Trudge Report

Ep. 132 - Straight Outta Philly: Sobriety, Shows & Road Trips.

• Shawn, Greg, Corey, Danny P

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0:00 | 1:00:38

Hello and welcome back to the show. Thank you for your listenership and support. This week Greg and Corey are just coming back from a pretty epic trip to Philly where they were accused as cops, offered illicit drugs, berated by the locals, and attended an epic Foo Fighters concert. They make it out sober but barely. Shawn arrives late to the show from an undisclosed location and Danny gives some real life updates with a couple of close encounters with tornadoes. 

The recovery segment is a mix of being able to go places and do fun things in early sobriety juxtaposing that with longer term sobriety. We talk about what situations it might be smart to stay away from in early sobriety as opposed to the freedom of being able to do these things once we have a solid spiritual foundation under our feet. The importance of going to events and outings with other sober people, especially early on. Then we pivot a bit into the plight of homelessness spawned from what the boys saw in Philly and more specifically, Kensington, on the trip. We talked briefly about some of our own experience with homelessness and just how bad of a scene it is in certain American cities. How it might seem far-fetched to some of us, to others, the jump from solid sobriety and good living to homelessness and devastation isn't that far. 

“No one can carry tomorrow before it arrives.” 

         -John Collinge

Don't forget to like, share, rate, and download the podcast on all of your listening platforms. Check out and subscribe to our YouTube channel, @trudgrereportpod, for other content surrounding sports and trending topics. Trudge on good people. 

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SPEAKER_02

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, quorkers of all ages, welcome to another riveting episode of the Trudge Report. Uh, we are a recovery-based podcast. We're also four middle-aged men that just like to talk shit.

SPEAKER_01

Uh I I am not middle-aged.

SPEAKER_02

You are you're more middle-aged than me and Dan are, but in spirit. Uh that's that's for sure. My name is Greg, and I'll be your host this evening. We're not sure if Sean is gonna join us or not. Uh, last we heard he was being hunted by a pack of wildebeests. So hopefully he makes it out of that situation alive. But I am joined by my good friends, fellow Trudgers, Dan and Corey. Please remember to listen on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Our videos are posted up each week. Uh so you can watch episodes on YouTube, Facebook. But as always, please be sure to download on your listening platforms. Remember to like and subscribe on all social media outlets with the handle at Trudge Report Pod. And this podcast, as always, is brought to you by Stella Mix Podcast Management and the wonderful Janine Stella. Gentlemen, welcome. Another amazing week. Dan, let's let's kick things off. How you doing up there, buddy?

SPEAKER_03

All right, it's another Mayneck Monday, man. You know, that's uh Mondays are Mondays, man. It wasn't a bad one, it wasn't a good one. They're just Mondays, but uh, we're good, man. Normal week. Uh Alyssa started at working nights this week, so uh, we're starting to adjust to that. Basically, solo solo dad status. Oh, yeah, yeah. So we had chicken nuggies and fries for dinner. Nice. Dan special.

SPEAKER_02

Nice. You threw a book at her and said, All right, gonna put yourself to sleep. Yeah, yeah, pretty much. Pretty much. So how was uh how was surviving the just the back-to-back NATOs, dude?

SPEAKER_03

Dude, I totally forgot about that. Yeah, man. One of the girls that plays on the softball team, her dad owns a restaurant, the roof lifted off the restaurant and flooded the whole inside of the restaurant, man. I felt so bad for him. And uh, so it's funny because you know, like we've had 10 inches of rain since Tuesday. Like so that's like a that's like a monsoon, and trees are just lifting out of the ground because the ground's so soft and they're just falling over. And our where our area where we live we live, man, it's just that's part of the beauty of it, is it's just lined with trees, and they all I mean, they're all over the place, man. They just came down. We lost power for like two days, you know, it sucked. I had to take all the food out of the fridge, bring it to my customer's house, put it in their fridge, and do all that jazz. But uh yeah, it was crazy, man. But it was so funny because the first time when we had the actual tornado, no alarms, no nothing, no warning that there was a crazy storm coming, and everyone was caught by surprise. And then uh the other night when we're when I was sending that stuff in the group chat, you know, when that came, it was really nothing at all. And the guy hit the tornado alarm like eight times. He did it. He was just sitting there, he's like, Oh, cloud, cumulus nimbus, let me hit that. It was so I was like, dude, this guy someone someone got fired and they hired a new guy, and he's just panicking and hitting the buttons, yeah. Just going way overboard, yeah, yeah, yeah. But yeah, we were we survived, man. But yeah, no, dude. I mean, a lot of people, I mean, they got trees through houses, trees on cars. I mean, all it was like chaos, man. It's nuts, and it's still it rained all day today. It's still raining here, man. And it's so muggy and humid. It's it's it's really it's it's crazy.

SPEAKER_01

But uh that that happens like once a month here.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, for August, though, here in August, like that's so weird.

SPEAKER_02

Usually they're not they're not this early.

SPEAKER_03

No, I'm like in August. I'm like, you know, I'm cutting my lawn once every three weeks. I've been doing it every week right now, and I'm real pissed about it. It's really, really annoying. It's super annoying. I'm used to the grass being burnt out, and we just do a little management, that's all. But cutting the grass like every week is just wildly annoying. But yeah, otherwise, everything's good. Uh Maya started school uh on a third day of school and uh fourth grade. And uh today she came home with a paper and she's gonna join the strings and play the cello. So that should be interesting. Yeah, hell yeah. That's an expensive habit, Dan. I hope you're ready for all that. I said, dude, I already got softball lessons and all that stuff. We're tacking this on. I was like, man, I said, you better. This is I don't know, man. I said I'm not sure.

SPEAKER_02

Here's your sixteen hundred dollar starter cello.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, yeah. Corey's gonna have to start doing my estimates because uh I gotta I gotta up these prices, man. Cook the books, Missioner. Cook the books. Yeah, yeah. But yeah, we're good, man. Everything's good, you know. Everything everyone's healthy, everyone's happy. My son, he didn't start school yet. He starts school, I think, end of August, but he started his first uh uh high school football practice and he's loving it, man. He's loving it.

SPEAKER_02

Nice that's cool. Corey, how we doing, dude? Are are you hating uh hating life, hating existence now that vacation is over with?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. I yes. Yes. Yes, I can't say that enough. I it's fucking depressing coming back from vacation. Even even the circumstances of vacation. So but it was amazing. Yeah. Yeah, it's hard. I got shit shows going on at work too, so it was like double hard. You know what I mean? Sounds real gay. Are you guys paying attention to me?

SPEAKER_02

Of course.

SPEAKER_01

Alright, well. I always pay attention to you. They're fucking Janine and they're texting each other like this guy is such so full of shit.

