LAF Life (Living Alcohol Free)

Guest Story Dan White, Exact Nature Ep. 19

June 06, 2022 Dan White, Exact Nature Season 1 Episode 19
LAF Life (Living Alcohol Free)
Guest Story Dan White, Exact Nature Ep. 19
Show Notes Transcript

In Episode 19 our youngest guest yet, Dan White blew us away with his story! At 23 yrs old Dan is wise beyond his years, this kid lit us up! After multiple stints in rehab, the loss of his best friend to an opioid overdose and a DUI, Dan is finally committed to breaking the cycle of his addiction. By partnering with his father Thomas, and creating their company Exact Nature Botanicals, Dan joined the fight against addiction and is dedicated to helping others. Dan is a resilient example of recovery to his generation. 

Go to Exact Nature website https://exactnature.com/
and use LAF Life's  exclusive 20% off discount code: LL20
Find Dan on Instagram @ https://www.instagram.com/dan_white_77/

Be a guest on our show https://forms.gle/GE9YJdq4J5Zb6NVC6

Music provided by Premium Beats: https://www.premiumbeat.com
Song: Rise and Thrive
Artist: Young Presidents

Notable Mentions: Refuge Recovery Book
https://www.refugerecovery.org/store/refuge-recovery-book

**Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this episode are not professional or medical opinions. If you are struggling with an addiction please contact a medical professional for help.

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Be a guest on our show: https://forms.gle/GE9YJdq4J5Zb6NVC6
Email us: laflifepodcast@gmail.com

Connect with your podcasters. We'd love to hear from you!
Tracey:
https://www.instagram.com/tnd1274/
Kelly:
https://www.instagram.com/pamperedkel/
Lindsey:
https://www.instagram.com/hariklindsey/

**Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this episode are not professional or medical opinions. If you are struggling with an addiction please contact a medical professional for help.

Music provided by Premium Beats:
https://www.premiumbeat.com
Song: Rise and Thrive
Artist: Young Presidents

Resources:
Wellness Togethe...

Guest Story Dan White, Exact Nature Ep. 19

[00:00:00] Intro

[00:00:00] Kelly: Welcome to the laugh life podcast, a lifestyle podcast based on living alcohol free and a booze-soaked world. My name is Kelly Evans and together with my friends, Tracey, Djordjevic, Mike Sutton and Lindsay Harik. We share uncensored. Unscripted real conversations about what our lives have been like since we ditched alcohol and how we got here by sharing our individual stories.

[00:00:26] Kelly: We'll show you that there isn't just one way to do this, no matter where you are on your journey from sober, curious to years in recovery and everyone in between, you are welcome here, no judgment and a ton of support.

[00:00:42] Mike: Hi everybody. And welcome to another week of the Welcome to week number 19. And this week we have another guest that's connected to last weeks. guest Thomas Thomas, his son, Dan is decided to give us a little bit of a background story on him and a little, maybe a little bit about the company as well and how he fits in.

[00:01:00] Mike: Welcome. 

[00:01:01] Dan: How's it going

[00:01:03] Mike: though, Dan? You know, we got a little information last week about, you and your dad's a work behind the scenes type of thing with the company. And we thought it would be great to get to know a little bit more about you and how you became a part of maybe the company, but let's start. Some of your background and where you're from and how you got into the sober side of things and that kind of stuff. 

[00:01:24] Dan: Yeah, absolutely. So, I'm originally adopted from Moldova overseas. I came over to the states when I was about 18 months old. I had a dream come true upbringing. I had an amazing family. I still do have an amazing family. Unfortunately, when I was 12 and a half-ish 13 almost my parents got split up and it wasn't the prettiest of situations. I was already kind of struggling with school because in that time I was in my first public school and I didn't really um, they didn't, I guess I've always been a private school kid. Anyways when my parents split up, it kind of sent me off, off the rails. I didn't know how to really cope with it. I developed. Anxiety some depression from it. And yeah, I just, I just really didn't know how to cope with it. So, I first started smoking pot around then. I think I had my first drink when I was 13 and a half, actually.

[00:02:23] Dan: Or so I know it was funny because the first time I ever drank, I got alcohol poisoning, but it didn't really stop and stop me. I just we were mixing vodka and Gatorade and I didn't really taste the vodka in it, but it sure caught up And I was up in the hospital. No, I just puked it out for the rest of the night.

