Finding Freedom and Unlocking Freedom - with Guest Rachel Dick

You can lose years to addiction while still telling yourself it is normal. Rachel Dick did, and what makes her story hit hard is how clearly she describes the moment the lie breaks. We talk through her early trauma, the grooming that planted dangerous beliefs, and the fast slide from teen experimenting into a decade of meth addiction, pills, violence, and a life built around hustle and survival. When an overdose scare brings paramedics and police to her bedside, the illusion of control finally collapses and the question becomes simple: what does it take to actually get free?

Rachel shares how Mercy Multiplied, a free residential program for women, became the doorway to recovery, and why she believes prayer and surrender marked a real turning point. From there, we dig into what long-term sobriety really demands: boundaries that feel ruthless at first, changing phones and social circles, learning who is safe, and choosing peace even when it feels “boring” compared to chaos. We also get honest about relapse risk, alcohol, triggers, and why some environments are not worth testing.

We go deep on faith for people who feel stuck between church rules and real connection. Rachel breaks down “religion versus relationship,” simple ways to pray when you feel awkward, and how sensitivity and trauma can make you absorb other people’s anxiety if you do not know how to release it. We also talk about her books Finding Freedom and Unlocking Freedom, plus her work in counseling, coaching, and prison ministry.

If you know someone fighting addiction, rebuilding after trauma, or trying to find peace that lasts, share this and subscribe. After you listen, leave a review and tell us: what boundary protects your freedom the most?

Rachel Dick <info@daretolivefree.net> |

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www.daretolivefree.net

info@daretolivefree.net

Books - (this is my amazon profile - so both can be found here)

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TikTok - 

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Instagram - 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 1:12

Good morning and welcome to Breakfast of Choices, life stories of transformation from rock bottom to rock solid. I'm super excited. I have someone on here today who I met at an event that we attend called Spiritual Care Network in Tulsa. And her name is Rachel Dick. I've heard her speak on a few different topics. And originally I purchased Rachel's book, and it's called Finding Freedom. And I'm going to read just a little bit of the beginning before we get into talking with Rachel and get into her story. So Finding Freedom. Have you ever wondered why you continue to stay stuck in the same destructive cycles, or wondered why you keep making the same mistakes over and over, or why you continue to allow people to run all over you? I did too, until I found freedom. Finding freedom is about my 10-year journey through drug addiction, mental health issues, and abuse. So you had me, Rachel, because that's what we all struggle with, especially in addiction. We struggle with that chaos and that brain function when thinking that chaos is normal. And then we finally find that freedom, and you're like, whoa, wow. That wasn't so good. That that was that was me doing a lot of that to me, right? Right. So good morning. I'm happy to have you here. I'm super excited. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_04 2:35

I'm so excited to be here. Thank you. Tell us a little bit about you, Rachel. Well, so I mean, as you know, I was in addiction for about 10 years. And like you said, I thought the chaos was normal. And it's a lot of it is what I saw in my home. So some of that was learned behavior. And some of that was just, you know, living that kind of lifestyle. A lot of anger and abuse comes with that. And so eventually, like I said, I got stuck on drugs for about 10 years. And eventually then I met God. And He absolutely miraculously changed everything. I've now been in recovery for um, I think going on 13 years now. Yeah. Congratulations. That's amazing. I know. Thank you. And in that 13 years, I've done a lot of things for God. I've truly I've made it my life's work to go and just help people realize that they too can find freedom. Like it is absolutely possible to walk in a place of freedom with the Lord and be in peace and be in joy and have a relationship with Him and it not feel so chaotic, dysfunctional, and toxic all the time.

SPEAKER_00 3:36

Peace is amazing, right? When you find that peace that you've never had before, you question it a lot in the beginning, right? You're like, well, this is different. This is interesting. I used to say boring. Now I say peaceful. Like it is get used to it. Yeah. And I protect my peace, girl, like nobody's business. I mean, I am I am a little bit ruthless with protecting my peace. I'm like, nope, sorry, nope, sorry. I've learned learned those boundaries. Um, just learning that has been a journey in itself. So take us back a little bit to kind of how you started, where you started, and how that developed for you, that you were able to find God and find freedom.