SPEAKER_03

You feel bad if I told you what I what I was just texting you about saying that. Oh, really? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Somber news. Somber news? Oh. Alright, well. Anyway, what do you want me to talk about, Chris? Yeah, yeah. Talk about your time, dude.

SPEAKER_02

What do we do this week? Go ahead, fire it in, because I got a fucking rant on my end. So I'm letting you I'm letting you simmer so I can cook, baby.

SPEAKER_01

I love the Phillips rants. I feel like I feel like this should be one big discussion. Because I don't really know where to begin. I mean, I drove six well, eh, I drove like 20 hours with with our our buddies Kyle and Carm. And you just kind of got to know them to know how that went. But it was mostly pleasant. And um, you know, we got to Philly. Fucking Greg. I I'll let you talk about your stupid ass flights, but Greg. Greg got in way later than he was supposed to, which threw off basically. It was way later, dude. It was like that you may as well come in the next week. Unreal. But we eventually got him and we did some walking around Philly, which let me tell you, dude, I I've spent a lot of time on this podcast defending Philadelphia, and I still will. But I've had my fucking fill of the inner city, and it's it's just it's so weird. I mean, am I right about that?

SPEAKER_02

Like, and I'm and I'm not just saying Chinatown is this the weirdest place I've ever been. Yeah, it's so weird. It is so weird. Chinatown and Philly. I mean, you've got like you've got uh 27 different Asian massage parlors sprinkled in with a bunch of little uh little bodega shops, little weird, and then there's like because it's Chinatown, so there's like an Asian, so then you've got like just weird, like little weird stuffed animal toy anime shops. It's just it's uh it's a weird place. The whole place smells like hot garbage and poop. Um so there's that, you know.

SPEAKER_01

Uh and then you know, it's it's like nobody's like friendly, you know what I mean? And like, oh well let's spit let's spare me with the only in Philly jokes for a moment. Nobody's like friendly. No, it's you literally you have to like just kind of not make eye contact with people.

SPEAKER_02

And if you do make eye contact down there are all business, they they they're not gonna give you the time of day, they are going about their day.

SPEAKER_01

They're okay for the most part, but if you make eye contact with the wrong dude, it's just you're at least getting asked for money.

SPEAKER_02

And like Yeah, but that's better than and Dan can attest to this. In New York, if you make eye contact with the wrong dude, you're gonna get bust upside your head for no reason whatsoever. And you were just looking at somebody in their eyes.

SPEAKER_03

That is yes, you gotta keep your shoulders tight in New York, you gotta keep them tight, ready to check it.

SPEAKER_01

Well, when I say at least, I mean that is the most pleasant experience you're going to have with anybody, any stranger. Actually, it's not what it's mostly true. Um, so you just gotta you just gotta walk with purpose, you know? No, no pun intended on the trudge report, but you gotta walk with you gotta walk with purpose, you gotta keep your eyes pretty forward and still look everywhere and just aware of your surroundings. But it was fine. I mean, unfortunately, nobody attacked Kyle. I mean, usually whenever we travel with Kyle, somebody tries to attack him, and nobody did, so that's kind of bullshit. We were um we were. Uh we did our cheesesteak run minus one spot, which we're fucking mediocre for missing.

SPEAKER_02

Let me just little so PSA PSA for our listeners, man. And then don't get me wrong, every last little bit of it was delicious, even the the lower rated ones. Oh yeah. But seven cheesesteaks in in less than 48 hours is not a recommended thing. It's only for the strong. If you if you don't if you uh I mean, I'm actually surprised Mishner could do it, um, because seven cheesesteaks just in a 48-hour period would be tough for him to finish just because he eats so fucking slow.

SPEAKER_01

I mean, you can tell them how often you guys had to wait on me. We every single time, every single time.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, too. I know people get so mad, Corey. I'm a slow eater myself.

SPEAKER_01

I'm afraid to choke. I don't know. I'm scared.

SPEAKER_02

You just use the teeth in your mouth and chew your food. Try. We teach that at like three, four years old, man. Yeah, can you guys puree this, please?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, now take that cheesesteak, put it in a blender, please.

SPEAKER_03

It's uh real quick not not for the faint of heart, that task was not. Yeah, that's that's a real test on the sanitary sewer system right there.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, my my gut was not good for my gut is just now leveling out, dude.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Listen, so so let let's read the let's go down the cheesesteak list real quick and with the scores.

SPEAKER_02

Go down the list, pal.

SPEAKER_01

And then and then maybe yeah, all right. So let's so the cheesesteaks, all right, Dan? You ready? We got one, two, three, four, five, six, seven places. We did we did actually seven places. Now, this is a nationwide scale we're working with. So I don't know. Are you a cheesesteak guy, Dan?

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, no, I'll eat a cheesesteak, but mine's a plane. I can't do the onions and all that jazz.

SPEAKER_01

That's my man.

SPEAKER_03

I don't do the onions either.

SPEAKER_01

I I do, but I don't I respect it. It's fine. Um, in fact, I respect no onions way more than I respect putting fucking mushrooms and peppers on a cheesesteak. Don't don't play me with all that. You just onions at the most. But all right, so this is a nationwide scale, and to give any Florida listeners a idea, I I'm placing whistle stop at like a 4.2 or something like that. Whistle stop in Port Salerno, Florida. Yeah. So we got Pat's up first. We're going lowest to highest score. Patz is up first with a 6.9.

SPEAKER_02

And that's the original. He's supposed to be the king.

SPEAKER_01

That's the original. There, yes.

SPEAKER_02

Pat's supposed to be the king. It was mid.

SPEAKER_01

Very mid. Gus's, Uncle Gus's in Reading Terminal Market was a 7.1. That was the that was the wild card. We got that one because Greg was late. You were late and we got Gus's. Alright. It was that was pretty mid too. Geno's with a 7.6. Now that surprised me. I honestly thought Pat's Pat's was going to be better. Gino's is Gino's. I mean, they're right across the street from Pat's. Everybody, you know, that's the famous feud right there, cheesesteak spots.

SPEAKER_02

It's basically it's like the the McDonald's and what would you say, like the Wendy's of or I w I don't know, McDonald's burger A and B. You know. A and B, yep. But it's uh what do you call it? The commercial cheesesteak, I guess you would say.

SPEAKER_01

Um next we got God, I'm gonna tread lightly here. Next we got skinny Joey's, okay? Skinny Joey's is only about a year old. Listen, easy, Greg, easy. 7.8. Okay, I thought it was gonna blow everybody out of the water. First time I ever had it. I'm repping the t-shirt right now. I really loved the environment and everything about it. And I'm gonna be careful about what I say here because let's just say the owner claims to not be the boss of the Philadelphia mob, and I feel like if you have to say that, yeah, that maybe I'm just gonna say it was still a great cheesesteak. Just not a nine point.

