Melissa Hayward-Tucker was caught in the grip of addiction for years, a victim of drugs and alcohol from her early teens. Growing up in a turbulent world of abandonment, domestic violence, and abuse, she faced trauma most never know. By age fourteen, she was using crack cocaine, and her life spiraled into darkness on the dangerous streets of Houston and Los Angeles, where she was left homeless, addicted, and surrounded by violence.

But on January 29, 2001, in her darkest hour, she heard a voice that sparked hope—a call to begin a journey of healing. Against all odds, she broke free from the chains that bound her and found purpose. In her powerful new book, *Caught Up: The Story of a Drug Addict's Return to Her Roots*, Melissa recounts every raw, harrowing detail of her life in addiction, sharing the pain, trauma, and the profound resilience it took to overcome.

Today, Melissa is a wife, mother, grandmother, author, speaker, and the founder of God's Vessel Ministries. As a gospel artist signed with Genesoul Entertainment, she has won awards for songs that inspire and uplift, including the London MP3 Music Award for "Praize Praize" and the Indie Music Channel Award for "Transformed." Her latest single, *Freedom Ring*, is available on all platforms, celebrating her liberation and calling others to find theirs.

With a deep passion for faith, Melissa is devoted to helping women transform their lives through God's truth and power. She believes wholeheartedly in the power of prayer and lives as a testament to God's ability to restore and redeem.

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A prize winning nonfiction writer's account of a troubled adolescence spent immersed in alcohol, drugs, and crime.

She is author of "Body Leaping Backward: Memoir of a Delinquent Girlhood". Her essays and memoirs have been published in Creative Nonfiction, Fourth Genre, The Florida Review, New England Review, and River Teeth, among others. She has received the Iowa Review Prize, the American Literary Review Prize, Pushcart Prizes, a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, and Maine Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowships. She has an M.F.A. from Ohio State University, and teaches at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Visit her at www.maureenstantonwriter.com

Julieta's powerful journey from the border town of Juarez, Mexico, to becoming a relentless advocate for drug education is nothing short of inspiring. Growing up in a community deeply affected by drug abuse, she witnessed firsthand not only the devastating impact on individuals but the ripple effect it had on entire neighborhoods. Realizing the urgent need for education and awareness, she became fiercely passionate about making a difference—especially when it came to educating children.

Since 2007, Julieta has served as the President of the Foundation for a Drug-Free World Florida Chapter, dedicating herself tirelessly to the cause. Her impact speaks volumes: she has personally delivered over 400 presentations, reaching more than 21,000 students, parents, teachers, and law enforcement officers. Beyond Florida and the U.S., her influence has extended across borders, training educators, officials, and community leaders in countries like Honduras, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Mexico, Spain, and Ireland.

A true force for change, Julieta has inspired over 7,500 individuals to sign the pledge to live drug-free lives. With her team, she has distributed hundreds of thousands of 'Truth About Drugs' materials, spreading awareness far and wide.

Since 2013, Julieta has hosted her own weekly radio segment, "La Verdad Sobre las Drogas" (The Truth About Drugs) on Vida 99.1 FM, where she continues to educate and inspire listeners. Her voice has reached millions, with over 150 media appearances, including TV, radio, and newspapers, both nationally and internationally.

https://drugfreeworld.org

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Hon. Jim Carroll has substantial experience as a legal advisor to two White House administrations, federal government agencies, and a Fortune 25 company. He counsels clients on complex and sensitive issues involving government and internal investigations, corporate ethics and compliance programs, and white collar defense.

In his 30-plus years as an attorney and a Washington insider, Jim has also built a reputation as a go-to choice for strategic business and policy counseling. In addition to his role as a Partner at Michael Best, Jim is also a principal at Michael Best Consulting LLC. Previously, Jim was a co-founder and principal of DC Consulting LLC, a consulting firm specializing in public health, pharmaceutical and substance abuse and regulatory risk involving law enforcement issues.

Earlier in his career, Jim spent a decade as in-house counsel at Ford Motor Company where for many years he was the Company's Global Director of Compliance. Jim also served as the nation's "Drug Czar" for three years, following his unanimous confirmation by the United States Senate.

Jim's significant federal government and legal experience include the following:

- Starting in 2018, served for three years as the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy after being unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate. Under Jim's leadership as the "US Drug Czar", the U.S. saw its first year-over-year decrease in overdose deaths in 30 years.

- Served in a number of high-profile posts at the White House between 2016 to 2018, including roles as Deputy Chief of Staff and Deputy White House Counsel.

- Appointed General Counsel of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.

- Spent 10 years as a legal advisor to the Ford Motor Company. Jim served as the automaker's Washington Counsel and Global Director of Compliance. During Jim's tenure there, Ford was named one of the "World's Most Ethical Companies" for three consecutive years by Ethisphere Institute. Jim was also General Counsel to the Ford Motor Company Fund, the company's philanthropic arm.

- Served as Deputy General Counsel and Acting General Counsel to the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

- Served as Associate Counsel and Special Assistant to the President between 2002 to 2004.

- Attorney at the Department of Justice, Office of Legal Policy.

Selected as Assistant Ethics Counsel in the White House Office of Counsel to the President.

