432 A Navy Seal's Story of Sobriety After Shame, Secrets, and Addiction

What happens when the thing that was supposed to save you - the mission, the badge, the identity - becomes the very thing addiction destroys? And what do you do when you are a trained Navy SEAL, built to be a hero, and you cannot even save your own son from a pandemic scare because you are too deep in a three-day meth binge to pick up the phone? Today I sit down with Dr. Tony Dice - Navy SEAL, PhD, and author of After the Trident: A Navy SEAL's Battle with Secrets, Shame, and Addiction. Dr. Dice spent years serving alongside legends like Jocko Willink, then gave up his SEAL career to protect his drug use - until a moment of devastating clarity brought him to his knees and into treatment. In this episode you will learn: How growing up in extreme isolation with an alcoholic father shaped his addiction before it even started Why high performers are especially vulnerable to addiction - and how the same obsessive drive that builds careers can quietly destroy everything they love How Tony sold his car to fund his own rehab stay, and what that moment of willingness meant for his recovery The holistic change model Dr. Dice discovered in 12-step recovery - and why it maps directly onto proven therapeutic frameworks Why gratitude is not just a feeling - it is an action word, and why Tony has it tattooed on his leg next to a handcuff key So without further delay, please enjoy this episode, and let me know what you think!