Deep Into Meth And Violence

SPEAKER_04 4:19

Right. Yeah. So what I know now is I'm just a very sensitive person, highly empathic. And so I was picking up on everybody's everything, you know, in the home. My parents fought all the time, which eventually led to their divorce. But at a very young age, I just started becoming curious and rebellious. And we eventually had a grown man move next door who started grooming me. Obviously, we didn't have that verbiage or that understanding and education at that time to know what was happening. But eventually my parents started seeing some signs of some odd things. So they called the police. The police came out, arrested him. He eventually went to prison over the whole thing. And that really was the starting point of everything. I think I was about 12 years old, and he just put a lot of lies into my head, basically, of your parents are just stupid. They just don't want you to have any fun. If I was your dad, I'd let you do whatever you want, whatever you wanted. And so with that, I'm like, okay, yeah, yeah, parents are just stupid. Yeah. So yeah, exactly. Just led to all of the things. You know, I immediately after that started sneaking out, lost my virginity, started smoking weed, started drinking, and then it was just like a progression. Eventually it was cocaine by 15, ecstasy by 16, and 18, full blown addicted to meth. And in the process of that, I think around the age of 17 or 18, found multiple doctors that would prescribe me whatever I wanted. So I was on all kinds of pills from stimulus to barbituates to opioids. And then I just started running the game, you know, and all of that, you realize, oh, well, you can sell all this stuff out on the streets and make a lot of money. And then you get addicted to the money and you get addicted to the hustle. And so every day it's just like I wake up, I figure out how to get more money, to get more drugs, and then go blow it at the casino and then do it all over again, you know, every single day. And so just running that life and through those 10 years of the addiction, lots of abuse. Not just to me, but I was also the abuser. I had so much anger. So, like, come at me the wrong way. I'm gonna punch you in the face. I don't care, you know. So I was just running around, angry, full of darkness, and really hopeless and helpless. One of my last moments I remember is just being at this older person's house and in this hoarder place, and all these people are shooting up. And I'm like, this is this is it, like, this is my future. And it was like kind of in that moment, I'm like, we we've got to do something else. And quite honestly, I couldn't do it, right? We know God has to intervene and we have to come to a place of surrender. So eventually I didn't want to live anymore, and it wasn't necessarily like I was trying to commit suicide, but it was definitely like life is hard. I don't want to do this anymore. So I just want to go to sleep and sleep for as long as I can. So I took two of what I thought was Xanax. Apparently, it was laced with something. And so I was asleep for about 48 hours. My mom came in, my breathing was really shallow, I was pale white. She called a nurse friend. The nurse friend said, You need to call 911 immediately. I wake up and I'm coming to an Imsa is surrounding my bed, and there's a police officer in one corner with my dope pipe in his hand. Like, is this what you're doing? My mom's like, You need to go with them. Like, we've got to figure out what's going on with you. Because I was also chronically sick, which part of that is drug induced. But part of that was, you know, legit. And I'm like, I'm not going with him because I knew if I went with him to the hospital, I just thought I was gonna go to jail because the police officer, you know, had the drugs in his hand. So that at that point, she was like, Nope, you were not gonna do this. I'm not gonna sit here and watch you die. If you won't go with him, you you need to get out of my house. And so she kicked me out that day, and it was very traumatic the way the whole thing played out. I'm super out of it. We're yelling and cussing at each other all the way through the house. She takes my garage door opener, she takes my keys, she makes me leave, and I literally left with the clothes on my back and no shoes. Like that's all I had because I was just so out of it. And so the next day I come back, and long story short, the next like 36 hours were pretty crazy. Mom and kicked me out, my phone was stolen, my ex stole my car, stole my drugs, stole my money, totaled the car, brought the car back to the house, and then I figured out what was going on. I freak out, obviously, and I start punching him and fighting him. My mom's like, You he needs to leave, you know? And so he leaves. The cops get called, he has five warrants out for his arrest, so he gets arrested. And then I'm like, Okay, mom, what do I need to do to come back home? So it was just like literally, God was like, You're done. We're shutting you down.

SPEAKER_01 8:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 8:55

And mom was like, if you decide to go get help and we start this journey of like trying to get you into a rehab, you can come back home. So I stayed sober for about 21 days. And at the 21 day, I was so excited that I did it. So I'm like, let's celebrate with a drink.

SPEAKER_03 9:09

Because at the time we were just trying to get off the drugs. And so two drinks led to the dope house, of course.