SPEAKER_02

Absolutely not. It it was no, it didn't, it didn't even breathe close to the eights. So Greg has a death wish. All right, so I'll tell him right now. If he needs somebody to come teach him how to make a fucking cheesesteak properly, I can do it.

SPEAKER_03

That's all I gotta say. And you know, skinny Joey's not skinny.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, skinny Joey's skinny. He's skinny.

SPEAKER_02

You met him? That's why that's why you don't know how to make a fucking cheesesteak.

SPEAKER_01

That's why you know, you know. Um Chubby's is an 8.1. Chubby's is right across the street from Dalessandro, is who we also got.

SPEAKER_02

When I tell you the the ambiance of Chubbies, right? You walk in there, it's got that 50s diner vibe. Oh, I love it. You know how they greet you? They greet you, they they come out to the table with a frosted mug. Frosted mug and a bottled Hanks root.

SPEAKER_03

Oh, that's the Hanks, bro. Yeah. Oh when you sent it in, I wanted it.

SPEAKER_02

I was so upset that the cheesesteak wasn't higher rated because I wanted this to be my favorite one. I wanted it to be my favorite.

SPEAKER_01

Chubby's has been my favorite for years. It may have got thrown, unfortunately, but I still don't. You're right. The the the environment, dude, and the root beer, it's all good. It's all very good. Um, all right. Then we got Jim's on South Street, very famous spot as well. Yep, 8.1 tied with Chubbies. Um, I didn't necessarily agree with that.

SPEAKER_02

I thought that it was a little maybe a tick under Chubby's, but um well, I think Corey's also basing it off the fact that on the way into gyms, we got accosted by three uh uh members of a certain community um that may be confused as to uh what they got downstairs under their skirts and uh wanting to uh talk to us about gun violence. And we ain't got time for that. And and I don't got time for that to talk to you about that because I'm on a mission to get some cheesesteaks here. So you can go you want to see gun violence, try and stop me.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, try and stop me from this. Right, right.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, that was that was whatever. South Street's a weird spot too. Sean, we'll we'll acknowledge your presence in a moment. I'm on a roll here, and you do not want to get me off track.

SPEAKER_04

Uh go ahead.

SPEAKER_01

I'm listening. All right, so that was Jim's 8.1, and uh it was a very good stake. It just I just think it was under Chubby's, but whatever. I mean it's a state, it is a staple. You're right. Like I I put so famous spots is like Pat's and Gino's, but then like the next famous spot to me is Jim's, and Jim's is actually.

SPEAKER_02

In the real famous, like the not that we don't have to sell t-shirts here, we can just sell our steaks and call it a day.

SPEAKER_01

And you can eat upstairs. I mean, that's fun. You know what I mean? Yep. So and then lastly is Dallas Sandros, which is right across the street from Chubby's. By far the best steak we had. I mean, it was so damn good. That's an 8.2. Yeah. Um I just I just I don't even know.

SPEAKER_00

Are we talking cheesesteaks or steak? Cheese steaks. Cheese steaks. Oh, okay. Okay.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, cheese steaks. Um, I mean, it's cash only. You walk up to the window. Those are the best. You walk up to the window, and that and that's what you need to do.

SPEAKER_02

And some real abrasive person greets you like they don't have time to be listening to your own. What do you want? What do you want?

SPEAKER_00

No customer service. Exactly. Just get it in, get it out.

SPEAKER_02

Okay, get give me your name, and then I'll call when I'm ready for you to eat. When I'm ready for you to eat, that's when I'll call your name and I'll give you your sandwich.

SPEAKER_00

And don't let me call your name twice. No, no, they don't play it. They don't play it.

SPEAKER_01

No, so that was good. And then um, yeah, and then let's just honorable mention real quick, dude. First time I ever had John's roast pork, which is not a cheesesteak, we got a roast pork sandwich. I mean, gradually.

SPEAKER_02

Best sandwich in Philly.

SPEAKER_01

It dude, it might be the best sandwich in Philly.

SPEAKER_02

Damn good. I've got pictures of all these, by the way, but I'm telling you right now, it's it's been around since 1930. The place has changed minimally, and it's it knocks my socks off every time I have it.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, so that that basically concludes that. We did miss Angelo's. Angelo's is another one that I mean, if people aren't saying that Dallas Andros is the best cheesesteak in Philly, they're saying that Angelo's is, so it's kind of a shame that we missed it. I've had it, it's very good. I think I think traditional cheesesteak, Dallas Andros takes it though. Um that was a fun time. It was a little bit much. I mean, we we were like, you know that overstuffed full feeling where you're like, fuck, I should not have eaten that much. That was literally 48 hours of our lives straight. It was ridiculous. Absurd. I'll never do that again. But I'm glad I did it once. Um, other than that, it was. I mean, Greg, I I've talked a lot about our Philadelphia trip. There's a couple other things that maybe maybe we'll talk about in this episode, but what did what what was your take on it? Um on Philly? Whatever you gotta say.

SPEAKER_03

Your your your flight.

SPEAKER_02

That's what's yeah, we'll we'll get to the flight in a minute. Let's let's welcome Sean McDonald to the show. We're glad that those wildebees somehow you were able to fend them off. It looks uh like you absconded with minimal injury. So uh they're possibly outside of his car.

SPEAKER_00

It might be. They might be. At first, guys, I want to thank you for having me on your program. Very happy to be here. Um, I appreciate it very much. And um, no, just another deep CIA cover mission as uh matter of a matter of national security. Uh, but I can report that we are in a safe zone right now. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02

Nice, nice. Everything good with uh the fam? Have a good week.

SPEAKER_00

Everybody's fantastic. We had uh Corey, you missed the party of the year, buddy. Sorry, sorry to hear that. And and to know that you were home and plenty of time to make it, just want to throw that out there. But um I understand you understood. Well, you were home though. I understand you were traveling all night. I mean, I'm I'm giving you an out. I understand you were traveling all night, but your wife told me what time you got home. You you you could have come, you could have come. Um you missed you missed the best time in the room. I dude, I I was absolutely knocking and rocking kids off of that water slide. Like, get out of my way. Um, adult only, you know, adult swim time kind of thing. Um had a blast, really truly had a blast. It was uh we haven't done a party like that at the house in quite a few years, and I am reminded of just how much setup and even more cleanup there is after a party like that. Um, but it was an absolute blast. Kids had a great time. As a matter of fact, at one point in the middle of the day, my 10-year-old Sophia said, This is the best day ever. And like, in today's day and age, for my 10-year-old to still be that innocent and think that that kind of stuff is still the best day ever, I'll take it a hundred times out of a hundred. Like, that was awesome. Um, baby's doing great. He's a year old now since we podcasted last. Uh, he's 26 pounds, which apparently is really, really big for a one-year-old kid. Yeah. He's a monster, dude. It's so funny. We had his uh one-year-old appointment today, but everything's good on my end, boys. The family's doing great, back to school, full swing. Um, everybody's doing well. Safety patrol started today, so Sophia literally has to be at school at 6 45 in the morning. So that's always fun. Um, but all good. I'm glad you guys made it back sober, I presume. Both of you sober?