[00:02:43] Dan: My mom was right on the cusp of taking me to the hospital though. Oh my God. He's like, if you don't stop throwing up, then I'm taking you to the hospitals. So, I just kind of swallowed it from then on. 

[00:02:52] Tracey: Well, luckily the electrolytes from the Gatorades, you know, 

[00:02:58] Lindsey: all about balance Dan. 

[00:03:01] Dan: Right, right. Exactly.

[00:03:04] Dan: Okay. And then fast forward, I kept smoking pot. My dad moved to Reno. Me, my mom, and my brother stayed in Connecticut. We were living in Maine at the time of the divorce. But my mom's from Connecticut. And so, we moved down there with my mom and my brother, and my dad moved to Reno with his girlfriend.

[00:03:23] Dan: And then it just kind of progressively got worse. I started smoking a lot heavier was kind of like sneaking alcohol from my parents' cupboards. And then for a while it turned into over the counters. As I got older and more knowledgeable of pills. I started doing a lot of pills from like my grandparents, cupboards. Pretty much anything I can get my hands on, like Xanax, Oxycontin. I never really had like a main drug of choice. It was just kind of whatever could help me escape from the reality I was in. 

[00:03:56] Tracey: Just to backtrack for a sec, Dan, I just want to clarify, so Thomas and your mom, they adopted you. Yes. Okay. So, it was Thomas and your mom that split up? 

[00:04:08] Dan: Yes. 

[00:04:08] Tracey: Okay. Yeah, no, I just want to be clear for our listeners because we did hear your dad's story last week. So, they'll know who Thomas is.

[00:04:15] Dan: Thomas is my father and. With the woman that he divorced with was my adoptive mom. 

[00:04:22] Tracey: Okay, great. 

[00:04:23] Dan: Yeah. And so, it just got progressively worse. I went to my first treatment center at 13 and a half years old. It was like a wilderness program. It's kind of like a therapeutic. Not residential, cause you're not in a house or anything, but it is you're with a bunch of kids that are your age. And you have groups and therapy out there, but it's supposed to help you live in the now. And make you essentially grateful for all the little things that you have in life? Like a lot sure. A phone or running water or shower. Heating AC. And so, I went through that and then I went to a therapeutic boarding school. Been through a lot of programs. I haven't really lived with my parents since I was 13, just because I'd been in and out of treatment programs. so consistently anyways, fast forward a little bit. I kept relapsing. And then when I was 17, I'm moved out to Utah. I was well, so I was living with my dad for a short stint, going to a high school in Reno. And then I got in some trouble and had to kind of. I got in trouble with the law, had to essentially leave the state to avoid staying in further trouble. And so, I came to Utah, went to another wilderness program down in St. George came. Up to Salt Lake Salt Lake City area to a residential treatment program. All with the intent to leave these programs when I turned 18 and get right back to the life that I was living unfortunately my desire to keep living the life that I. Was living came to a halt because I lost my best friend. He was only 17 and he died of an opioid overdose. So that kind of, it kind of woke me up to realize how fragile life was. 

[00:06:17] Tracey: Dan, was that like a one-off or was she doing it regular? 

[00:06:21] Dan: No, so he, I've been friends with him since I was like 5, 6, 7 years old. So, he was kind of like a brother from another mother to me. And we started kind of smoking pot around the same time. Started doing over the counters together and then started into like other people's prescriptions. But while I was in and out of treatment, he never got the breaks that I did. 

[00:06:48] Tracey: Right. 

[00:06:49] Dan: So, I essentially, it progressed for him a lot faster. I don't know, the exact details whether it was heroin with fentanyl or anyway, either way, it was a bad batch to save the least. And his little brother who was 15 at the time, found him dead in their boat, down at the dock the morning of so Like I was saying that woke me up to chill out on the life that I was so enthralled, so enthralled in or whatever, but yeah, that put a huge dent in my heart and my life Absolutely coming up June 2nd will be the fifth year anniversary of his death. 

[00:07:26] Tracey: Okay. So, is that how long you've been sober now? Dan 

[00:07:30] Dan: No, unfortunately. So fast forward I leave that treatment program. I've been living in Utah since When I got out, I tried to go to college. Didn't really like it. I liked the idea of college. I just didn't like Weaver state, which is where I was attending here in Oregon. 

[00:07:50] Dan: No, not anymore. 

[00:07:52] Tracey: No, not anymore.

[00:07:53] Dan: marijuana is medical and there's bars and stuff. 