Overdose Scare And Getting Kicked Out

SPEAKER_04 9:19

And so that led us on another journey for about a whole year. And in the process, I mean, I'm obviously on drugs again, but we're looking for me a place to go, and everything got worse. You know, they in the Bible in Matthew, it talks about how the spirits will come back even stronger once the house is swept clean. And so that's exactly what happened. You know, I had a 21-day period where I was trying to sweep the house clean, you know, our body and get the drugs out. And then I go back. And so, of course, all of these spirits come back, and I saw things, I knew things, I heard things. I know now too, part of that was just like having the spiritual gifting of like discerning of spirits and things like that. But I always tell people, you know, when you fast for God, you see things in the spirit, you hear things, you know. So when you think about it and you're on meth for days at a time and you're not eating, are we fasting for the enemy? Maybe. And so I think you know, you get opened up to a lot of things in that percent. And so, yeah, very dark. So very, very scary. Um, I eventually just got to a place of full surrender. Like, I can't, I obviously I cannot do this. And I would be high as all get out on my laptop. How do you get off meth? How do you get off drugs? Like, how do I do this? But God told my mom the drugs are bigger than me. Like I wanted to get free, but I just couldn't do it. So eventually we found the place called Mercy Multiplied. It is a residential program for women. Um, I think they take 13 years to 35 or something like that, free of charge. And they take all things. So eating disorders, self-harm, addiction, pregnancies, like across the board, any kind of life controlling issues. And they have multiple locations. One is in Nashville, one is in St. Louis. The one that I went to was in Monroe, Louisiana, which is now more of an outpatient center. They also have one in California, I think in Sacramento. And so went there and God met me. And those women just loved me as if I was their own daughter. Like it was just such a beautiful experience. You're supposed to be sober going into the program. Definitely was not. I found somebody who did UAs for a living, and so they just marked me negative on everything. So first day I'm walking in, I've done five drugs 24 hours leading up to going into the doors, heavy withdrawal, my first day. And so I go to the director and I'm like, Can I can I lay back down? Like, I don't feel good. And they're like, nope, we run a scheduled program. Like, if you can't get up and you can't do the program, that's it. Like, you're gonna have to leave. Yeah. And so I'm like, that's it. Like, I'm going home. They're gonna kick me out. I'm in trouble, you know? And instead, I was met by two very loving women who said, Come down to my office and we're just gonna pray over you. They told me we've never done this before, but we just feel like we're gonna, we just are supposed to pray over you. And they said, Is it okay if we put our hands on you? And I said, Absolutely, you know. I'm like, whatever. If you think this will work, you go right on the head. You're proud of me, take it. I personally tried everything else and nothing has worked this far.

SPEAKER_03 12:23

So if you think you're God and your prayer is gonna work, like, go for it. So they did.

SPEAKER_04 12:30

They did, and an absolute miracle happened. I was drenched in sweat when they were done praying. They led me through the prayer of like, Rachel, lift your hands, tell God you surrender everything. And I just cried. I cried cried from the deepest depths of my soul, bald like a baby. And I was drenched in sweat when they were done. I truly believe that through those women, God just detoxed me right then and there on that couch through those women. Even the director at the end was like, baby, you need to go change your clothes. Like you like, it was truly like I had stepped into the shower, fully clothed. I was that one.

SPEAKER_01 13:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 13:05

And so that's where the real healing journey started. Like, yes, God took away the addiction in that moment, and that was amazing. But then, you know, you have to learn how to live life without drugs and cope without all of the substances and escaping behaviors, and learn who are safe people, who are not safe people, how do we set boundaries, how do we have a relationship with God? How do we break soul ties? How do we break the generational curses and things and just live life to the fullest without all of the mess? So, although I'm so grateful that he took it away because I know that that's not always the case. So people really have to struggle and go through multiple relapses and still don't ever quite fully get it by the time they pass this earth. But God, God did that for me, and I'm so grateful. And that's been just the pushing factor of I've got to tell people about Jesus. Like I've got to tell them how good He is and let them know that they too can find freedom, even if it doesn't look like mine. It is possible to walk in freedom and walk in peace.

Mercy Multiplied And A Detox Miracle

SPEAKER_00 14:07

Absolutely. You've pretty much described my last 10 years, really, of that journey of finding yourself, of learning about codependency, setting boundaries. All like I've known those things for a very long time. I got sober in prison, really. That's where I got sober, and there was no treatment. There wasn't like, hey, I hope nobody kicks you in the head, you'll be fine, you know. Um, you'll be okay. Don't worry about it. Now good luck with that. But that that chaotic lifestyle, learning to understand that that truly is something that comes with that lifestyle, and you have to learn to let that go also. Um, our our stories are a little similar with the grooming and and all of those things. And when we're young, we don't understand what that is, right, at all. It starts in such a what you think is a safe place, right? To be so incredibly dark where you just question your whole sanity. Absolutely. And that's it. And you and you just you go through a lot of things, and and that can be very difficult when you're getting sober to not want to stuff and mask and learning how to feel. I had a hard time with being bulnered. I still have a hard time, I'll be honest, with being vulnerable in front of groups and people, not as much. I I cry a lot now where I didn't used to cry. My son will even comment, God, mom, you cry all the time. I'm like, because I'm healed, bud. I can cry. Yeah. I can I can actually like feel it and then heal it, deal with it, and let it go. Where in the past you just stuff it, stuff it, stuff it. Body keeps the score, you're just a hot mess from the inside out, right? Yeah, exactly. And so it's it's interesting to hear your journey. Mine wasn't quite that with having someone pray over me like that, but it was kind of having a cellmate that read to me out of the Bible every day. I did not grow up. We didn't have a whole lot of direction on religion growing up. Right. I was going here, going there, going to church with people. And when I went to jail, my public defender told me, Not, don't you dare get up there and say you found God. And I took that literally, right? I'm a kid, I'm a hot mess, right? I took it literally. I'm like, oh my gosh, don't find God. And then my cellmates reading to it was like this confusing place that I was in. Now, when I got out of that confusion, that was obviously drugs induced too. I was like, oh, she didn't mean that literally. She meant like, don't get up on the stand and say that as a tool to get out, right? But it was just a really weird place to be in with religion. It sounds like you grew up with that background too, with your family. You did. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 16:59

