Get a Grip Podcast

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes sit down with Jason Mains for an incredible story of violence, addiction, prison, relapse, and the ongoing fight for recovery.
Jason's life was marked by trauma from an early age. As a teenager, he survived a brutal assault after being jumped and thrown from an overpass—an event that changed the trajectory of his life. Just two years later, at 17 years old, Jason made a decision that would alter everything when he shot another person, leading to a lengthy prison sentence before he was even an adult.
While incarcerated, Jason witnessed unimaginable experiences, including discovering an inmate who had taken his own life. Prison became a place where survival was the priority, but addiction would continue to follow him long after his release.
Once back on the streets, alcohol and cocaine quickly took over. Jason explains why drinking always led him back to cocaine, how his addiction escalated into crack cocaine, and the dangerous lifestyle that followed—including robberies, violence, and repeated trips through the criminal justice system.
Throughout the conversation, Jason also shares the unexpected role art and music played in his life. From creating portraits while in prison to performing music after his release, he reflects on how creativity gave him purpose, even as addiction continued pulling him back.
The episode takes another unbelievable turn as Jason discusses experimenting with methamphetamine, taking massive amounts of LSD, relapsing after four years of sobriety, and ultimately finding himself back in jail and treatment.Today, Jason is once again fighting for his recovery and speaks candidly about the challenges of staying sober, taking responsibility for his past, and continuing to move forward one day at a time.
This is a raw conversation about consequences, redemption, and the reality that recovery is often a journey—not a straight line.
🔥 Expect emotion. Expect truth. Expect hope.
🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more powerful stories on addiction, recovery, and resilience.
Get a Grip Podcast Social Media: Find our TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio links, a more on our Link Tree below!
Get a Grip Social Media Links: ⁠https://linktr.ee/officialgetagrippodcast
For Collaboration and Business inquiries, please use the contact information below:
📩 Email: getagrippodcast614@gmail.com
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#getagrip #redemptionstory #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #addictionrecovery #recoveryjourney #trauma #childhood #oxy #dealer #soberlife #wedorecover #childhoodtrauma #healing #inspiration #awareness #kingpin #trafficking #hustle #opioidcrisis #neardeathexperience #fyp #prison #bar #mistake #change #survivor #survival #tv #television #inspire #parole #officer #school #teacher #students #study #student #changinglivesdaily

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes sit down with Ben Solove to discuss a lifetime of alcoholism, repeated second chances, and the decision that finally changed everything.
Ben's story begins with an ordinary childhood, but like many people, his relationship with alcohol started at a young age. What seemed like harmless drinking gradually became a dependence that followed him through high school, college, and adulthood.
After attending The Ohio State University, Ben eventually dropped out and took a job at Chi-Chi's, where drinking became woven into his everyday life. He shares stories from the restaurant industry, following the Grateful Dead across the country, and the culture that normalized heavy drinking while masking a growing addiction.
As alcohol tightened its grip, the consequences became impossible to ignore. Ben opens up about drinking on the job, the first DUI that should have been a wake-up call, and how he ultimately accumulated five DUIs in just five years. He reflects on the legal trouble, damaged relationships, and the emotional toll of watching his life slowly unravel.
The conversation also explores his first marriage, the divorce that followed, and the moment he realized he could no longer continue living the way he had been. Through drug court, accountability, and a willingness to finally change, Ben began rebuilding his life from the ground up.
After completing the program, Ben moved to Key West hoping for a fresh start. While life continued to throw unexpected challenges his way, including another painful relationship ending, he remained committed to his recovery and the life he had worked so hard to build.
This episode is an honest conversation about alcoholism, consequences, redemption, and proving it's never too late to start over.
🔥 Expect emotion. Expect truth. Expect hope.
🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more powerful stories on addiction, recovery, and resilience.
Get a Grip Podcast Social Media: Find our TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio links, a more on our Link Tree below!
Get a Grip Social Media Links: ⁠https://linktr.ee/officialgetagrippodcast
For Collaboration and Business inquiries, please use the contact information below:
📩 Email: getagrippodcast614@gmail.com
👇 Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
#getagrip #redemptionstory #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #addictionrecovery #recoveryjourney #trauma #childhood #oxy #dealer #soberlife #wedorecover #childhoodtrauma #healing #inspiration #awareness #kingpin #trafficking #hustle #opioidcrisis #neardeathexperience #fyp #prison #bar #mistake #change #survivor #survival #tv #television #inspire #parole #officer #school #teacher #students #study #student #changinglivesdaily