[00:07:57] Tracey: Okay. I thought maybe you'd put yourself their cause that's a good place if it was a dry state, but maybe not anymore.

[00:08:04] Dan: I mean, there is enough alcohol rules that bar. Drinking. Almost not fun. 

[00:08:10] Tracey: Well, not that you can't get around it anyways. And if you're talking about prescriptions, I'm sure they're easy to come by, even in a dry state. 

[00:08:19] Dan: Yeah, no, Utah's has a huge drug trafficking problem. All comes up from New Mexico through Utah and then disperses from Utah. So. Oddly enough and this Jesus state that we can still find whatever we need. Anyways, so yeah, I kept partying drinking and smoking and stuff, but I never really had a problem with. It's still held down jobs. And then just recently five months at four months ago now almost I got my first DUI. I wrecked my truck. Thankfully, no one was injured. And I'm still alive today. So. Two and a half months out. I go now I just got out of my ninth residential program. And so, I've been sober four months, almost four months now. 

[00:09:07] Kelly: Congratulations. Congratulations. 

[00:09:10] Dan: So, yeah, I mean, it's, it's been a learning curve for me, for sure. I'm only 23. I'm still figuring it out, but I definitely think I have my head on pretty tight as time going about it. I think you can only hit rock bottom so many times until you ask for help from a power greater than yourself. So. Yeah, it's a little bit about me a little bit. 

[00:09:30] Mike: That's for sure. I'm sorry to hear about your friend and, and first and foremost, because I'm sure hearing something well, being a part of something like that at 17 is just at any age, but especially at 17, when you're trying to learn so much about yourself and you're still, you're only 23. Now, like you said to me, you got your whole. Future. How do you, and there's lots, that's going to lots of challenges that are going to come your way, and you're gonna need to get some skills and tools to help you go down that road, go down those different paths. And this is probably hopefully one of them. And you definitely are our youngest guests’ hands down. And I think it's great that you're so transparent right out the gate. Cause I think, that’s what people listen for is they want to hear other people's stories and, they can relate, I think in some ways, because all four of us have different stories and so, thanks. Thanks so far, man, for being so transparent and upfront, I mean, I just don't know what to say. Girls ask Dan some questions. 

[00:10:28] Kelly: I was questioned about the wilderness programs that you were in. Were they specifically for addiction or was that just kind of places that kids your age were going that were struggling in the home?

[00:10:39] Dan: Pretty much for a kid struggling in the home. They go from anything with potential addiction, mental illness to just behavioral difficulties. I met all walks of life going through these programs from people who had anger issues from people who had gaming addictions. So yeah, it's pretty much for everything. For me, those programs were kind of difficult because it was hard to be in a group that wasn't solely dealing with the same issue. So as much as they try to like to individualize your issue and work on it, it was, they kind of generalized each and everyone's problems into one. And it was like, but also it does come down to yourself on how bad you want it. And what, what are you going to take from these programs? Because for me, I had no intent on changing. I felt like every time I went away to a program, I was just missing out on everybody's real life experience. And I was just. Stuck in the woods, counting trees, 

[00:11:42] Kelly: right? Yeah. 

[00:11:45] Dan: Yeah, exactly. 

[00:11:47] Kelly: Yeah. That's what they say about, you know, sobriety and recovery. The person has to be ready. And I mean, how can somebody know they're ready at 13 and a half, but it's just proof that he got to decide that on your own. So, is that how you feel like four months ago it was kind of your own decision to do this and what's different this time?

[00:12:06] Dan: Yeah. So as soon as I got my DUI, I called my parents the next morning and told them, and I told them something needed to change. I didn't know what, I just knew that Dui are normal, but I also know I'm not the only one who's gone a DUI at 23. But I knew it just couldn't happen again. And I needed this little. What was the thought process behind even getting behind the wheel in the first place? By the grace of God, I got my DUI expunged. So, it's not on my record, which I'm beyond grateful for, because that's not, it's not a great thing to have on your record, but it was Still major learning experience. And I also still don't have my truck because it's still being worked on. 

[00:12:47] Lindsey: What were you using that night? Was it a combination of things or was its alcohol and drugs? Do you even remember? 

[00:12:56] Dan: Yeah, so I blew barely over the limit. Utah's legal limit is point. Oh 0.0 6.08 or something like that. I don't know exactly, but I just blew a little bit over. I remember the night clear as day. I wasn't really that drunk just had enough alcohol in my system to blow. But it was just alcohol yet. I haven't touched Xanax or any sort of prescription pills and over four years now, five years now.