SPEAKER_01

Again, assuming that karm was in the first place, yes.

SPEAKER_00

Well, I'll worry about those two later. I don't want to worry about my you two might otherwise me and Danny are running a TUSM or uh getting some new co-hosts on this thing, but yeah, it handled a lot of Corey's triggers, but we made it through, yes.

SPEAKER_02

That's good.

SPEAKER_00

Um nobody got arrested.

SPEAKER_01

No, unfortunately, it was very uneventful in that manner. I don't think they arrest people in Philly anymore. Actually, dude, good point. I saw like we were there four days and we were in some sketchy areas at times, and we saw like two cops the entire time.

SPEAKER_02

We actually got we've got on we got called out on looking like cops. Uh yeah. Unreal.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, because Carmine Esposito really looks like a police officer.

SPEAKER_02

I guess to a fucking It was a funny moment. We were we were in like the the drug den capital of Philly and we were stopped at a traffic light and I had the back window to the van rolled down and this dude comes up and he's like laughing at us for a second. He's like, You the cops, you the cops. And I just I just gave him the biggest shit eating grin. It was it was it was pretty amazing. Yeah, don't you guys know why what what should I was just gonna say?

SPEAKER_00

Have you gone over how the actual concert was?

SPEAKER_01

That's all I really want to know.

SPEAKER_00

Well, all good on my end. I pass it back to you guys. Thanks for having me on your program, boys.

SPEAKER_02

Um, yeah, so let me just start out with saying before I get into this little rant here, I do have to give Philly its flowers. Okay, I know I hate on Philadelphia a lot, and and much of it is justified, much of it.

SPEAKER_01

But I must give I agree with that more than ever.

SPEAKER_02

Um we stayed in a shitty section of town, but it was kind of fun at the same time and a lot of stuff to have fun and laugh at. Um Corey took us around on a on a little tour of uh of of downtown, as they would call it down there, and uh that's Pittsburgh, buddy. And uh we got to see the you know the Liberty Belt. Like it's it's cool to be in the heart of cool history where America is founded, you know, or was founded, and you know, got to see like the independence hall where the Declaration of Independence was signed, and um just a lot of a lot of cool stuff. Ben Franklin's grave, yeah, that that kind of stuff. So um it was it was neat and cool, and there are some cool spots in Philly for sure. Um there's a lot of there's a lot of dirty, dingy spots in Philly like there is any big city as well. Oh shit. Uh no shortage of that. But yeah, gotta give it its flowers. We'll talk more about the concert here in a little bit. But yeah, dude, I just gotta I gotta rant. First off, um, Frontier Airlines, I'm never flying with you again, man.

SPEAKER_00

What a well, Greg, that's kind of like ordering a steak at Denny's. Come on, you know what you're getting with Frontier.

SPEAKER_02

Hey, look, most of the time I'm cool with it. Most of the time I'm cool with it. But man, let me just tell you, my flight, first off, they don't alert me until I arrive at the airport that my 6 a.m. flight, I'm there at 4 40. My 6 a.m. flight is now delayed two and a half hours, right? It's wonderful, awesome. I'm already stuck at the airport, I'm already through security, whatever. So chilling for that extra little bit of time, get on the plane, and then we sit at the gate in the plane for another hour and a half while technicians are coming in and out of the plane, in and out of the cockpit. There's there's seven technicians in the front of the plane. It's the worst, man. It's the worst. And the the pilots the pilots like oh, ladies and gentlemen, um you know, he's like, he's like, it's actually not that big a deal. I know you see a lot of technicians in and out of here, but it's it's nothing to to worry about. It's actually just a sticker on the outside of the plane, but the FAA requires us to have it, so we we must have it. And apparently that takes seven fucking people to put a sticker on the outside of the plane. What they're doing on the inside of the plane, I have no idea, right? Because the sticker goes on the outside, right? But we don't know, right? We're all just along for the freaking ride. Um, at one point, the pilot says, Oh, well, you know, and now we're wait just waiting on paperwork, but it's gonna take them a long time to get the paperwork from wherever the paperwork. Yeah, where's it coming from? We we have the internet, we can just print this email it if we want, right? But they gotta wait for the screenshot it so then he tells people they can get up out of the plane if they want to at this point, which is like unheard of, but they can get up out of the plane and go mosey around. Well, then that starts a revolt at the back of the plane because they're like, no, no, no, no, no, don't get up. Because if you get up, then it's gonna get delayed even longer. It was it was just an absolute shit show. By the time I got to Orlando for my layover, I had missed my layover entirely, missed the plane completely, went to the the customer service, and they uh they told me they would not be able to get me on another flight until the following day, midday. I'm like, not gonna happen, no way. So I'm like, and and I even looked up on Xpedia. I'm like, listen, it says you have two flights leaving here today that I can book right now through your airline. Like, you can't put me on one of those. They're like, well, you can book through Expedia if you want to, but we don't have anything here. I'm like, you are the airline. What are you talking about? So I just went with the tried and true red, white, and blue American Airlines, baby. Now I had to spend an extra 400 bucks, okay? But I got to Philly the same day, thank god. So that's how my trip started out. Let me go on a little bit of a further route. Right, yeah, yeah. I feel like it's fucking needed at this point. I know we've even touched on this before, but like let's let's take it a step further, all right. People, when you're in an airport, man, like we've talked about situal situational awareness and stuff before, like being aware of what's going on around you, people around you, dah dah da. What's up? What is up with the lineup? You guys know what I'm talking about. When they say, Okay, guys, we're gonna start the boarding process now. Yeah, on each one of your tickets, you're you're in a boarding group, right? It's it's very simple, it's usually numeric, like one through one through four, usually, yeah, or A, B, and C. Yeah, then everybody rushes the damn gate. Everybody, and then you've got all kinds of people that are like, Well, are you in line? Well, are you are you in line? What number are you? What it's very asking, what group are you?

SPEAKER_00

Okay, I'm three. Okay, we're on one right now.

