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Recovery Stories
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Disclaimer: Reclaim & Rise Therapy shares selected stories, videos, and links found online for educational and inspirational purposes only. We do not endorse the content, and we are not paid or sponsored by any of the creators or sources. These resources are provided simply to support your knowledge and to remind you that you are not alone.
Amanda Hollingsworth
addiction treatment specialist
@PutTheShovelDown
Put the Shovel Down - Is a large, free YouTube library focused on addiction education and family recovery—especially for people who love someone with a substance use problem (and for people in recovery, too). It’s led by led by addiction specialist Amber Hollingsworth (licensed counselor and master addiction counselor). and the tone is usually direct, practical, and strategy-based—more “here’s what to do next” than vague inspiration.
What the channel mainly covers:
Helping vs. enabling (and how “help” can accidentally keep addiction going)
Family dynamics and how to respond to denial, manipulation, and conflict without escalating the situation
Communication strategies and boundary setting—how to talk in ways that reduce arguing and increase the chance of change
A strong theme of early, strategic intervention (not waiting for “rock bottom”) and building a plan that families can follow
Playlists that include topics like functional alcoholism, recovery stories, and other focused series
Tony Hoffman BMX
Former BMX champion Tony Hoffman connects with American Addiction Centers to share the story of his journey from opioid addiction, homelessness, and prison, to getting sober, coaching the Olympic BMX team, and traveling the country to spread his message of recovery from the disease of addiction.
Karas Story
Meet Kara, a woman who has overcome numerous challenges with addiction, incarceration, recovery, and relapse, and emerged as a powerful voice for change. After serving time in federal prison and overcoming a difficult struggle with meth addiction and relapse, Kara has dedicated her life to helping others break free from their own personal struggles. Kara is living proof that no matter how difficult the journey, it is always possible to overcome challenges and achieve greatness. With her powerful message of hope and determination, she is inspiring people everywhere to take control of their lives and make their dreams a reality.
More stories
Meet Kara, a woman who has overcome numerous challenges with addiction, incarceration, recovery, and relapse, and emerged as a powerful voice for change. After serving time in federal prison and overcoming a difficult struggle with meth addiction and relapse, Kara has dedicated her life to helping others break free from their own personal struggles. Kara is living proof that no matter how difficult the journey, it is always possible to overcome challenges and achieve greatness. With her powerful message of hope and determination, she is inspiring people everywhere to take control of their lives and make their dreams a reality.
More stories
Stories that matter. Important, human stories that will make you think, or make you cry, or make you angry. Stories of justice or justice denied. Stories of life, loss, hope, and courage. Texas Pictures is a message-oriented video production company, specializing in documentaries that focus on socially relevant topics. We tell stories that matter. We were established in April of 2007, but we have been providing comprehensive video production and visual media development services for over 30 years. If you have a story you'd like us to share, please contact us at the email link below. We're always looking for new opportunities to share stories that matter.
Links
Texas Pictures Documentariestexas-pictures.com/documentaries.html
Fentanyl Poisoning Seriestexas-pictures.com/fentanyl.html
Texas Pictures Hometexas-pictures.com/index.html
Tommy's Aunt Talks About the Impact of Active Addiction on Family
Families affected by addiction are often overlooked or are only included a few times during the recovery process. But we cannot forget families—their trauma is real, and their recovery matters too.
One way to understand this is to compare it to other mental health conditions. PTSD can come from many experiences—domestic violence, sexual harm, military trauma, car accidents, injuries to a child, addiction, and more. No one’s trauma is “less than” someone else’s. It isn’t the event itself—it’s the impact of the event that people are living with.
For example, after a serious car accident, a person may develop nightmares, feel panic getting into a vehicle, need the lights on at night, or become jumpy with loud noises. The family often responds by doing everything they can to help—walking on eggshells, speaking softly, avoiding conflict, trying not to “trigger” their loved one. Over time, that constant vigilance affects the family too.
Addiction creates a similar cycle for families—often with added layers: repeated lying, stealing, broken trust, fear of overdose, not knowing if your loved one is alive, and multiple treatment attempts. So when someone enters recovery, it doesn’t automatically mean the family has recovered. Many family members are still waiting for the next shoe to drop, even 6 months to a year later.
That’s why family support matters. Families also need space to heal, understand the disease, learn what recovery looks like, and rebuild their own stability. Offering family education, support groups, and therapy helps families begin healing their own wounds while learning how to support recovery in healthy, sustainable ways.
Bare Knuckle Recovery
Bare Knuckle Recovery uses its name as a metaphor for the reality of recovery—like going “bare knuckle” in a fight with the disease of addiction. The founders, Tommy and Nate, describe themselves as people in recovery who have personally battled severe substance use and worked to rebuild their lives. Their mission is to speak openly about their experiences and the realities of recovery in order to reduce stigma, offer hope, and help save lives.
A major theme of Bare Knuckle Recovery is transparency. Tommy and Nate share vulnerable stories about what active addiction looked like for them—manipulation, lies, fear, and the damage it caused to relationships and self-respect. They emphasize that lasting recovery isn’t just abstinence; it involves a full change in behavior, stronger integrity, and a commitment to living differently.
Through their podcast and online platform, they interview a wide range of guests—people in recovery, family members, and professionals—to highlight different perspectives and pathways. Featured guests include:
Bob Springer (“Felonies to Recovery”), who shares his journey from crime and incarceration to living with purpose.
Scott Valentic, a former narcotics detective and veteran who speaks about using alcohol to numb trauma.
Becky Savage, a mother who lost two sons to accidental overdoses and later founded the 525 Foundation.
Family impact is also a consistent focus. Bare Knuckle Recovery frequently addresses the collateral damage of addiction, and family members—including people close to the founders—have shared their experiences to help listeners understand what loved ones go through.
In addition to sharing personal stories, Tommy and Nate also draw on their professional experience as counselors working in treatment settings in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Their overall message is one of transformation—turning personal pain, mistakes, and hard-earned lessons into a platform for advocacy, education, and hope for the recovery community.