[00:13:27] Tracey: So, did you see that moment, Dan, as a sign, considering you weren't that drunk? Did you kind of see that as this is life's way of telling me maybe I shouldn't be doing this stuff. 

[00:13:39] Dan: Yeah, definitely. I mean, that situation could have been a thousand times different. I was on back roads, headed home with no traffic around me. No pedestrian walking area around me. But had I been in wrecked my truck that could easily not be here talking to you guys right now.

[00:13:58] Lindsey: I have a question, Dan, for you about your birth parents, do you know anything about them or about their genetics or anything like that? I know your dad who now we know is your adoptive dad. Talk to us about his struggle with alcohol, but do you know if your birth parents ever struggled with anything like that?

[00:14:21] Dan: Yeah. No, I do not. And I can't sit here and just be like, well, they did, then it's all their fault. This is why this, or the reason why I am the way I am. I'm hopeless. Like I've probably. Sat and thought like that for probably five minutes. And I thought it was the biggest waste of time in my life. I have no control over it. I've asked my mom and dad a couple of times. What they know about them is pretty much no record of them other than. It could have been financial issues that they couldn't take care of me. It could have been that they were crack heads and couldn't take care of me. Yeah. I have no idea. I just think about how grateful I am to have the parents that I have 

[00:15:01] Lindsey: for sure. 

[00:15:02] Tracey: Well, and you started the conversation with the fact that you had a really good upbringing, right? I mean, part of who we are is our environment too. Right. And how we are brought up. So, it's not all genetics. 

[00:15:17] Dan: I completely agree.

[00:15:19] Tracey: How has your dad handled or tried to support you through the addiction? Especially considering he's been through his own issues, and he's been through a DUI as well. 

[00:15:29] Dan: Yeah. He's been very supportive. As I've gotten older, he's been able to explain more thoroughly about his addiction. When I was really young, I don't think there was too much for him to say that I would've changed my mind or that I would have really understood in the first place. I 

[00:15:45] Tracey: don't remember him drinking at all. Cause he said he was, I think you were pretty young when he stopped. 

[00:15:49] Dan: Yeah. So, he's 13 years sober now. So, I don't, remember clear as day, 13 years ago when he was coming to an end of his drinking. And anytime before that, I sure as shit don't remember, really hit the midst of his addiction. But I know that our brains, when we're younger are very easily influenced and mouldable. So, with that being said, I think far near, there's a part of his actions when I was really young, that could have played a part in my teenage years, for sure. Not to blame him because I just literally don't remember him drinking. As hard as I think about it, I just don't. 

[00:16:30] Tracey: No, you're right though. You're right in saying that we were talking about that on our last episode, actually. How we're so affected developmentally at a young age. 

[00:16:39] Dan: Yeah. But yeah, back to the original question, my dad's been extremely supportive of helping me. I mean, it's hard to hold. Someone's hand through it because as an active addict, you're such a wild card. We're really good at pleasing other people manipulating. And then turn our shoulder just to use again. But I think he always knew that I was up to something because he himself has been through it. So there really wasn't too much sneaking around him to go smoke a joint or sneak out of the house. He was always kind of on my ass about it. But, yeah, 

[00:17:13] Tracey: well, I guess clearly, they supported you through all these programs, obviously they were doing their best to try to help you. Is there any of those programs that you would say Dan was more helpful or more impactful? 

[00:17:26] Dan: I think each one of those programs kept me alive for another year. Despite me not wanting to be there I was never like suicidal, but I never, really cared when I dropped, I guess to say the least when I was younger, I didn't life seemed to be such a shit show. And that's How I thought it was just going to be, so I was kind of just ready to restart, but I think the most beneficial program was this last one that I went to because I wanted to go to it and I wanted to devote my 30 days to learning to. Cope in better ways. And to see the brighter side of life without revolving my day around when my next high is going to be or whatever it's going to be to have a good time. And remember the night before,

[00:18:10] Mike: what are some of the skills that you learned, Dan, that you could share with the listeners 

[00:18:15] Dan: yeah. So not to like sound like a hippie or anything, but I'm really big into meditating and like mindfulness now. 

[00:18:25] Mike: Oh man. You're a man after my own heart. That's what I always talk about with everybody. 

[00:18:29] Dan: I love that stuff.