SPEAKER_02

I'm I'm three. So I know I'm standing right in the middle of where people got to line up and walk into this thing, but uh, they're not gonna call my number for another 10 minutes. Get out of the way, dude. We're all gonna get on the plane. We've all been assigned a seat, we're all gonna get on there. It's fine. But here's where the big problem is most people are worried about their carry-on luggage because that shit is out of control. Okay, I don't like to do carry-on luggage, I would much rather check a bag and walk onto the plane with nothing. There's nothing I have to grab. This trip I did do carry-on. But again, I have one bag, and that's it, right? You see, like, okay, Disney mom who's taking all of her kids to Orlando. I can appreciate you. I know you want to take them on. Each of your little rug rats does not need a full-size suitcase, it just doesn't need to happen. It just does not need to happen, okay. Like I get there's a lady walking, she's got a wagon. Who brings a wagon to the airport? Because that's what she needs to carry all of the luggage that she's bringing for her and her two children. Wild, dude. Furthermore, uh, if you cannot count from one to 30, or you do not know your ABCs enough through ABC D E F, right? You need you you need adult supervision on airplane, right? And and and that means that if your 58-year-old ass doesn't know how to do the two things that I said, you need adult supervision to get on that plane because why? We're all lined up, we've been lined up for quite some time. We're all ready to just get on the plane, get in our seats, chill out, right? You why are you holding up the line? As soon as we walk in the door to talk to the stewardess about uh do you know how to find 15F? I wonder how the fuck you find 15F. Do you count maybe 15 rows back that are they're all numbered and they're all lettered, and then you just pick your fucking seat. What are we doing here? What are we doing? It's it's just it's insane to me. It the the air travel is uh it's just gotten nuts. But yeah, the way that people act on a flight, again, the the big everybody on the plane tries to stand up when they open the door.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, that's my favorite.

SPEAKER_02

Dude, we're all good. We we gotta get out of here. It's it's a it's an easy, simple file in and out. But yeah, the just the I won't even call it situational awareness anymore. It is complete and total lack of just uh I think respecting other people around you. Like when I get on a plane, I don't need to talk to anybody. I'm not a talker on a plane. I don't, you know, whatever. I'll talk to like maybe the person in the seat next to me, whatever. But like I don't need instructions from the stewardess, I don't need to be told where to go, I don't need to be told how the flight's gonna happen, you know, or anything like that. I just want to get in there, my mom business, fly on the plane to my destination and get off. That's what I want to do. That's how you get to be an easy passenger.

SPEAKER_00

So there's such a sense of like I just want to get from point A to point B. And I think it I think that the some of for some people it's like the irrational fear of once you get on, like we were talking about, you're try you're trapped, you're there, you can't do anything. You're at the mercy of of the skies and the mechanics and and all that stuff, and that's where like it's it's a loss of control for people.

SPEAKER_02

Yep.

SPEAKER_00

It's wild.

SPEAKER_02

Also, I kind of knew that that the how the day was gonna go because that first flight, the one that was delayed, where we had to sit for an hour and a half, the kid in the seat next to me, I'm on the I'm on the window seat, this random kid's in the middle seat, and he appears as though he has just gotten out of the hospital. And I can tell he's just gotten out of the hospital because he's still wearing a hospital gown, I believe. He also smelled like a hospital, and you boys know what I'm talking about. It's kind of like that weird, like plasticky rubber-made kind of smell, right? He has also got two broken hands, a huge gash in his face, and he is bleeding from his arm because there's a huge patch of skin missing from it. Poor guy. I'm like, dude, you are in no condition to be on this plane right now. And it was just, I don't want to like. I mean, obviously the guy's pretty badly beat up, you know. I don't want to like rain on his parade anymore, but it was I want to say he was probably mid-20s.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, oh, so not like I thought you were talking about like a 12-year-old.

SPEAKER_02

No, no, no. This kid looked like he he probably um was on a motorcycle that was going way too fast and dumped it or something. Like bad, bad news, but yeah, still not uh not a pleasurable experience to sit next to that fellow.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. So how was the concert? Get to the concert. I want to know concert.

SPEAKER_01

That was the least least eventful of the four days.

SPEAKER_02

It was fun. It was awesome. It wasn't good. No, no, it was great.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, oh that's what I want to know. It was how was the show?

SPEAKER_02

It was a fantastic concert.

SPEAKER_00

Um I thought it was good.

SPEAKER_02

Um Queens of the Stone Age opened up and oh sweet.

SPEAKER_01

They were I thought they were I thought they were good.

SPEAKER_02

I like I like Queens of the Stone Age a lot. The the the audio was a little weird. It was it was a little I feel like it was too loud, and so it made it to where you couldn't understand him that well. But he also said that he ate a bunch of mushrooms before the show. So that could have done it as well. That's sweet.

SPEAKER_01

But uh there was a Santa Claus in the uh in the mosh pit.

SPEAKER_02

Yep, yeah. Yeah, so in a legit Santa Claus, too, like a old man with a big long beard and wearing a sandwich.

SPEAKER_01

Nice. Nice. I'll try to find a clip of them.

SPEAKER_02

They uh but yeah, the Foo Fighters man, uh, this is my second time seeing them, and they put on a hell of a show. Um three hours straight of just rocking. Oh yeah. Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Um still doing it.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, Dave's still doing it, dude. I was gonna say it's one of those things where like uh you you witness something and you go, that guy is a fucking rock star. Like he is nothing short of a rock star.

SPEAKER_02

And the the fact that he has he has uh an amazing amount of energy. Like and it just the energy he comes sprinting down the the the stage to start the show, and you feel just like almost like you're you know punched in the face with it, and then it just does not stop for three hours. Yeah, it was amazing.

SPEAKER_01

Kyle he was sick of it. Really?

SPEAKER_02

He's not a big foo fan. He's not a big foo fan.

SPEAKER_01

So it got a little long for him. Why did he go?

SPEAKER_02

Brotherhood, the brotherhood, yeah. The the trip, dude.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I'd go to Dave Matthews just because of you guys. I wouldn't have to go. But you know, on the other care less about Dave. Fair point, fair point.

SPEAKER_02

On the on the full polar opposite side of things, Carmine's right next to me. He's like, you know, dude, I just think this is this is he's the most talented musician I've ever seen play live, dude, ever. Carmine loving it.

SPEAKER_00

A little, a little bit. It might be a little dramatic.

