In this episode of The Hopeaholics Podcast, Ryan Foley shares his powerful story of alcoholism, mental health, surrender, fatherhood, and the unexpected life recovery gave him. Ryan grew up outside of Chicago, went on to attend Cornell University, built a successful career, and eventually worked at companies like Google and Groupon before addiction began taking over his life. For years, he was able to function on the outside while drinking every day, but behind the scenes his body was shutting down. He opens up about drinking a handle a day, waking up in withdrawal, shaking, sweating, and reaching the point where doctors told him that if he kept drinking, he could die.

Ryan also shares his experience being diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 20 years old, the shame he carried around mental health, and why getting sober was the only way he could truly begin treating what was underneath. Today, Ryan is nearly five years sober, a husband, father of two with a third baby on the way, a performance coach, and a world champion professional sailor. He shares how recovery brought him back to athletics, led him into a completely different career, and gave him a life he never thought was possible. From surrendering in treatment to launching "Big Tuesday," a movement encouraging men to lift heavy, stay disciplined, and take ownership of their health, Ryan's story is a reminder that recovery does not just save lives — it can completely transform them.
#thehopeaholics #redemption #recovery #AlcoholAddiction #AddictionRecovery #wedorecover #SobrietyJourney #MyStory #Hope #wedorecover #treatmentcenter #natalieevamarie

Join our patreon to get access to an EXTRA EPISODE every week of 'Off the Record', exclusive content, a thriving recovery community, and opportunities to be featured on the podcast. https://patreon.com/TheHopeaholics

Go to www.Wolfpak.com today and support our sponsors.

Don't forget to use code: HOPEAHOLICSPODCAST for 10% off!

Follow the Hopeaholics on our Socials:
https://www.instagram.com/thehopeaholics
https://linktr.ee/thehopeaholics

Buy Merch:
https://thehopeaholics.myshopify.com

Visit our Treatment Centers: https://www.hopebythesea.com
If you or a loved one needs help, please call or text 949-615-8588. We have the resources to treat mental health and addiction.

Sponsored by the Infiniti Group LLC:
https://www.infinitigroupllc.com

The 10-Car Crash That Exposed Her Secret Addiction w/ Elisa Saunders | The Hopeaholics Podcast


In this episode of the Hopeaholics Podcast, Elisa Saunders shares an incredibly raw story of addiction, trauma, survival, and the long road to recovery after decades of chaos behind the scenes of both alcoholism and the treatment industry. Elisa spent nearly 30 years drinking while maintaining the image of a functioning professional, all while cycling through alcohol, Xanax, cocaine, and the kind of self-destruction that nearly killed her. She opens up about the pain of childhood abuse, the emotional wounds that followed her into adulthood, and how addiction became both an escape and a prison she couldn’t break free from. The conversation dives into her time working in the treatment world during some of its most corrupt years, where she witnessed body brokering, fraud, and the exploitation of vulnerable people seeking help. Elisa also shares the terrifying consequences of her own addiction, including a DUI, a devastating ten-car pileup, and the moment she realized she was either going to get sober or die. Even after getting clean, she reveals the brutal emotional reality of early recovery, including the shame, depression, and suicidal thoughts she had to fight through without numbing herself. Today, Elisa uses her story and experience to advocate for ethical treatment, real recovery, and better solutions for people trapped in addiction.


#thehopeaholics #redemption #recovery #AlcoholAddiction #AddictionRecovery #wedorecover #SobrietyJourney #MyStory #Hope #wedorecover #treatmentcenter #natalieevamarie


Join our patreon to get access to an EXTRA EPISODE every week of ‘Off the Record’, exclusive content, a thriving recovery community, and opportunities to be featured on the podcast. https://patreon.com/TheHopeaholics


Go to www.Wolfpak.com today and support our sponsors. Don't forget to use code: HOPEAHOLICSPODCAST for 10% off!


Follow the Hopeaholics on our Socials:
https://www.instagram.com/thehopeaholics
https://linktr.ee/thehopeaholics


Buy Merch:
https://thehopeaholics.myshopify.com


Visit our Treatment Centers: https://www.hopebythesea.com
If you or a loved one needs help, please call or text 949-615-8588. We have the resources to treat mental health and addiction.