- Served as Attorney Advisor to the Department of Justice, Executive Office for United States Attorneys.

Jim began his legal career as a prosecutor in the Virginia Commonwealth Attorney's Office in Fairfax, VA. He went on to serve as Assistant Bar Counsel for the Virginia State Bar before transitioning his career to the federal level.

Thaddeus' service to this country began its course while proudly serving in the United States Air Force. He served on the Terrell County Independent School District School Board for eight years and as the Board President four of those years. His viewpoint: "Students and our school's educators are at the forefront of our nations foundation. Texas must lead the nation by adapting our approach to doing what is best for the students first and foremost so we as Texans and parents promote the most effective solutions to prepare future leaders of Texas and our nation with what they need to reach their full potential." Currently Thaddeus C. Cleveland is the Sheriff for Terrell County, Texas. He was appointed as Sheriff on May 17, 2022. Prior to his appointment, Sheriff Cleveland spent just over 26 years in the United States Border Patrol and the last 11 years of his career as the Patrol Agent in Charge of the Sanderson Border Patrol Station. Sheriff Cleveland entered on duty with the U.S. Border Patrol on February 26, 1996, as a member of Class 300. His first duty assignment as a Border Patrol agent was at the Nogales Border Patrol Station in the Tucson Sector. Since his entry into the U.S. Border Patrol, Sheriff Cleveland served as a Border Patrol Agent at Sierra Blanca, Texas, a Senior Patrol Agent at Eagle Pass, Texas, a Supervisory Border Patrol Agent at Douglas, Arizona and Artesia, New Mexico. He has also served as a Field Operations Supervisor at Naco, Arizona and Alpine, Texas. Sheriff Cleveland served as an Assistant Chief in Washington, D.C. at the Office of Border Patrol as well as Customs and Border Protection's Commissioner's Office of Anti-Terrorism and Office of State, Local and Tribal Liaison.

https://thaddeusfortexas.com/

Facebook: The Border Project Terrell County Sheriff's Office

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Intro and Outro music by: Decisions by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100756 Artist: http://incompetech.com/

#drugaddictionpodcast #alcoholaddiction #alternativetreatment #hopeforaddiction #helpforaddiction #newmaninterventions

TV co-star in "60 Days in Narcoland", Alexis Johnson is 4 years clean and sober. She has suffered everything imaginable, from 7 overdoses, 2 flatlines, 3 DUI's, 7 trips to prison, burying 16 of her friends- including her ex-fiancé, and giving her addiction 15 years of her life. Today, she is an international fitness model, making 2 magazine covers and getting published in one of the most prestigious magazines in America. Her memoir, "Beautiful Nightmare" will be released this year.

Jackie Siegel is best known for her role in the award-winning documentary feature, Queen of Versailles (Magnolia Pictures), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012.

A little back story: Jackie earned the "Queen" moniker when a decade ago, she and husband, David Siegel, began an extravagant project to build the largest private residence in the U.S.—named Versailles—and the ambitious construction ground to a halt as the '08 recession dented their fortune. The rise and fall of their grand ambitions were captured in the critically acclaimed 2012 documentary based on their plans for the 90,000-square-foot behemoth near Orlando, FL.

In 2016, the Siegel's world changed forever when their then 18-year-daughter, Victoria, died of a drug overdose. This tragedy has trajected them into a new life purpose: to save lives through drug prevention programs. As a result, the Siegels have created a foundation in Victoria's memory called Victoria's Voice. Its purpose is to bring drug prevention education into the schools, offer healthy social media opportunities for young people, and assist first responders in receiving and administering Narcan (Naloxone) to an overdose victim, which has proven to save lives. When Victoria was discovered, she still had a heartbeat. It's possible she could have been saved if the first responders had been equipped with Narcan.

In 2019, Siegel released a profoundly personal book, "Victoria's Voice," compiled from the pages of her late daughter's journal.

The Siegels decided to leave it just as Victoria had left it with drawings, poems, heartfelt feelings of loneliness and sadness. It is a very emotionally-charged read that all need to take heed of. It is a glimpse into the heart of a hurting teen that reveals to parents not uncommon struggles of their children. "If only one life can be saved through our efforts," says Mrs. Siegel, "it will have been worth all of the time, effort, and money."

Later that year, Siegel also released The Princess of Versailles documentary on the fourth anniversary of Victoria's passing. The documentary aimed to bring awareness of America's opioid crisis to another level. In 2020, Siegel published a children's book "Oliver Uncollared" with her twin teen daughters to help kids cope with loss and grief. Mrs. Siegel continues to schedule a full calendar as a model, actress, and philanthropist, but since Victoria's loss, more priority is now given to Victoria's Voice Foundation as she and her husband tirelessly work to bring local communities, state legislatures and even the federal government in agreement to do more about the opioid epidemic and its often tragic results.

The former Mrs. Florida America is also actively involved in the national Mrs. America organization and now many of the beauty queens have become outspoken advocates of Victoria's Voice and saving lives. Most recently, Siegel welcomed cameras back into her life and the Versailles mansion with the Discovery+ original series, Queen of Versailles Reigns Again, released in March 2022.

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Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100756

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