SPEAKER_02

But I mean, he's up there, I get it. It was a good time. It was a good time. Um I the you know, again, I'm gonna sound like a fucking old fart here, dude. The older I get, though like the arena shows and the the stadium shows are are a little bit rough. I hate being like confined in that one little spot. Like I'll take the lawn any day over the pavilion. Then I would, you know, I like I like space to move around and dance a little bit, and it's just yeah, you're locked into that one spot. But another thing I will say, and to give Philliad's flowers, that stadium where the Eagles play Lincoln Financial Field is an epic stadium. And like just even just walking around on the concourse, it's just it is massive and lots of cool places to eat, little places to go into, but like the stadium itself, when you're in that bowl, you're like, My god, man, you can see why the games are so loud, you know.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I like I always liked how they were all next to each other, too. The sports complex.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, the sports complex is very cool, like that. Yeah, where they're all right there. Yeah. So yeah, awesome. All in all, a decent Philly trip. We made it back in one piece.

SPEAKER_00

Um, our Airbnb had an arcade NFL Blitz in it from 1999, which is that's like the only video game I played besides Star Fox and Major League Base and Major League Baseball.

SPEAKER_02

NFL Blitz was a good time, dude.

SPEAKER_01

I did a little bit. I also had a small pool table where the corner pocket just kind of fell off. So there was that. Yep. It was weird.

SPEAKER_02

And then there may have been an asbestos. We may have inhaled a lot of asbestos.

SPEAKER_01

It was interesting. It was it was very fitting.

SPEAKER_00

Well, if the drugs haven't killed you guys yet, you'll be fine.

SPEAKER_01

Exactly.

SPEAKER_02

Exactly. So a solid trip. Cool. So um what are we talking about, boys, tonight? What do we what do we want to kick on recovery-wise? Do we want to talk about how Corey didn't get high and was not triggered at the concert? So he told me. Yeah, I mean, as far as you guys know.

SPEAKER_00

I thought I thought you weren't allowed to go to concerts once you got sober or like do anything fun ever.

SPEAKER_01

I was triggered. I just I just white knuckled it.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, 10 years, bro. Ten years deep in the white knuckles. Exactly.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Sure, we can talk about well, yeah. We knew we knew we knew we'd be a little scattered tonight with I was late, obviously, you know, you guys coming back from the trip, getting back yesterday. Um but you know, after last week, the deep dive we did, we wanted to be able to keep it a little lighter this week. So my idea was like just exactly what I said, and I've and I've we've probably talked about this to some extent, you know, at some point in the past. But this whole idea, I I know I had the notion when I got sober that a lot of the quote fun things I did when I was drunk, you know, concerts, parties, events, travel. Um, I either thought that I wasn't able to do that stuff anymore, or I could only do it under very, very specific circumstances. So my idea was just kind of let's talk about that, like let's talk about, you know, maybe like an early sobriety as opposed to late in later years, like stuff that maybe we should have stayed away from and did stay away from early on in sobriety until we got a really good spiritual foundation under us, as opposed to Timmy, where you know, we all all four of us have been in all kinds of situations, uh, both good and not so good, where you know, um, if there ever was a quote opportunity to drink or get high, we would have been in it. So I don't know, let's start right there. Let's just, you know. If you want to go first, you can.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, yeah. I I got two yeah, I got two within my first year I went to, man. Um, and uh I really honestly, I mean, being around you guys and you know, I mean, doing the stuff that I was doing at that point in time and stuff like that, I was surrounded by a crowd. You know, I think we talked about it before is that strength in numbers, man. When we're early on in sobriety and stuff like that, it's like I I didn't feel any kind of urge or triggers or any kind of inkling that I was nervous to go to this place because I had my people with me and I was like kind of protected. You know what I mean? Like it wasn't like it was like we're going to have fun. And uh the first concert I went to was Kevin Gates and uh West Palm because Kevin Gates and I think I forgot who else was there, man. There was a couple other people, everybody smoking weed. I mean, just littered weed everywhere, you know. I mean, the whole place dunk, but like it didn't even bother me at all. And then uh the other one was I remember with um went with my uh my my old uh mentor and a bunch of people, and we went to um my I did my first ever moshing at metallic uh like a um heavy metal concert in uh West Palm. I think it was the amphitheater or whatever. That was nuts. I went to McCollin too. Yeah, yeah, it was nuts, man. No, who was the band? Oh no, there was a whole it was like a whole heavy, there was like 17 acts going on all over the place. It was like nuts. It was like a deal or something like that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, something like that. I did my dip my first wall of death, you know what I mean, and all that stuff. It was yeah, it was nuts, man. It was like insane. But yeah, I mean, people were they were you know, people were getting high and doing all this stuff, and you know, for me it's just early on, and now it's not really a thing, but like early on, it's just like going with people that are of the the same like as me. And you know, I felt protected and I fine, it was never really like something in my, you know. But I I would say personally, like if you're early on in sobriety and you're like going to an event and stuff, and if you're thinking about it and worrying about it, that you probably shouldn't go. Yeah, that'd be my like my whole thing with that. Like I was never it wasn't an inkling in my head when I was going.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I would say like it wasn't um it wasn't so much that I was scared that I was gonna get high or whatever, it was more so the thought in my head of like I had been to a ton of concerts and uh you know prior to getting sober and and obviously, you know, um everything that centered around those and um getting high and getting drunk and all kinds of uh mixes of that. But more so it was the thought of like how am I gonna have fun and enjoy myself and have a good time? That that was the big thing for me, is like I don't know. I I've got to learn how to do this and enjoy it without substances. And uh I I remember my first concert in sobriety, it was May 12th, 2017. It was my one year of sobriety, just so happened to fall on the same date, and it was Bad Fish in Stewart I had huh at Memorial Park, and we were all right up front, and uh I had an absolute blast, man. It was amazing. I got a whole beer dumped on me, actually. Oh had to go.

SPEAKER_01

I was about to say you were a sweaty mess, but maybe it was just beer. I got a whole beer dumped on me.

SPEAKER_00

There's still detoxing off boxing. Yeah, no, I'm just kidding.

SPEAKER_02

Right, but yeah, I'd go back to go back to the halfway house, uh stinking like a brewery. And that was the that was the best breathalyzer ever passed, so that was cool.

SPEAKER_03

Uh yeah, really.

SPEAKER_02

But yeah, and and I remember uh you know, Sean and Corey, we us being at a at a Dave concert, uh, you know, a couple years after that fact, and with a couple of our other buddies, and you know, the people in front of us kept trying to pass us uh pass us a joint, and we were all like, no, no, man, we're good. And you know, but it and and we uh you know we laugh and we joke, ah the obsession has been removed, and but it is it's it's a it's a cool feeling once that can happen, and now it's at the point where I I don't even think about it anymore, you know. Um it's not a thought in my brain. I will say that um I I maybe I have a little bit less patience with like when I go to some of these events and I'm around super drunk people, and then it's like you gotta be you gotta be wary of those uh those folks and keep them at arm's length. But um that's not because I feel uh triggered in any way. I just don't wanna uh get puked on or anything like that. So um but yeah, it's it's it's a fun time. Uh Nowadays and like I said, total afterthought.