We were raised as Southern Baptists, and you know, as a child, we really were at the church every time the doors were open. But I learned religion, not relationship. And there's a set of rules that you can't do these things, and if you do, you're going to get in trouble. Like God's up there and gonna bonk you on the head. But by the time everything really started popping off, and I started becoming really belious, mom and dad's relationship started getting really more turmoil. We really stopped going to church. Uh, they would still try to make me and my brother go to church, and I would just cry because the girls at church were so mean, and it was just very clickish. And so I never felt like I fit. And that's a big driving force as well for the addiction. It was just I never could find my place. I never felt like I fit anywhere, which I know now is because God's like, I called you to stand out. Right. But through that, you know, around the age of 12, we just all stopped going to church. And so there were years where I really didn't understand. Once my mom and dad divorced, mom kept going to church. She would try to force me to go to church. So it was always just like this forced thing. And it was never like, I want to, I want to have a relationship with God. I mean, I did ask Jesus into my heart at 11, did get baptized and all of that. But by the age of 12, when all of the everything happened, it was like, Yeah, God wasn't present.

SPEAKER_01 18:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 18:17

In that I felt. Although throughout all of the addiction, I had moments where he spoke to me crazy stories where he spoke to me, he showed me things, I knew things. Um, I knew that he was present and encouraging me. So I still had somewhat of my faith even through the addiction.

SPEAKER_00 18:31

Yeah. And I think that's because you had God in your heart already. Right. Exactly. Thank goodness. You said something earlier. You said you had religion, but you didn't have a relationship. That is so very true for many, many people, especially young people. Can you explain that a little bit?

Living Sober With Boundaries

SPEAKER_04 18:49

Yeah, absolutely. So kind of like how I was playing like religion is like, here's a certain set of rules, here's something you have to do. You know, you have your list in the morning, like, I have to pray and I have to read my Bible for 30 minutes, and I have to make sure that I'm doing all of these things and doing everything perfectly. And relationship is come as you are, you know, do whatever you're capable of. This is like unconditional love versus the conditional love. Like the religion is I love you if, and the relationship is just spend time with me, you know. And so I tell a lot of my clients all the time, too, you know, God isn't that serious. Like, yes, read your Bible, yes, spend time with him, but it's not that religious as far as like you can get your coloring book out and color and invite God into that. Like you can go on a walk and you can invite God into that. Like just invite God into your daily lived life, driving to work, just talk to him, like you would a friend. That's how I always tell people too. Like it's a conversation back and forth. Not are we just sending up requests and hoping for the best, but he wants to talk to us. He created us for relationship with him. So going to that intimate place and setting aside time and saying, Okay, God, like this is a space that you can speak into, you know, even through my workbook, which I know we're gonna talk about. There's there's sections in there about how do we have relationship with God and how do we sit down and listen to his voice. Like you can journal his voice.

SPEAKER_01 20:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 20:10

You can sit down and you can listen and say, God speak, and you write that down, and then you write back, and you can have a whole conversation. And that's creating intimacy, that's creating that relationship with God, and it's just so different than anything I was taught.

SPEAKER_00 20:23

It's a a change from the fear and force into relationship, right? Exactly. You know, I work for South Coast Behavioral Health Treatment Center. We get people into treatment, detox, but before I was outreach and got people into treatment, I was the group facilitator. And um that is something that came up a lot in group is how do you have a relationship with God? How do you pray? Don't know how to pray. I don't know what that looks like. I feel weird, I feel like I'm just talking to myself. That came up a lot. That's why I bring it up because it isn't a force and a religion that you have to do these steps. You don't have to do 12 steps with God. You just have to talk to Him and just make yourself open and available to list to so I'm I'm really glad to have this conversation with you and kind of talk about this because I know it is a struggle for people, not just people in addiction, just people in general and being open for something new. We gotta be open for new, different modalities, different everybody's path to sobriety is not the same. Everybody's journey in life is not the same. And just being open, your way hasn't worked. So what is wrong with being open to a new way? Um and and God's always gonna be there, so why not try?

SPEAKER_04 21:37

Yeah, absolutely. You know, I even say too, like when we look foundationally and holistically at addiction, you know, it's the the different factors that come into play. And so obviously learn to behavior, like how how was the environment when we're where we were growing up? Then genetics plays a part, but also just the empathic being sensitive to people and not understanding how do we be in a world, and and some of that is the trauma, right? When we go through trauma, it makes us be more sensitive and more hyper-vigilant. Sure. But I always tell people in my speaking engagements and with my clients and stuff that it's like when you are, I call it a sensitive Sally, I'm a little sensitive Sally. And so I'm like when you're a sensitive Sally, like I am, you have to learn how to have that separation. So when you before you even walk into a room, you can take inventory. How am I feeling right now? Am I joyful? Am I peaceful? Am I okay? Because then when you walk into a room and you're immediately anxious, depressed, or whatever, you can identify like that's not me. That's somebody else in this room. So when you're able to identify it's not me, okay, who is it? Yeah. Because quite honestly, that it's a gifting. Although it doesn't feel that way.