[00:18:31] Dan: The best, the best. Oh, absolutely. Just to be in tune with yourself and to really have a hold of your emotions. It just, it makes me feel like I'm on top of the world because I know that 85% of the population can say that they know their emotions, but then they don't, they don't really actually know what they're feeling, or you'll ask them how they're feeling. And they won't even list an emotion. It's just like a feeling like So mindfulness is a huge one. I've never really been super attracted to AA and I'm not knocking it by any means. I just, I wouldn't say I'm not spiritual because I do believe in something greater than myself. I just. It's always been hard for me to do the steps in like the most basic way. There's a program called refuge recovery and it's the Buddhist way to recovery. And there's a bunch of readings and 

[00:19:23] Kelly: That's an amazing book. I read that refuge recovery book. It, my very beginning of sobriety, such a good book. 

[00:19:30] Dan: Yeah. That's a big one that I like it kind of like that it'd be a side of recovery. But it's written in modern times, not like the big book where it's written in like 10,000 BC. That having a sober community, having a sober support system is huge. I know that they say in the big book people, places, things, and I thoughts or whatever. That's like a key thing that's needed to change in my life. I think the environment that I kept putting myself in was just instant relapsed every single time. It was a mental relapse before I even left the program. And then it was a physical relapse as soon as I was out. 

[00:20:10] Mike: And as you get a whole new group of friends type of thing, or just kind of, 

[00:20:14] Dan: yeah, so I distanced myself from a lot of people. Deleted a lot of people off social medias

[00:20:20] Lindsey took out the trash, took out the trash. 

[00:20:24] Dan: Yeah, exactly. There's a saying that's like I like to clean my side of the street. So, people that, I have a good relationship with. I know. A lot of people that I come across can socially drink and be just fine. Go to work the next day and not think about it all day, even all week until the weekend. I just like to put my boundaries out saying, it's not for me. It's not, it's not something I need. Let alone one. I would just appreciate it. If you can accept that. We can still hang out, but it's not going to be at the bar. It's not going to be hanging out just to drink or smoke and go do the better things that life has to offer. I'm a huge adrenaline junkie. I race motocross. I started my dad put me on a mountain bike when me. Three years old, three and a half years old. Huge wakeboarders snowboarder. Anything with two wheels? I'm pretty good at, I don't know. I just, that's kind of like my new high and I try to get after it just about every day. And that's what Utah's really been able to offer me is just the best of both worlds. Just a couple months ago, I could go dirt, biking and snowboarding and the same day. 

[00:21:30] Tracey: Wow. Well, it's good that you have those other outlets. That's really good. You know, 

[00:21:36] Dan: that's 

[00:21:36] Tracey: and mature of you to be able to have these text conversations with your friends. At your age. So, yeah. Yeah. I must be, we've said it must be hard when you're young, because just that's the lifestyle when you're young. Right. It's hard to not be surrounded by it constantly. So, do you find that you avoid certain situations or certain situations, you know, will be a trigger for you?

[00:22:03] Dan: Yeah, I do. I know that there's at certain motocross events like races and stuff. I know that with dirt biking, I know that there's like a huge beer drinking side of it. Same thing with mountain biking. So, I just have to be on my toes about it. I mean, I'm not overly confident. I'm just confident enough. I have an amazing girlfriend that stands by my side and will literally hold my hand and pull my hair. She sees me looking at a beer or whatever. So, I mean, it's just a lot of my support system. That's there to catch me if I fall. But essentially, I just kind of tell myself it's time to grow up. I mean, there’s plenty of fun to be had without using 

[00:22:42] Tracey: for sure. Well, it's, great for us to have you on, because like Mike was saying, you're the youngest guests we've had on, and it's amazing to have someone your age on here talking about this, because I'm sure there's lots of people that can relate and that are struggling at your age and also the fact that you're a guy and on here, like we have Mike here, you know, representing the men of the world, but we do find that men have a lot more challenges talking about these things and expressing their emotions. So, even having your dad on too it's just nice to get the male perspective and open things up to men in general so that they can feel more comfortable if they're struggling 

[00:23:26] Dan: yeah, absolutely. The best thing that when I learned it and it was so relieving is that I wasn't alone because for the longest, longest, longest time, I was like, nobody has my problems. Nobody else's parents have ever been divorced. Nobody else smokes. We blah, blah, blah. And I'm like, 7 billion other people in the world, please shut the fuck up. Like it stopped. 