SPEAKER_00

What about you, Corey?

SPEAKER_01

I um I I mean I like everything that was said thus far and you know, I I too at one point was given the impression, like quite literally given the impression because people that must they must have still had an alcoholic mind, I guess, you know, told told me like oh you probably shouldn't do A, B, and C because you know you'd be in danger and stuff. And like it's just like a little misleading, I think. I mean, if that's their experience, that's unfortunate. But um I do think that there's uh yeah, God, dude, it's about motive, you know? It's about mo it's about intention and motive. Like I and I don't know if like if 60 days sober is the right time to judge those things yourself either. Right. So I'll s I'll say that. Um but and I agree with Dan, like if if you I mean if it's about like I oh I gotta come up with a whole elaborate plan just in case I feel a little iffy tonight at the concert where I I need to have an escape plan. Again, like if that's your deal, then fine. Like I'm not saying that's bad advice, but like if that's me, I think I'd rather not go if it's that big of a deal, you know?

SPEAKER_04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Um that would be my like if somebody asked me if that's what they should do, I'd be like, well, if if if you're gonna be that on edge, like maybe sit this one out and let's figure out um what's more internal to look at so the next one isn't a matter of escaping. Um because yeah, I mean it's been it's been a long time of going to concerts and stuff and doing fun things and whatever that it doesn't yeah, it certainly the urge or whatever to use does not come about. Um thank goodness. And even what we just did, like going to Philly and uh we took a a quick trip to Camden, mostly to see the battleship New Jersey, but um you know, at one point like on my triggers list was Camden, New Jersey. Like that's what my therapist had me write out. What's here's your what's your triggers? Oh, the whole city of Camden, New Jersey. I can't go back there or I will die. And you know, uh it it's just not exactly that uh true. It's not true. It's just really not. Um I the truth was everything's a trigger. If the sun comes up, I'm triggered. If uh the sun goes down, I'm triggered. Like whatever you can say anything. It when I'm when I obsess, I obsess, and that and I'm going to use when I'm under the obsession. Um and like like I said, like we went to Camden um briefly, and one of the things that guy's the dumpster. Yeah, it was a dumpster. No, dude, they wouldn't even let me get out. I um they were afraid I was gonna throw out the handle and used. Yeah. Um no, but I well I pulled in because it's in a it's a McDonald's. And uh for our listeners, since we didn't make it clear, uh, there was a dumpster that I slept in the vicinity of a few nights while I didn't have anywhere to go and came then back in my addiction.

SPEAKER_00

Nice.

SPEAKER_01

And apparently I've mentioned that enough in my story for it to matter. And um, that was one of the things Kyle said he wanted to see and Greg and whatever. So and I've never like in bathroom because I don't have a reason to go to the dumpster because it could trigger you. Yeah, that's correct, Sean.

SPEAKER_03

It it's so wild how vividly you remember those things, man. Obviously.

SPEAKER_00

I can remember very distinct driveways that I woke up in.

SPEAKER_03

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, like I can remember everything about it. It's really strange.

SPEAKER_03

Is it yeah, isn't it wild? Like I slept on I remember underneath the back of a car in a car lot, and I'll still to this day exactly pinpoint that.

SPEAKER_01

Yep. Oh yeah. I I even there was a spot, so behind the dumpster was a spot, but also across Federal Street was a church, and I showed the guys um the church steps that I've also slept on, and to which Greg replied, Wow, you were you were living pretty good then, weren't you? I was like, I don't know, it's fucking concrete, Craig. I mean, it wasn't that good.

SPEAKER_02

The Lord's concrete, buddy.

SPEAKER_01

It was the Lord's concrete, that's holy concrete. Yeah. But you know cracks in that. We went there and uh you know, it's just whatever. We also went to City Hall in Philly, where I attribute like if I had like a like one, if I had to pinpoint like a bottom where like God intervened, it was like in that moment where I I spent some time there. And it's it's nice stuff to visit with friends that are in recovery. And anyway, my point is uh I didn't have to get high because we went and visited Camden. We had a reason to be the same thing with like we went we went through Kensington, and that's a fucking sight to be seen. I mean the only thing that came out of it.

SPEAKER_02

I don't I honestly I might even argue we didn't have a reason to be there because I didn't really need to see all that shit, and uh you know no offense to the other two, but I think they just wanted to see something that they've heard about for many years in in the industry and um I found I found a lot of those uh times too, like when we not even just through Kensington, like when we would see people sleeping on the street and shit like that. It was like uh you know, or I mean honestly, you see see people walking down the street making crazy hand gestures and talking to themselves and stuff like that. And at first, you're you know, your first inclination is to laugh a little bit or like chuckle and and whatever, and then you really you know, um, but like I found myself every single time like damn, I wish I had twenty dollars I could hand it. And then like you know, and go up to him be like, hey man, like there's a better way to live. But you know, I I didn't want to hear that from anybody else when I was in that state, so um but yeah, I just felt like my heart going out to him.

SPEAKER_01

It it's honestly for to your uh Greg, you bring up something for maybe for another episode, but fuck, dude. People in in Kensington that are like severely bent over, quite literally bent over unconscious, but still conscious enough to stay standing, like like a a harsh way to put it, but like kind of zombie-like that that is something else. That is something else. It's fascinating.

SPEAKER_02

It's so it really is that's morphably fascinating. I even wanted to like take a drive through there, dude, because like it at the very least, dude, it it just is an absolute sobering reminder.

SPEAKER_00

Well, it's like that it's the not to make light of it, but the the tweaker geographic thing on YouTube that I've sent you guys. Like it it really legitimately is, you know.

SPEAKER_01

And it is wild. I I agree, Greg. Like it is a it is there's an education to it, you know what I mean, or like uh something. There's something to be helped with.

SPEAKER_00

We don't have we don't have much of that where we are, Corey. You know what I mean? We do have some of it. We do. I I there are certain pockets that you see the people that are yelling and arguing with themselves and no one's there, and there's yeah, but it but it's it's I would just say the ratio is for every you know three that we have here, Corey, in south in our part of Florida, it's probably like you know, 15 to car and Camden.

SPEAKER_01

Well, and I I the best way I can put it, I'll shut up here. But like I I feel like I come from a similar environment in Camden. I do. Um it was still shocking. Like it was still I've never seen so much of it, I don't think.

SPEAKER_00

And I think today's a different age too. It's a lot more new.

SPEAKER_01

True, the the drugs have changed, and I think that's a big thing. Um and it's just like it was just sad, dude. It was I felt very sad afterwards. The the best part about it was then when the guy called us cops, because at least that was funny. Because otherwise it was like we just need to get the fuck out of here and go get some roast pork.