SPEAKER_00 22:49

No, it doesn't.

SPEAKER_04 22:50

It isn't. And so when you identify who is it, you can ask God, what's my place here? Am I supposed to go pray for them? Am I supposed to pray with them? Am I supposed to just give them a word of encouragement, give them a hug, a smile? You know, what what? And then when God tells you to do that, you do that thing, and then you pray quietly to yourself and you release that. So that might look like Saying, okay, God, I've prayed for this person. I've done what you've asked me to do. Now release me from those emotions, those thoughts, those feelings, anything that came in through that. And then you can move about, you know, instead of walking into a room and immediately feeling somebody, somebody's anxiety, and you're like, oh my gosh, why am I anxious? Okay, because then you've taken ownership of it. And now it's your anxiety.

SPEAKER_01 23:34

Instead of realizing it's not our security.

SPEAKER_00 23:37

Something that you said. Um, I think when you tell someone, especially early on in addiction, you're sensitive, a lot of people get mad about that. They take that as they're sensitive in their environment, like, like I'm not sensitive. I'm gonna kick your ass. You know what I mean? That's not what we're talking about. Not that kind of sensitive, sensitive to energy, sensitive to other people's energy, to other people's emotions, other people's feelings that can kind of just get inside you. Just like that empath stuff of just sensitive to atmospheres and to people's things. I'm highly sensitive to energy, to vibe, to people, to all of that. Highly sensitive. Finding those things that work for you is something you have to work through also. Absolutely. Did you use any any 12-step program at all?

Religion Versus Relationship With God

SPEAKER_04 24:24

I actually didn't, you know, and quite honestly, part of that was because I didn't know. Um, I didn't have any education or knowledge of any of that. So when I came home, I just got involved with my church. My brother uh was involved at this church, and so I I had that community. And by the time I actually realized that there were things like that out there, I did go to Subbit Recovery a little bit here and there, but I never worked the steps. I, you know, and honestly, I probably should have. Knowing what I know now, I'm like, that would have been great community, that would have been further healing. But I just I found things outside of that. So I've had great mentors over the years. I've had church community, I've been in and out of therapy a lot. I've done a lot of emotional work, a lot of physical work, you know, just healing my body inside out. And then with God, of course, too. Of course.

SPEAKER_00 25:12

And and and I asked that for a reason because in addiction, people, the first thing people will say is you need to go to a meeting, you need to go to a 12 step, you need to do this, you need to do that. Without really sitting and talking with someone first or knowing that person a little bit. People will always say, you know, the surrender step, which is step three, was hard for me. I can't, you know, surrendering my will over to God or your higher power. For me, it was step one, powerlessness, admitting that you're powerless. I was like, I admit, what the what the what is this you're all trying to shove at me, right? So immediately I shut down. Because my whole life, if I would have admitted to someone I was powerless, holy cow. You know what I mean? What would have happened with that? So I couldn't get past that in the beginning at all. Like I thought that was craziness to go up, get up in front of people and say I was powerless. Oh no, that's not how like not in prison, no. I gotta do that, right? Um, and so that was really hard for me in the beginning because I didn't want to participate, but I wanted to be sober. And later on, did I go through the 12 steps? Absolutely, I did, but I wasn't ready in the beginning. And I want people to understand that there's many things that can be done, many programs you can take, people that you can talk to, different programs you can go through. Because I hear a lot of people saying that's not for me, and then they don't explore what might be for you.

SPEAKER_03 26:38

Right.

SPEAKER_00 26:38

If that's not it, okay. This is about you, then what could it be? So you did a little celebrate recovery, but for you it was church, people, community, and connection. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 26:52

And I went through lots of church meetings, conferences, deliverance, prayer nights, worship nights, you know. I mean, I just really engulfed myself in the things of God. And that's that's really what worked for me.

SPEAKER_00 27:06

I I appreciate that because someone that could be listening, that that may be what works for them. And everybody telling them you have to go to a meeting and you have to do it this way is not always helpful. And I want people to understand that really. Yeah. It's coming from a place of trying to be helpful. And I'm not saying don't say it, don't do it. I'm just saying get to know the person a little bit. Find out what what makes them excited, you know, what what type of background that they have that might they might that might not be for them, you know, it might be something else. So thank you for for sharing that. Of course. So as you went through, say say again the name of the program that you went through. Mercy Multiplied. And that's still available today. It is, yes. That's a women's program, Mercy Multiplied, that's in several different states. I'm sure they have a website that someone could go to and look that up. Okay. Um, I honestly have never heard of that. So I'm I'm happy to have a new resource that makes me happy to be sharing the resources out there. That's kind of the goal. Not only talk about what helped us, but be able to share some of those resources that might help someone else.

