I Shot Heroin in Medical School and Still Became a Doctor | Ep 137

In this powerful episode, Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes sit down with Dr. Nicole Labor to hear a story that challenges everything people think they know about addiction, recovery, and redemption.Nicole grew up in a strict household where drugs were something to fear and avoid. But like many stories of addiction, the path didn’t begin where anyone expected. What started with heavy drinking as a teenager eventually led her into the counterculture world of the Grateful Dead scene, where she became a devoted “Dead Head” and began experimenting more deeply with substances.Despite her growing substance use, Nicole pursued an ambitious path into medicine. While studying and preparing for a career as a physician, her drug use escalated—eventually leading to an addiction to powerful opiates. In a shocking turn, Nicole entered medical school already struggling with addiction. What began with prescription pills quickly progressed to Oxy 160s and ultimately to heroin. At one point, she was traveling to New Jersey to cop heroin while simultaneously trying to maintain the life of a future doctor.In one of the most gripping parts of the conversation, Nicole opens up about injecting heroin while attending medical school and somehow still managing to graduate. She candidly describes the moment she admitted to her school that she was addicted, the painful cycle of detox and relapse, and the crushing weight of living a double life as a doctor battling heroin addiction.But Nicole’s story doesn’t end there.After hitting bottom, she eventually found recovery—and today she has 17 years of documented sobriety. Now a physician specializing in addiction medicine, she dedicates her life to helping others escape the same disease that nearly destroyed her.Nicole also shares how her journey brought her to Akron, Ohio—the birthplace of Alcoholics Anonymous—and how personal tragedy, including the loss of her husband after his struggles with addiction and incarceration, further shaped her mission.In this deeply honest conversation, Dr. Labor explains why addiction is truly a disease, how it works in the brain, and why people struggling with it deserve treatment, compassion, and understanding rather than shame.This is the story of a woman who shot heroin in medical school and still became a doctor—and who now uses that experience to save lives.A raw, eye-opening conversation about addiction, resilience, and the possibility of recovery no matter how far someone has fallen.

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