"I Was Homeless for a Decade… and Still Survived" w/ Sean Speck | The Hopeaholics Podcast
In this intense and deeply personal episode of The Hopeaholics Podcast, Sean Speck opens up about a journey that few survive—years of addiction, homelessness, relapse, medical trauma, and ultimately, an unexpected path to redemption. Sean takes us through the harsh reality of smoking weed at 14, graduating high school addicted to meth, getting kicked out at 19, and spending nearly a decade homeless on the streets of Riverside. He talks openly about the first time he used a needle, the psychosis that consumed him, waking up in an industrial complex without his colostomy bag, and the terrifying moment doctors told him alcohol had destroyed his colon. Sean describes the collapse of his life as he relapsed again, eating 45–75 gas-station “heroin” pills a day, taking a “one-time” hit of heroin that pulled him right back into the cycle, and being forcibly taken to detox as his fiancée fought to save his life. But he also shares the moment everything shifted—calling from a park saying he was done, begging God to remove the obsession, reconnecting with his daughters, and learning to rebuild his life through honesty, humility, and real recovery. This episode is raw, vulnerable, heartbreaking, and absolutely inspiring. It's a reminder that even after years of darkness, there is still hope, still redemption, and still a way forward.
#thehopeaholics #redemption #recovery #AlcoholAddiction #AddictionRecovery #wedorecover #SobrietyJourney #MyStory #Hope #wedorecover #treatmentcenter #natalieevamarie
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Timestamps:
00:03:21 – High school addiction spirals: meth, pills, and hiding it from everyone
00:05:26 – Getting kicked out at 19 and starting life on the streets
00:06:18 – First time he tried heroin while homeless in Lake Elsinore
00:07:43 – Nearly a decade homeless in Riverside, stuck in the cycle
00:10:15 – The first time he ever used a needle and how everything changed
00:12:30 – Waking up in an industrial complex missing his colostomy bag
00:13:13 – Breaking down in a park and calling for help, “I’m done”
00:16:55 – Eating 45–75 gas-station “heroin” pills every day
00:17:47 – A “one time” heroin hit that turned into full relapse
00:19:08 – Fiancée orders friends to “kidnap” him into detox
00:20:14 – The moment Sean begged God to remove the obsession
00:21:27 – Doctors explain alcohol destroyed his colon
00:24:42 – Waking up with a colostomy bag at 30 years old
00:27:11 – Drinking again just one week after colon surgery
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