How Alcohol, Crack & Prison Nearly Killed Me | Ep 183

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig sits down with Justin Allen for a brutally honest conversation about alcoholism, homelessness, crack cocaine, incarceration, and the long road back to recovery.

J

ustin's addiction began at an early age. While most kids were focused on school, he was already selling drugs in middle school. By 17, he was not only becoming a father, but also developing a severe alcohol addiction that would dominate the next chapter of his life.

What started with drinking eventually spiraled into multiple

DUIs, homelessness, repeated treatment attempts, and years of living in survival mode. Justin shares what it was like sleeping in his car during the middle of winter, working third shift while homeless, and trying to piece together a life with nowhere to call home.

The episode takes an emotional turn as Justin discusses the terrifying reality of alcohol withdrawal, witnessing another inmate die while detoxing in jail, and the devastating cycle of leaving treatment only to relapse again. As alcohol stopped being enough, cocaine and crack entered the picture, pulling him even deeper into addiction.

Justin also opens up about going to prison, becoming dependent on Suboxone, experimenting with methamphetamine while incarcerated, and enduring one of the worst withdrawals of his life. Throughout the conversation, he reflects on the impact addiction had on his children, losing custody, and the painful consequences of putting alcohol before everything else.

But this isn't where the story ends.Justin shares how recovery finally began to take hold, the setbacks he faced along the way, and what he's learned through years of fighting for sobriety. His story is one of perseverance, accountability, and hope for anyone who believes they're too far gone to change.

🔥 Expect emotion. Expect truth. Expect hope.

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