[00:23:48] Lindsey: If you had any of your friends or, past friends, people that you've cut out or anybody in your current friend group reach out to you and be like, dude, like help me. I'm in this right now. And I don't know how to stop. I don't know how to get out. Have you had anybody reach out? 

[00:24:03] Dan: Yeah, I definitely actually have. And. Unfortunately. So, I like to give them a chance. I mean, I love to help. And for me too, I dropped a lot of the friends who like use harder drugs, like opioids. barbiturate and whatever they can put their hands on. I kind of just clean, cut them out of my life. Cause after I lost my friend, it was really hard to know of anybody that was still using those kinds of drugs and not do absolutely everything in my power to get them off. I kind of someone who, if they know about someone using like that, I have to act about it because I seen the long line of repercussions that come from it, from families being torn apart over it. Brothers and sisters losing their brother, it's not a pretty thing. So anytime I know someone who's struggling, I'd like to do my best to help, but once I get that sense of them just kind of half asking it or not really being committed, they just want like a month to, I guess, a tolerance break to say the least, then I'm like, you're wasting each other's time at this point. But I have had some people. Come through and take my advice and really kind of turned their life around for sure. And it feels good. For sure. I know for the past 15 years or so, I've just been taking, taking, taking, and to give back for one set. That's kind of like my new high as well as their biking and everything else.

[00:25:25] Lindsey: Yeah. Awesome. 

[00:25:27] Tracey: So, do you want to tell us a little bit about how you're involved with your dad's company because that's part of giving back to, right? 

[00:25:34] Dan: Yeah, absolutely. So, my dad came to me with the idea about two years ago and instantly. It was a great idea. His neighbor and Reno were the most profound CBD license holder. Who's now well-known worldwide. P and X botanicals, I think, is this company. Anyways, when my dad came to me, the idea. Well, why don't I just kind of like briefly knew about CBD, but I saw blowing up all over the world. So, I was like CBD alone is going to be a hit regardless, but when he was like, oh, but our niche is going to be for recovering addicts. I was sold instantly. And I was like, that's the way I can give back. that's how. Cause for a while, me and my dad had a pretty Rocky relationship right after the divorce. And slowly over the years we amended it. But I knew that going into business with him, it was really just kind of gonna bring us together. I've learned a lot about him as he's learning some secrets that I haven't told him yet. He's he goes, I'm not going to ground you, but can you be honest with me for a minute? And I'm like, long as you don't ground me. But it's been a pleasure. I mean just the niche we have; I think is so special. And as it's, I think it's taking a little bit longer to spread the word about it because it's not just common CBD for your pet or for your arthritis or whatever it is. We put in four hard months of research on each ingredient that has gone into it. Ancient Chinese medicine. curb cravings and helps with anxiety and depression and insomnia, and the list goes on and on. But to see the customers we get it makes my dad super happy. Cause we have customers reach out to us saying thank you. And appreciating the work that we're doing. So yeah, it's been, it's been an honor working with him. It's brought us super close again, which makes me ecstatic. I mean, for awhile there, I kind of didn't think I was going to have a dad, but 

[00:27:28] Tracey: that's awesome. And did you, did you find you had a lot of bad withdrawal symptoms and are you using the products. 

[00:27:36] Dan: So, I think the heart of my using was when I was a teenager. I still partied to my ER well, I was going to say my early twenties, but I'm only 23.

[00:27:46] Tracey: You're still in your early twenties. 

[00:27:50] Dan: In the midst of my early twenties when I was partying, I would have bad hangovers and stuff, but I wasn't using pills. I wasn't making concoctions of pills and alcohol. I was just kind of smoking weed and drinking. So, I never had withdrawals from alcohol. Never went to detox prior to. Residential program. I never had withdrawal from weed ever. But I use my favorite line in the exact nature line is going to be the sleepy time Z's sometimes I can work myself up before going to bed, just kind of. Brainstorming and future tripping, just kind of thinking about life as a whole. And I find sleepy time to really help hone me in and using that product while meditating has just, it's kind of like my secret recipe. And so that one's great. I like the detox one a lot. I use that one throughout the day. When I remember to something about it just kind of makes me feel equal throughout the whole day. Very like just not, not out of body, just kind of grounded. Yeah. So that's probably my top two favorite products. But they're all amazing. Each product has hours of hard work into each ingredient. Yeah, 

[00:29:08] Lindsey: so, Dan, I have a question for you. I'm just listening to your story and everything that you've been through and how you have come out the other side. If you had to leave somebody with three things, three pieces of advice anything that you've learned from your experience in addiction or recovery, what three things would you leave with somebody? That you've learned along your journey?

