every day.
I was on the phone with him two minutes before I came in.
Wow.
He was like good luck on that podcast.
He was like I know who to walk.
And you have.
But um.
You had an article in the newspaper this week.
Yeah.
If you Google Rods the number four recovery, the top thing is the we had the front page
of the health section of the post-cassette for casting a light on recovery.
(37:33):
That's amazing.
Yeah.
So we're just trying to help people one cast at a time we say.
I think so many people, you've talked a lot about grief.
So many people feel and in the beginning there is a grief process that comes with losing
your substance.
Yes.
And that's been kind of your coping mechanism.
That's in some cases your best friend.
(37:55):
I learned here something I never knew and that is you could basically grieve anything.
I was told by the grief counselor that was here.
I could grieve the loss of my liver when I get a new one.
It just happens.
And so what's it like to come through that?
It's a year later.
(38:16):
The feelings, the feelings, the emotions.
It's like you go through all these feelings that you used to drown.
If you had a bad emotion or a bad feeling or you had anxiety, you would drown it and
just not think about it.
And now you have to face it and you deal with it.
(38:40):
And that's what gave me the drive to do this is I could get through this.
I did this.
If I did that, I can do this.
If I do this, I could do that.
And like I said, it started off with I'll just make a fishing rod for somebody and tell
them go fishing behind me.
Now I want to take you.
Yeah.
(39:00):
You want to go trial fishing, stand a waiter, use a fly rod, use a spinning rod.
You want to go on the boat as long as my son's not in a tournament.
And I hope, I hope, and I've said this from day one, within due time I have a boat wrapped
in a Rods for Recovery wrap that I will use strictly for Rods for Recovery to take people
(39:24):
off.
I love it.
Thanks.
Love it.
So if anybody wants to donate a boat.
Yeah.
Hey, there's people out there.
I know.
I believe me.
I've been knocking, knocking on doors, hugging people and kissing babies.
Hey, it's for a good cause.
Thanks.
It's for a very good cause.
Yeah.
(39:45):
It's really nice for me to know that this could be.
And extra credit if the boat's purple for recovery, right?
Well, the wrap.
The wrap.
The wrap, right, yeah.
Because even my, I have table banners that I use at vendor shows, and it's purple.
Purple is the cover of recovery.
My business, my business chords are purple.
Oh, cool.
Yeah, I use purple for everything because it's the recovery color.
That's amazing.
(40:05):
Yeah.
Well, Bill, thank you so much for joining us today.
Thanks for your opportunity.
Any last thoughts or anything you'd like to...
If you anyone, if you have a loved one or anyone that needs help, you know, reach out
to anyone you know, reach out to your church, reach out to, um, of course recovery centers
of America. I cannot stress how much this place has helped me and my family. It's basically
(40:30):
saved my life. And I would not, any of this would not be possible without them, without
the alumni. Like I'd never dreamed that after I got out of a recovery center, I would go
back every Tuesday night. And I mean, I'm a year, come in to volunteer. I've, yeah,
I volunteer, um, every, like I thought anything that Patrick has gone on with alumni, he knows
(40:55):
he don't, he don't even give me the sign up sheet. Just call me, you know, he knows I'm
here and, um, you know, different shows we go to. And the people that don't go to alumni
might be interested in a pirate game. So you might have been inpatient with somebody two
years ago and hook up with them at a pirate game. And I, you know, I got phone numbers
of people that I met in here that I talked to more than my average friends because they're,
(41:19):
they are my new friends. You change everything. But the one thing you've got to do, if you
go to recovery center and you spend 30 days with people or you spent 15 days and they
leave, you've got to get them phone numbers. You know, I was talking about Billy before
and me and Billy are tighter than two coats of paint. And we always make sure we talk
(41:40):
to one another. And, um, it's just like, like, like he said, if we would have known each
other 10 years ago or five years ago during our hardest days of addiction, we would not
clicked whatsoever. But here we are.
Um, we typically end with favorite recovery quote. Do you have one?
(42:06):
I honestly want to say idle time is the devil's workshop.
Yeah, you have a tattooed. You're allowed to say that.
That's what I live by.
Yeah. Keep, keep busy.
Yeah. Yeah.
Stay connected.
Yeah. And reach out.
You know, reach out. If you, you might not have got that person's phone number while
(42:29):
you were in, while you were in, um, inpatient, but you might be friends with them on Facebook.
The phone don't weigh a thousand pounds. Everybody thinks it does in recovery, but it don't.
They might appreciate a phone call. They might be looking for that phone.
Bill, thank you so much for being with us today.
(42:50):
Thank you.
Listeners, if you or someone you know needs help, please call 1-833-RCA-ALUMN. There are
people standing by will take your call that will help you find the right level of care,
the right transition plan and help you find a life in recovery.
Thank you so much for joining us. We wish you all the very best.
(43:39):
The RCA alumni team aims to provide a safe, supportive environment for those in the recovery
community, regardless of their affiliation with RCA. We host a full calendar of virtual
and in-person meetings as well as free sober events every month. To learn more about what
we do, find us at RCA alumni.com. Remember, if you or a loved one is struggling with addiction,
(44:05):
pick up the phone and dial 1-833-RCA-ALUMN. Help is available 24-7.
Listen to another episode now or join us next time for the Strength and Recovery podcast.
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