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.
Justin'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.
🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more powerful stories on addiction, recovery, and resilience.
Get a Grip Podcast Social Media: Find our TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio links, a more on our Link Tree below!
Get a Grip Social Media Links: ⁠https://linktr.ee/officialgetagrippodcast
For Collaboration and Business inquiries, please use the contact information below:
📩 Email: getagrippodcast614@gmail.com
👇 Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
#getagrip #redemptionstory #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #addictionrecovery #recoveryjourney #trauma #childhood #oxy #dealer #soberlife #wedorecover #childhoodtrauma #healing #inspiration #awareness #kingpin #trafficking #hustle #opioidcrisis #neardeathexperience #fyp #prison #bar #mistake #change #survivor #survival #tv #television #inspire #parole #officer #school #teacher #students #study #student #changinglivesdaily

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig sits down with Christina Rudd for a deeply personal conversation about childhood trauma, addiction, mental health, and the difficult road to healing.
Christina's story begins with a childhood marked by abandonment and abuse. After her parents left, she endured sexual abuse by a family member—an experience that shaped much of her early life. As a teenager, she found herself in juvenile detention, navigating a teen pregnancy, and struggling to find stability while growing up far too fast.
Throughout high school, Christina's life became increasingly chaotic. She shares stories of reckless behavior, stealing cars, becoming a young mother, and trying to build a normal family life despite carrying years of unresolved trauma.Everything changed when methamphetamine entered the picture.
Christina opens up about how addiction rapidly took over her life, leading to paranoia, violence, and a mental health crisis that landed her in a psychiatric hospital after attempting to harm her then-husband. She speaks candidly about the devastating consequences of addiction, including losing custody of her child after a chaotic party and the painful impact substance abuse had on her family.
But Christina's story doesn't end there.She explains how treatment became a turning point, the work she put into maintaining long-term sobriety, and the therapies that helped her heal from years of trauma. Today, Christina is living proof that recovery involves much more than simply putting down the drugs—it's about rebuilding your life from the inside out.
This episode is a powerful reminder that healing is possible, even after years of addiction, trauma, and heartbreak.
🔥 Expect emotion. Expect truth. Expect hope.
🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more powerful stories on addiction, recovery, and resilience.
Get a Grip Podcast Social Media: Find our TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio links, a more on our Link Tree below!
Get a Grip Social Media Links: ⁠https://linktr.ee/officialgetagrippodcast
For Collaboration and Business inquiries, please use the contact information below:
📩 Email: getagrippodcast614@gmail.com
👇 Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
#getagrip #redemptionstory #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #addictionrecovery #recoveryjourney #trauma #childhood #oxy #dealer #soberlife #wedorecover #childhoodtrauma #healing #inspiration #awareness #kingpin #trafficking #hustle #opioidcrisis #neardeathexperience #fyp #prison #bar #mistake #change #survivor #survival #tv #television #inspire #parole #officer #school #teacher #students #study #student #changinglives

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes sit down with Latisha Barnes for an unforgettable conversation about surviving addiction, life on the streets, incarceration, and ultimately finding recovery after decades of chaos.
Latisha's story began with a difficult childhood that was shaped by family struggles and instability. By just 14 years old, she was pregnant, living on her own, and trying to survive in one of the toughest environments imaginable. At 15, she had become a mother while navigating life in the streets with little support and few options.
Not long after, heroin entered her life—and everything changed.Latisha shares how she was introduced to heroin, what led her deeper into addiction, and how she eventually graduated to using raw heroin. She opens up about the hustles that funded her addiction, robbing drug dealers, living by the street code, and the mindset that allowed her to survive more than two decades in active addiction.
The conversation also explores her many encounters with the criminal justice system, including the unbelievable story of how she ended up in prison over just two dollars. Through it all, Latisha raised seven children while battling heroin addiction and cycling through jail more than 20 times.
After years of living in survival mode, something finally changed.Latisha reflects on the moment that pushed her toward recovery, the challenges of rebuilding her life, and how she transformed from someone consumed by addiction into someone living with purpose. Today, she uses her story to inspire others and prove that no one is beyond redemption.This episode is a powerful reminder that your past does not have to define your future.
🔥 Expect emotion. Expect truth. Expect hope.
🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more powerful stories on addiction, recovery, and resilience.
Get a Grip Podcast Social Media: Find our TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio links, a more on our Link Tree below!
Get a Grip Social Media Links: ⁠https://linktr.ee/officialgetagrippodcast
For Collaboration and Business inquiries, please use the contact information below:
📩 Email: getagrippodcast614@gmail.com
👇 Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
#getagrip #redemptionstory #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #addictionrecovery #recoveryjourney #trauma #childhood #oxy #dealer #soberlife #wedorecover #childhoodtrauma #healing #inspiration #awareness #kingpin #trafficking #hustle #opioidcrisis #neardeathexperience #fyp #prison #bar #mistake #change #survivor #survival #tv #television #inspire #parole #officer #school #teacher #students #study #student #changinglives