[00:29:36] Dan: Hmm. I would say this is kind of too, but it also is one this is like really honest. It's not, I love that. It's scary as hell. Yeah, but you're not. And that's the most, that was the most comforting thing for me to hear was that I wasn't alone. Cause I thought it was me against the world and that made me have no desire to go onto the next day. Two and three I think would be the grass is greener on the other side, for sure.

[00:30:04] Dan: Yeah, 

[00:30:05] Lindsey: I love that so much 

[00:30:07] Tracey was saying come to the bright side

[00:30:09] Lindsey: this time. That is greener on the other side, 

[00:30:13] Dan: it said, yeah, this one three would be reach out I love that reach out. Your mom and dad don't want to see you struggling. If you have older siblings, they probably don't want to see you struggling. I even came to find out that some teachers were worried for my own sake and oh my God. I wonder if I ever reached out to them, then I'm sure they would be. In a heartbeat helped me out. So just reach out because keeping it quiet to yourself, your kind of usually end up in the news and the Casket so 

[00:30:42] Lindsey: awesome. I love those three. Amazing. Holy moly. 

[00:30:46] Mike: That's awesome. 

[00:30:47] Dan: Thank you. Yeah. Thank you, guys. 

[00:30:48] Lindsey: You're an inspiration dude. So, you gotta keep doing this. You gotta keep, keep, keep on keeping on you are on the right path. Your future is hella bright. Like it's awesome. You're awesome. 

[00:31:01] Mike: Your generations need guys like you needs, I guess it's, I mean, for all four of us, I mean, Stop drinking well, I wouldn't say stop drink. We decided to give up alcohol later in life, as opposed to someone your age. And I listened to your whole story as you were talking, I thought, holy shit, 25 years. You're 25 years younger than me. And I'd think what my life would have been like if I, give it up earlier. Obviously, you can't control that. It's just a thought that you have and things that come into your mind. Keep going, man, keep going, keep spreading the good word and inspire. I mean, you're very well-spoken for a 23-year-old. I'm trying to hire people from my own business, and I haven't come across someone 23, 21, 25. That speaks as well as you. 

[00:31:47] Dan: Well, I'm looking for a job to

[00:31:48] Kelly: come to Canada. 

[00:31:51] Mike: I got lots of work, man. And you know what, Dan, we have a similar story, some similar stories, similar I'm adopted too. And a lot of those uncertainty thoughts crept into my mind and probably contributed to why. Live the lifestyle I did at that age. I was never into prescriptions that I know how damaging that can be at certain points and times. And I've seen it, I've witnessed it from people and it's awful to see. And again, I'm sorry, you lost your friend and hopefully you can get. Use these experiences to inspire the people. For sure. It's just 

[00:32:25] Dan: a hundred percent. 

[00:32:26] Mike: Do you still stay in contact with, I mean, you mentioned you had a younger brother and, and whatnot. Do you still have a relationship with them? 

[00:32:33] Dan: With my friend he passed away. Yeah. Oh yeah. Yeah. So back in Connecticut, he only lives two minutes walking distance from my house. I talked to his brother every single day. I talked to his sister a couple of times a week, if not a couple of times a month. she’s in school right now. So, she's pretty busy. But I talked to their parents a couple of times a year. Yeah, like I said, they're kind of my second family. So yeah, we're super close knit. Oh, he's checking in on them. 

[00:33:01] Tracey: They're probably good support for you too. And I'm sure they're super proud of you 

[00:33:06] Lindsey: rooting for you. They're cheering. 

[00:33:07] Tracey: Yeah. Yeah. 

[00:33:09] Dan: Yeah, I have a whole gang rooting for me now. So

[00:33:11] Tracey: well, you don't, 

[00:33:20] Mike: all on the way, right? 

[00:33:22] Dan: That was go 

[00:33:25] Tracey: Lindsay's dying sweater here so.

[00:33:30] Kelly: No, you're 

[00:33:31] Tracey: amazing young inspiration, Dan. And thank you so much. 

[00:33:34] Lindsey: Your dad, your dad is super lucky to have you as a son, by the way. So definitely holy smokes. You're welcome with such an honor to talk to you. 

[00:33:43] Mike: Yeah. Dan, hey, listen, Dan stays in touch. I would love to hear more about, where your journey goes and we can help in any way, you know, by all means, reach out to us.