Sensitivity And Handling Other People’s Energy

SPEAKER_04 28:15

The very cool thing too about their program is they'll take girls that are in high school and they have a whole little in the Nashville location, they've got a whole little wing for school. And so if they're struggling with addiction or they're pregnant or eating disorder, whatever, like the they'll take them. And so they can still continue school while they're there. So it's about a six-month program. I think sometimes people can go to nine months if really needed, but again, free of charge.

SPEAKER_00 28:39

So great, great resource. That's a beautiful, beautiful resource because there is a serious lacking of resources for teens. Right. In Oklahoma, there's a serious lacking of resources. They're out there, but not enough of them that work with teens. And I know for me, I started in drug addiction at 11 years old, and you started very young as well. And to find something that would have worked, who knows? Just being able to have that resource. I get a lot of phone calls from people looking for different resources. South Coast may not be a fit for them, but having somewhere that might be is really important to me. It's important to me to be able to share those things with people. So thank you for that.

SPEAKER_04 29:23

Of course.

SPEAKER_00 29:23

And then after that program, you were able to stay sober.

SPEAKER_04 29:27

Yeah, I moved back home with my mom, and my brother was here too. And so that was everything. Like my brother loved the loved the Lord. He had community at his church. So I just we became best friends and we plugged into that church. And that's really, I think, the driving force. But I also put a lot of things in place too. When I came home, I got a new phone, I got a new number. I didn't even look at my old phone. My mom had redid my room and she put everything out in the shed. So like I told her where all the drugs and all the paraphernalia was. So she got rid of all of that stuff. I got a new Facebook, you know, and I had people with me doing these things with me. Like, I did not get on my old Facebook without somebody with me so I could deactivate it and make a new one. You know, I've had people, even in the beginning, reach out to me, find my new Facebook, show up at my house. Sure. And I had to be strong enough to say, hey, like, I'm so sorry. I will always love you, but I'm a different person now, and I have to protect my freedom. And that was something too. I was like, I had to kind of create these things in my head of like, what am I gonna say? These people reach out. And it was hard. It was so hard because some of these people are like, they're my ride or die, you know. Like, I love these people, and we were together all the time, but I just can't, you know, it's not worth my freedom. And so putting those things in place, as well as having a solid foundation to come back to, and I know that that's not everybody's case. Like, some people have family members that are addicted, and that makes it even more difficult. But for me, having that I think was everything.

SPEAKER_00 30:52

Yeah. And that's community, that's love, support, community, and connection. And those are the main things, whatever that looks like for you. And you're correct, everyone doesn't have that to go home to. But there's programs out there that you can go to, and it is hard to leave everything and change everything. And that's one of the things that gets people back in trouble. Because when you do start changing yourself, when you start making those changes, your lives are not similar anymore. And you're you're with those people because uh what you're doing is the same. But when it becomes not the same anymore, you do lose connection with those people, and you're supposed to, you're supposed to. And and hopefully, and and maybe at some point they'll they'll want to get sober and call you up and ask you what what have you been doing? And I've had that happen. That's always a beautiful feeling, right? Um, but just knowing that there is community and there is support in other areas for you. It's just finding the ones that fit for you, right? Absolutely. And and that if you might have to try a few resources and that's okay. That's okay. Don't get in your head because something didn't work the first time, it's all you and nothing's ever gonna work, and you're just doomed for this life, because that is absolutely not true. You were in addiction for 10 years, I was in the lifestyle for 10 years plus, and I'm not saying because I did have some relapses and some slips, and I want to touch on it because you we we laughed about it when you said it, not laughing in a funny way, but because we know this is true. I'm not an alcoholic, I can drink. Right? I was never alcohol was never my problem, so it's not gonna be a big deal to have a few drinks. Well, it's what it does after you have those few drinks when now your inhibitions are down and you find yourself um on the back of a toilet seat doing lines, right? Because for me, it was a lot of the time, right? Because when you're in the bar or you're in those places, or you're around that element, I'm not saying it's a bad thing. I'm just saying if you're putting yourself in that position, yeah, you're gonna find your people, right? You're gonna, it's just gonna happen. It's natural um gravitation. And it's never been good for me. I'm not saying that maybe some people can't do that someday. I personally cannot. Um, and I had to come to terms with that here in just the last few years, that that was not going to work for me anymore.

Recovery Paths Beyond 12 Steps

SPEAKER_04 33:08

Well, and even like this this last summer, me and my mom went to visit a friend in Florida, and we went to this restaurant and they made us sit over by the bar. It was like an outdoor bar to wait for our to-go order. And I'm sitting there and I just start crying, and I'm like, what is going on? But that was the first time I've really been in like an atmosphere where people are drunk and drinking, and you could just feel it. And so I'm like, I am 12 years in recovery, I should be past this. But that just again showed me that I'm just so sensitive to things, like I just can't handle it. And so I have just very strict boundaries. There's a lot of places I won't go, things I won't wash, things I won't do, because I I have to protect that. You know, I'm not going to do anything to cause any issues. I guess that includes sitting by a bar.

