I Started Dealing Heroin in High School… and Almost Lost Everything Ep | 144

In this powerful and raw episode of Get A Grip Podcast, Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes sit down with Vinny Ramirez to uncover a life story that spirals from chaos and survival into addiction, crime, and ultimately redemption.Vinny takes us back to his childhood growing up in East Chicago, where instability was the norm. With nine people packed into one house and violence never far away, he looked up to his older brother while navigating a world that hardened him early. One night, that reality came crashing in when three trucks pulled up to attack their home—setting the tone for the life he would soon be pulled into.By his teenage years, Vinny was already deep in the streets—getting paid to drive cars loaded with drugs and quickly learning the game. What started small escalated fast. In what feels almost unreal, he went from a high school student to a full-blown heroin dealer overnight—breaking down rocks in science class and moving serious weight before most kids graduate. At one point, he was selling quarter bricks and even found himself entangled in situations involving stolen evidence tied to a murder.But the fast money came with devastating consequences.Vinny opens up about losing his daughter, his addiction spiraling out of control, and the dangerous lifestyle that followed—getting raided, crashing into a guardrail while fleeing police, and using increasingly deadly heroin like “cop killer.” He shares the moment he first injected heroin and how his life became consumed, with rigs everywhere and no escape in sight.Eventually, it all caught up to him. After getting high and arrested, Vinny confessed to everything—leading to prison time filled with violence, fights, and hard lessons. But even after release, the cycle continued. Relationships, addiction, and loss collided again, including a haunting moment where his child’s mother overdosed and was brought back to life.At his lowest point, Vinny overdosed four times in a single day.But this isn’t just a story about addiction—it’s about survival and transformation.Vinny shares how finding faith and rebuilding his life gave him a way out. Today, he reflects on meeting his wife, blending their families into a household of six kids, and what it truly means to come back from the edge.This episode is intense, unfiltered, and unforgettable—a firsthand account of what it looks like to fall into the depths of heroin addiction and somehow find a way back.

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