SPEAKER_00

I I am always fascinated. I don't know if fascinated is the right word. I'm not there, you know, these people aren't a spectacle, they're not an object or a show. I'm not saying it like that, but it's like I don't I say this, I intellectually understand how people end up homeless, but I don't, it's so hard for me to wrap like how like it's I want to just ask people like, how did you get here? Like, what happened that like you had nobody that you could go to, you had nothing, you had, you know, you couldn't get a second job at McDonald's just to keep a roof. Like, I don't get it. And I'm no now the drug part I do, but like there's and I know that a lot of those are drug addicted, but then you have some people that are just legitimately, there's like a mental health crisis, you know, and um not to segue this too much, but I I had some like personal experience with this on uh most of last week, but specifically Friday. So I had a kid who was in my caseload for for anybody who doesn't know by now. I work in child welfare, and I had a kid that turned 18 in May of 2025, right? Now, long-winded way, I'll shorten this up. He wasn't eligible for any of our independent living programs. It's a it's a flaw in the system, in my opinion. I fought tooth and nail in the six to eight months of this kid leading up to his 18th birthday to keep him in a group care, like licensed group care, which I know sounds weird because we want kids to go back with family and we want this and we want that, but he was gonna go back with a grandmother and then eventually a non-relative family friend, neither of which could become licensed because of past child welfare history, their past history. So it was like they were okay enough in the eyes of the law for the kid to go live with when he was 17, but not enough for them to be licensed, which in our my line of work, you have to age out. These kids have to turn 18 in some type of licensed care: group care, psychiatric care, foster care, something. And and like Corey, if you became like a foster parent, you and Gabby could become level one licensed in the state. There's like five different levels. You can become level one licensed, you're not required to take any other kids in, but you would be a level one licensed home for the state of Florida for funding purposes and for certification purposes. It's very simple to do. You just can't have certain things in your background. So this kid aged out, not no programs available to him. And of course, the family friend that he was with that said, I'll never give up on him, essentially gave up on him three months later. It wasn't all his fault. The kid had some behavioral issues, and they, you know, he was 18 now, and they were, I think there were some, I think they fought a few times like fisti-cuffs, but he's essentially been homeless for the better part of the last year. And I'm talking, he's the he's like spent time in the wilderness. Like he had this some major like religious conversion, and now he is the extreme, extreme. Like everybody's living in sin, everyone's going to hell unless you believe the way I believe. He's 19 years old, like, and he's a sweet kid, really, but he's been homeless for the better part of the last year. Long story short, they expanded some of the laws in Florida recently, like this year, 2026. So he became eligible for one of our independent living programs. But a lot of these programs, these post-18 homes, they want you to have an up-to-date mental health evaluation within the last year in order to move in because they and rightfully so, they have to know who they're taking in. They have other kids. So I scrambled all week and finally at almost 9:30 p.m. this past Friday, I had to work late. We finally found him a place to live. It's an absolute shithole, but it's better than what he was. He's literally been on the streets, like, it's it's wild. And and to me, it's like like I like how does this happen, you know? And for this one, I kind of know, but for people like that, it's like I don't understand on that emotional level how it happens, how you can end up like that, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01

So I I think I s I said it to uh to Kyle and Carm and Greg. Um you know, we have some literature that that says the phrase there are such unfortunates. And that's all I can think when we're running through Kensington and we see four people just bent over, damn near unconscious in the street, like from the drugs that they're taking. I mean some of these people were I think like it's weird, right? So I'm I'm gonna I I'm gonna stop talking because I'll I can go on about this for a long time. It's weird to think the bottoms that us four were all at, right? And like how hopeless we were.

SPEAKER_02

But when you see scratching the surface, dude.

SPEAKER_01

When you see some of this, it's like, no, I don't know what it was, but I feel like I had an edge for some reason. Now, like, granted, like it was all God's grace. I truly believe that for myself. Like it was God's grace that I'm sober and like maybe that could have been me. But but man, it just seems like no, that person is doomed.

SPEAKER_02

100%, and it's it was sad, but but I think that that's why, dude, like it's important sometimes for us, and I'm not saying we go and make a spectacle of it. I can't stand sometimes the people that have to film their selves themselves doing a good job. Well, yeah, that's what it shows a pat on the back and that kind of shit. But I think it is important for us sometimes to see because we get so far removed and we feel so safe and comforted, and we feel um so almost. I I don't want to use the term impervious to this because I think the four of us at least know that you know um we're we're a couple um real bad days of of getting off our our spiritual program and and everything like that to waver and and start the cycle over again. But I think it's important for for us to see that kind of stuff up close as a reminder for for but for the grace of God, there go I.

SPEAKER_01

Well, and maybe that's because go ahead, sorry. It was it was different. What we get so often is we get the random shithead on a Tuesday night that comes in, thinks they know everything, and we go, damn, you got a long way to go. You know what I mean? But like these people, it was it's just different to see it.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, so well I think I think that might be honestly, the more I think about it deep down, part of the intrigue in it, like, how does that happen to you? Because it's like a personal fear, like, okay, well, if it happened to them, could it happen to me, you know, kind of thing, which obviously not today, and and I don't think so, you know. And like I I feel like all four of us have enough family member and loved ones that would do whatever they could, you know. I don't know. I just feel like like hell, if we had to move to Pennsylvania and go move in with Catherine's mom, she's got like a five-bedroom house. Like we totally could, and she would never want a dime from us, you know. Like, like there's that. Like we my mom, I don't know, it just it it just baffles me. But I guess at the same token, Greg, like you said, had we continued on drinking and drugging and just for year after year after year after year.

SPEAKER_01

One bridge at a time.

SPEAKER_00

Absolutely, absolutely. Yeah, so it is sobering, very sober. Makes me very grateful for what we have today. 100% yeah. Want to land us home, Greg?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, absolutely. Thank you, gentlemen, for another fine evening with y'all. You're trying to. Shout out to our listeners. Hold on, real quick.

SPEAKER_00

I have after we get off this podcast, I cannot announce it on the podcast, but I have an intriguing situation that could be brewing here at Trudge Report Podcast. So you might need to tune in next week or the week after for that. Go ahead, Greg.

SPEAKER_02

Shout out to our listeners. Please like, follow, and share on all socials at TrudgeReport Pod. Email us at TrudgeReport Pod at Yahoo.com. Send mailbag requests for topics, questions, and comments to any of these handles. Remember, we are all here if anyone wants to talk about recovery and our experiences, or if you're just struggling with some form of addiction. Thank you again to Janine and Stellamix Podcast Management. Good night, God bless, and may you trudge the road of happy destiny. We'll see you next week. Cheers.