[00:33:54] Dan: I love that. Thank you. 

[00:33:55] Mike: Yeah, I think it's as you've hinted throughout the last hour here You could be spiritual. You could be whatever you want to call it, but there's something that's kind of guiding you or, directing you a higher power, whatever, whatever you want to call it. And I, for one believe, and I think the girls would believe too, that there was a reason why we made contact with your dad and now you, and let's keep, going. So, I think any of the girls anybody else have a question. I mean, now this guy has given us so much information this week, 

[00:34:22] Kelly: so good. I love all your, tips on, being mindful and meditating and being in tune with yourself and with your emotions. Like that's such important life skills that unfortunately we're not taught as young people. So, the sooner we can figure that out, I wish I had figured it out at 23. I did at 43 instead, but here, wherever we probably aren’t down here.

[00:34:44] Lindsey: You're and here we are 

[00:34:47] Dan: still killing it though. 

[00:34:49] Tracey: You're light years ahead of us, Dan. 

[00:34:52] Mike: Yeah. We're not quite hippy Dan but we're damn near close still got the hippies. I love it. 

[00:34:57] Tracey: Well, even talking about the meditation too, telling people about that and sharing that because a lot of people are skeptical of it. So, to hear it from someone you're right. 

[00:35:06] Kelly: Yeah, it's come up a lot on our podcast’s meditation to hopefully some of our listeners are embracing that and giving it a shot.

[00:35:14] Dan: Yeah. there's a huge, you take a huge loss with your ego when you become sober. And that's just the fact of it. But once you kind of get over that hump, that the energy you give off when you're sober, as opposed to messed up all the time. It a thousand times better. You'll see miracles happen in your life that you never thought you would deserve. But for me, I just could never let go of my ego. I was always the biggest and baddest. I could always, whatever, talk my game, blah, blah, blah. And then. I think I do a hell of a lot better job now talking to my game. And I don't sound a literate because I actually have a clear head and everything. So that would be sort of four things for advice. Drop your ego. 

[00:35:57] Kelly: I love it.

[00:35:58] Lindsey: Good one. That's such a good one. Ego needs to go down one last question too. Where can people find you? Are you on Instagram? If someone wants to connect with you, are they able to do that or follow you somewhere? 

[00:36:10] Dan: Yeah, totally. My Instagram is Dan underscore white underscore 77. It's a picture of me on a dirt bike of course, but 

[00:36:18] Kelly: I'll put a link to it in our show notes. 

[00:36:21] Dan: Yes, definitely. I can email the guys, my socials to put in your links or whatever for sure. 

[00:36:26] Lindsey: Sweet. 

[00:36:26] Mike: That's awesome, man. Hey, listen. I think man. man you blow me away? The dude, I had no idea this was coming today. So the fireworks are going off in the background here because it's Victoria Day. So it's like a symbol to me, like a man, Bravo, Bravo, brother. You have no idea. Honestly, you, you are so well-spoken, I think big things are ahead for you. I think everybody, I think all the girls would agree for sure. Thanks again for giving us your time. I'm sure we'll connect, and for everybody out here Dan's company, especially we're working on seeing what we can figure out for Canada, but we know that you can, your products are definitely available across the U S the links will be left in the show notes. What have you 

[00:37:12] Tracey: Connect with us to Dan on social media at LAF life podcast on Instagram. And we have a LAF life community on Facebook and make sure that you stay connected with us so we can, keep track of your progress. And if you need any support, reach out to us, we're all open to be reached out to if you need any support or if you're starting.

[00:37:37] Dan: Awesome. Well, thank you. Thank you guys. It's been an honor talking to you guys and I love sharing my story. So

[00:37:43] Kelly: keep sharing, 

[00:37:45] Dan: keep coming back right 

[00:37:48] Mike: Alright 

[00:37:48] Lindsey: Q Dan. Thank you, Dan. 

[00:37:52] Mike: So that's a wrap on week 19 of the Thanks. To everybody. Everybody had good energy tonight. I guess we will wrap this one up and see you next week. On episode 20. 

[00:38:07] Closing

[00:38:07] Kelly: Thank you for listening. Please give us a five star rating like and subscribe, share on social media and tell your friends. We love getting your feedback and ideas of what you'd like to hear on upcoming episodes of the laugh life podcast. If you yourself are living alcohol free and want to share your story here, please reach out.