SPEAKER_00 33:56

Absolutely, absolutely. And you have to be honest with yourself about that too. Like you have to, when you're out there and those things, they call it a trigger, right? Whatever you want to call it, if those things trigger you, you have to be honest about that with yourself and go, ooh, that's not if I can't go to whatever sports bar and watch a game, then I can't go. That's you have to be honest with yourself and and find a different way to and some people can. Yeah, some people can, absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 34:21

And they're totally fine.

SPEAKER_00 34:22

I'm like, not me, but more power to you if you can.

SPEAKER_01 34:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:26

Um, I used to think that I could. Now I know that I can't. So I had it definitely had to come to terms with that. And literally, that's been in the last five years that I had to come to terms with that's not gonna be my jam anymore. Because that causes me to go backwards, and that I'm not willing to lose that freedom and lose that peace. It's not worth it at all. It's not worth it. A night of fun is not worth a lifetime of sadness, death, or whatever it's gonna cause. So I'm not willing to do that. Yeah, not willing to do that. And so it is protecting your freedom and it is protecting your peace. How did you come about writing the book?

SPEAKER_04 35:03

How did that happen for you? Well, initially, I mean, a lot of people, people through my path have just been like, you need to write a book, you know, write a book, like your story is so crazy, like you've got to write a book. And so I started a little bit here and there, probably in like 2016, 2017, 18, somewhere in there. I just was just writing this, and it was so hard. It hurt. Yes. I'm writing these stories. I'm like, ugh, there was just still so much healing that needed to happen. So I actually put it on pause for a little bit. And I was like, I just don't want to do this anymore. And so during 2018 to 2020, I was in or 2016, 2018, somewhere around there. I was at ORU and I had a lady that I went and met with at some point, and then in 2020, she just randomly calls me and she was like, Rachel, I know this is gonna sound so crazy, but God told me to call you and tell you you need to write the book, it's time to get it out. And I'm like, Okay, so within like six months, I had it written and done.

SPEAKER_01 35:55

Yep.

SPEAKER_04 35:55

And then had it published, and I mean, God has just used it, you know. It's I have random people call me from states to come speak that they've got my book in their prison, you know, like God is just using it to change lives, and then the workbook. Um, I just kept thinking there needs to be like resources, practical application, like how can people find God, know God, create relationships, get some healing? And so that was totally God breathed as well. Um, that took about six months. I think I got that out in 2023, but that's been a wonderful resource, especially for all my early recovery people. I use it with my clients, just helping them to find some freedom and create a relationship with God. I love it.

SPEAKER_00 36:40

And I love that you're create you've created practical steps for people because practical is important when you're getting sober, right? It it wasn't in our chaotic lifestyles, but it is when we're trying to find ourselves and trying to heal. Practical application is really important. So at this point, what are you doing in your life?

Relapse Risk And Alcohol Boundaries

SPEAKER_04 36:58

So for the last three years, I had a coaching business and I just kept coming to this place of like, I need more education, I need more training, I need that license. So I did go back and get my master's degree, and I'm currently in my candidacy and supervision, working towards Licenger as a mental health therapist. So I am taking clients through that. I'm in network with CenterCare, Blue Cross, Cigna, and Aetna in Oklahoma. And so I can take clients through that. And then through the coaching business, we can do cash and I can see people outside of the state if they want coaching services. And then, you know, in the last few years, like we've talked about the book, the finding freedom and the unlocking freedom, which is the workbook. I published both of those. And so now I just go around and I speak to whoever will listen, you know, whoever wants me to come speak at their events and things, mostly recovery-based. But I'm, you know, I'm open to whatever. I've spoken at some churches before. I do prison ministry in Taft, Oklahoma. We go into Eddie Warrior and I co-lead and preach about half the times of the year. So definitely um, I want to do more of that. I love seeing my clients. I love doing that one-on-one and helping them. But really, my heart is just traveling and speaking and preaching and sharing the love of God and bringing my books along for resources and things like that.

SPEAKER_00 38:14

I love that. I love that for you. Your book, Finding Freedom, really spoke to me because it is about finding that freedom. Yeah. And so I love that. So give me what is the website or the email or what is it that people can reach you?

SPEAKER_04 38:28

Yeah. So for coaching or counseling services, they can go to www.daretolivefree.net. That is the name of my business, Dare to Live Free. The email address is info at daretolivefree.net. And then they can also find my books on Amazon, Unlocking Freedom by Rachel Dick and Finding Freedom by Rachel Dick.