Sponsored by the Infiniti Group LLC:
https://www.infinitigroupllc.com


Timestamps:
00:05:09 - 30 Years of Drinking While Working as a Schoolteacher
00:05:32 - Booze, Xanax and Cocaine Becoming Her Routine
00:08:17 - Entering the Wild West of the Treatment Industry
00:08:54 - The Real Story Behind Body Brokering in Florida
00:10:29 - Watching Corrupt Treatment Operators Get Busted
00:11:09 - Seeing People Brokered Out of AA Meetings
00:12:30 - Testifying Against Her Half Brother After Childhood Abuse
00:16:58 - Realizing She Could Never Stay Stopped
00:18:50 - The DUI That Exposed How Out of Control Her Life Had Become
00:19:12 - Causing a Ten-Car Pileup and Hiding It as a Teacher
00:22:22 - Reaching the Point Where She Knew She Was Going to Die
00:22:47 - Going to Treatment Because Jail Was the Alternative
00:24:50 - Getting Sober and Still Wanting to Kill Herself
00:25:58 - “I Never Felt Good Enough” Without Alcohol
00:58:57 - The Recovery App She Believes Could Help Save Lives

The Opposite of Addiction Isn’t Sobriety with Stefanos Sifandos | The Hopeaholics Podcast

In this episode of the Hopeaholics Podcast, Stefanos Sifandos joins the show for a deep and thought-provoking conversation about trauma, relationships, addiction, personal growth, and the journey toward true emotional freedom. As an internationally recognized relationship coach, author, and speaker, Stefanos has spent years helping people understand the hidden wounds that shape their behaviors, beliefs, and connections with others. He opens up about growing up in a household marked by violence, chaos, and emotional struggle, and how those early experiences led him on a lifelong search for healing and self-discovery. The conversation explores the powerful link between addiction and disconnection, why so many people avoid their emotions, and how unresolved childhood experiences continue to influence adult relationships. Stefanos also shares his perspective on attachment, vulnerability, masculinity, fatherhood, and the importance of developing a deeper relationship with yourself. Throughout the episode, he explains how generational trauma gets passed down, why meaningful connection is essential for healing, and what it takes to break destructive patterns that keep people stuck. With a unique blend of personal experience, psychology, spirituality, and practical wisdom, Stefanos offers insights that challenge conventional thinking and encourage lasting transformation.

#thehopeaholics #redemption #recovery #AlcoholAddiction #AddictionRecovery #wedorecover #SobrietyJourney #MyStory #Hope #wedorecover #treatmentcenter #natalieevamarie

Join our patreon to get access to an EXTRA EPISODE every week of ‘Off the Record’, exclusive content, a thriving recovery community, and opportunities to be featured on the podcast. https://patreon.com/TheHopeaholics

Go to www.Wolfpak.com today and support our sponsors. Don't forget to use code: HOPEAHOLICSPODCAST for 10% off!

Follow the Hopeaholics on our Socials:
https://www.instagram.com/thehopeaholics
https://linktr.ee/thehopeaholics

Buy Merch:
https://thehopeaholics.myshopify.com

Visit our Treatment Centers: https://www.hopebythesea.com
If you or a loved one needs help, please call or text 949-615-8588. We have the resources to treat mental health and addiction.

Sponsored by the Infiniti Group LLC:
https://www.infinitigroupllc.com

Timestamps:
00:13:24 - Growing Up Overweight, Insecure and Finding Fitness
00:14:37 - Violence, Chaos and Trauma Inside His Childhood Home
00:16:17 - Why His Difficult Childhood Sparked a Lifelong Study of Relationships
00:23:12 - The Human Need for Belonging
00:23:32 - Why the Opposite of Addiction Is Connection
00:24:13 - Addiction, Isolation and the Emotions We All Share
00:25:15 - Discovering He Was Neurodivergent
00:35:03 - Why Society Teaches Us to Avoid Feeling
00:36:23 - How Generational Trauma Gets Passed Down
00:57:16 - Living in Denial and Hiding in the Shadows
00:58:46 - Insecurity, Jealousy and Going Through Your Partner’s Phone
01:01:13 - How Fatherhood Opened His Heart
01:05:08 - Working With His Wife and Confronting His Ego
01:06:33 - The Meaning Behind His Book Tuned In and Turned On
01:07:12 - How Childhood Shapes Adult Relationships, Love and Attachment