Stuff that Matters, Episode 26 - Darryl Rodgers, Substance Abuse Prevention, Addiction, Peer Support

Daryl Rodgers is a Family Recovery Coach, Speaker, and Author. But his life was completely different 10 years ago. Darryl was a pilot, a loving father of two sons and a husband. His oldest son, Chase, was having some issues and exhibiting early signs of what became a rather long and difficult battle with addiction and substance abuse. It began in college, where Chase started getting into drugs, not only affecting his grades but his life in general. He dropped out in the second semester and returned home where the issues persisted. Darryl and his wife tried several treatment options, military school, constantly teetering on the line between pushing Chase away with too much tough love or enabling the behavior by not doing enough. It was impossible for Darryl to know what the right decisions were. Chase has started to make improvements and was in the process of moving to Florida when he was tragically killed in the passenger seat of a car crash in 2014. Darryl details Chase’s journey, what he and his family were faced with and decisions they had to make. After his son’s passing, He wrote his book, A Life is Worth It, detailing the events the led to events in 2014. Darryl found different peer support groups and decided to dedicate his life to helping others in the shoes he was once in. He now coaches parents who have a child with a substance use disorder (drug or alcohol addiction). He delivers inspiring drug-prevention speeches and impaired driving prevention speeches with real-world application. 00:02:39 – The story of his son, what he was going through and the issues that Darryl and his family faced. 00:47:55 – The work he is doing now, the book he wrote, A Life is Worth It, what did he learn from his experience with his son’s addiction journey and advice he has for parents in a similar situation…the process of addiction treatment...different resources for those struggling with an addiction as well as the loved ones of those that know someone suffering from addiction, peer support groups. 01:11:35 – How the impacts of Chase’s tragedy shaped who Darryl is as a father and the connection he has with his second son, Justin. 01:16:42 – The stuff that matters.