SPEAKER_00 38:49

So if you could please send those links to me. Absolutely. I will I will link them on Facebook. They'll be on Instagram. So that way people can just click the links. Um, if you don't have a way to do that, you've closed your Facebook or whatever. That's why I had her go ahead and say those on the podcast as well. And then any links that you want to send that we can get people directed at you, please do that. And I would love for people to get Rachel's book and get her workbook. It's really is fantastic. It truly is. And girl, I have a lot of books. I have a lot of workbooks. I have a lot of books, and it truly, truly is fantastic and helpful. So thank you for doing that.

Writing The Book And Workbook

SPEAKER_04 39:25

Yeah, of course. And you know, with the workbook, I just wanted to mention real quick, you know, you talked earlier about when people are in early early recovery or trying to find God. How do I pray? How do I spend time with him? Like that's all in there. There are practical applications. How do you read your Bible? How do you pray? Who are you? Who is God? Who has God created you to be? And then there's inner healing things too, like how do we walk through forgiveness and break those soul ties and spend time with God and journal his voice. And then there's areas on giftings too. Like, what are your spiritual giftings? Who are you and who you're created to be? All of that. So it's really meant to be more an in-depth dive of figuring out your identity, inner healing, and figuring out who you're created to be.

SPEAKER_00 40:06

A programming prison is what really did it for me, the empowerment program. And that was exactly the question that she asked that stopped me was what are your hobbies? I was like, Meh, men, motorcycles. Got it. And I was so embarrassed and I was kind of like devastated at myself because here I am. Probably by that time I was 20 or 21, sitting there going, I have absolutely no clue. It went from Barbies to men in 2.2 seconds. 100%. I have no clue who I am, what I'm doing, what I'm supposed to do, what is happening, right? And that was really um hard to hear, but amazing to hear at the same time because I really had to sit with that. And then I came back ready to learn. That's really what flipped that switch for me. I dropped my attitude. I dropped my chip on my shoulder. And I was like, I'm ready to do this for real, not just get the paper signed.

SPEAKER_04 41:10

Yeah. I had a similar story when I came home. I went to Bible college. That was another really big resource for me. I went to Victory Bible College. I think it's now called Victory College. But when I went there, I had this lady, and we laugh about it now. She's my mentor. She's been my ongoing mentor the whole time I've been home from rehab. But she was she was older and she comes up to me. We're in a class that we're doing like purpose-driven, like what do we want out of life? And brand new. I'm brand new in the faith, brand new in my recovery. And she was like, Well, what do you like to do? And I was like, I'm really good at selling drugs, and I really loved it. And she just laughed and she was like, Honey, that just means you have entrepreneurial skills. And I'm like, What?

SPEAKER_00 41:47

That's what I said. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. I'm good at math and I'm good at sales. Like, it's how we spin it. It's how we deal with that. And it's true. That's the truth. I'm glad that I'm I'm glad that you had that light bulb moment too. Because I think it it really is. There's things that we have done in our past that we can turn around and use for our future. And I think that's really important to know. Yeah, maybe that's what you were doing, and maybe you weren't using it in the correct way. But what if you could turn it around and start using it in the correct way? Using, I just say it's like that angel devil on your shoulder, right? You've got the good and you've got the we all have it. We all have that. It's like, let's figure out which one we can use in the best way. And some of those skills that we had might be able to be used in a really great way. Um, it's finding that out. So I love that you have that again, that practical application is really important. It's really important for people to see that. So thank you for that. If you could give someone a good tip, like a good one-liner tip this morning, what would that be?

SPEAKER_04 42:53

Just start talking to God. Yeah, absolutely. Start that's that's the foundation, that's where everything's gonna come from. I know from my own journey too, but just you can feel like you're in such a dark place that God doesn't want to hear from you, but he does. Like we are his children and he wants a relationship with us. So just like you would a friend, just tell him how you feel, just tell him what's going on and tell him what you need, and he will listen and he will speak.

Therapy Work And Where To Find Her

SPEAKER_00 43:21

He is there with you. I find people really starting to try to find that relationship with God in their beginning sobriety because maybe they weren't believing. Well, how could he how could he let me get this far? Or how could, well, he's still there with you um and you're still trying to find him. So that's something. Keep talking. So thank you for that. That's that's a beautiful tip. Well, thank you so much for taking the time on your Saturday morning to come on. I appreciate you. I always love hearing you speak. You do a fantastic job speaking at the meeting and and you're speaking other places and your message is is powerful. So thank you for that. I appreciate that. I appreciate you too. Absolutely. And everyone, those links will all be on Facebook. Um, you're I'm starting the season again April 1st. So yours is actually going to be the first one of the season that comes out. Um I know, right? So thank you for that. Um, and thank you to everyone who's agreed to come on for this season as well. With listening to this one, you can kind of see the little shift of really wanting to share resources and what worked, not just our power for stories, although those are beautiful, and I still want those to be shared because it is what gets us from rock bottom to rock solid is those resources that we've learned along the way. So thank you again, Rachel. Thank you.