Sober Vibes: Alcohol free lifestyle tips for long-term sobriety, whether you're sober curious or ready to quit drinking for good

Why Medication Can Be A Lifesaving Bridge To Long-Term Sobriety with Trent Carter

• Courtney Andersen, Trent Carter • Season 7 • Episode 256

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White-knuckling through detox and hoping for the best isn’t a strategy, and for many people, it’s the reason they keep ending up back in crisis.

In this episode of the Sober Vibes Podcast, I chat with addiction recovery specialist and nurse practitioner Trent Carter to unpack a smarter, more sustainable approach to recovery, one that treats addiction like the chronic condition it is and builds a real bridge from crisis to long-term stability.

Trent explains why ER detox loops and one-size-fits-all treatment scripts leave people stranded, and how targeted medications, clear education, accountable follow-up, and real-life structure can make sobriety feel achievable instead of fragile.

Together, we talk through the Three Pillars of Change — awareness, education, and action and show how these pillars turn lofty recovery goals into daily, realistic wins. Trent breaks down when medications like naltrexone or buprenorphine can be helpful, why “meds as a crutch” is the wrong frame, and how to think about tapering versus long-term maintenance with honesty and clarity.

This episode is practical, science-backed, and deeply hopeful, reminding listeners that recovery becomes sustainable when the plan actually matches real life.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Why ER detox loops and poor discharge planning fail people
  • Gaps in addiction care quality and education
  • Why medication-assisted treatment is a bridge, not a crutch
  • How outpatient and IOP programs support real-life recovery
  • Why inpatient treatment must be followed by strong aftercare

Resources Mentioned:

Subscribe to my YouTube Channel

1:1 Coaching

My Book 

Connect with Trent:

Website

Book

PODCAST SPONSOR:

This episode is sponsored by Soberlink, a trusted accountability tool for anyone navigating early recovery. Whether you're rebuilding trust with loved ones or want more structure in your sobriety, Soberlink offers a discreet and empowering way to stay on track.

Sober Vibes listeners, sign up HERE and claim our $100 Enrollment Bonus.

This episode is sponsored by ExactNature, a trusted holistic tool for anyone navigating recovery and sobriety. Use code SV25 at checkout to save on your order. Click here to shop and save. 

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Gain access to my Masterclass when you submit a review on iTunes. Email me sobervibes@gmail.com with a screenshot of the review, and I will send you the code to unlock m

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Courtney Andersen:

Welcome to Sober Vibes, your podcast for alcohol-free lifestyle tips and real talk about long-term sobriety. I'm your host, Courtney Anderson, sober coach, author, and mom. Each week I share strategies, stories, and encouragement to help you navigate cravings, build confidence, and thrive in sobriety. Whether you're sober curious or years in, this is your space to feel supported and inspired. Hey, welcome to the Sober Vibes Podcast. I am your host and sober coach, Courtney Anderson. We have a great episode today with my guest, Trent Carter, who is an addiction recovery specialist, an author of the recovery tool belt that we will get into and soon to be podcast host in 2026. So, Trent, welcome to the show.

SPEAKER_02:

Courtney, thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to be here.

Courtney Andersen:

I'm excited for you to be here, like we talked about in our pre-meeting. We've been, this has been a couple months in the making. So we are here, and I'm stoked to talk to you, especially because of your background with being a nurse practitioner and what you have done for the addiction space since that. So when you became a nurse practitioner and you were working in the medical field, what was it that you saw that was missing when it came to treating addiction?

SPEAKER_02:

The quality just wasn't there. There was a complete lapse. Very few people in general were treating it. There's, I think there's a lot of reasons why, but stigma or it's scary to treat this patient population or insurance liability, there's a multitude of reasons, but I didn't see any consistency. And the folks that I did see, the doctors I did see treating it, I didn't think it was great. Now, I think there's a lot of really good medical providers out there. That just wasn't my experience while I was going through school and starting to learn about addiction medicines.

Courtney Andersen:

Okay. So how long were you in the field before you started with your renew health way or the ecosystem or renew healthway?

SPEAKER_02:

If we talk about nursing career, then I was going for probably eight years, give or take, seven, eight, nine years, somewhere in there in the medical field. Okay. And then went back to school and then I got exposed. Of course, I saw patients that were struggling with addiction when I was a nurse, but I was working trauma ICU. That was not my focus, right? And my focus was keeping this patient stable, keeping them alive, trying to help whatever it is so we could downgrade them and move them to a different part of the hospital. And whenever I was doing clinical rotations while I was in school for a nurse practitioner, is where I really started to see addiction medicine. So to answer your question, somewhere around eight years or so.

Courtney Andersen:

Okay. So the addiction medicine at that time, what did that look like? What was the, okay, this is what you're gonna do. You came through the ER, right? Like then what was your plan after? What was suggested to that patient?

SPEAKER_02:

Very little. So I was actually in a private practice setting. So I wasn't in the ER. And these were folks that were struggling with opio abuse. So they were all getting Suboxone, and they were all kind of told the same thing. It was the same dose for everyone. There was no assistance with detox or withdrawal. It was just okay, wait 24 hours and then take this. And if you need a little more, you can take half of this, and we'll see you in a month. And it worked for a lot of people, it helped, but for a lot more people, it didn't because detox is brutal. They didn't have good education. I mean, that was about the extent of the visit right there. So there was very little questions or interaction or answering or addressing concerns or tailoring to that individual. Not everybody needs 16 milligrams of the experience of what does happen in the ED, oftentimes their detox is managed, right, for a few hours and then they're kicked out. So they should leave with the prescription to help them with what's going on and some kind of education and some kind of resource packet on next steps, where they could go, what's available. Very rarely does that happen.

Courtney Andersen:

I worked in a pain clinic. So before I actually I worked in a pain clinic for a couple of years, and that was one of the saddest systems I've ever seen in my life. It was sad. And then it was like, okay, well, nothing now is working for you. So now it's time for you to go talk to an addictionologist, right? Like then and everything was cut off. And too, seeing people, especially too, walk in, not and what six months of being on opiate usage can do to a person. It's quick. When you saw Yeah, so because addiction, there's I'm sure you saw a lot, but did you see specifically? I'm gonna know about alcohol addiction of because I had a neurologist on this podcast a couple of years ago, and he told me one time he and he worked in the ER that he had one patient come in there, I believe he said over a thousand times. Did you any cases like that that you saw on a continuous?

SPEAKER_02:

I don't know that I can say I've seen one individual a thousand times, but frequent flyers, right? Repeat offenders, there's all these different terms for folks that are coming back over and over. Absolutely. It's very common. Some people come in every two or three days, some folks are coming in every couple of weeks. The whole staff knows them by name, and it's the same thing over and over and over. And for one, we are not doing justice for this person. They're clearly struggling, and it's the same thing or the same two or three things that they're coming in for every time. And that puts a lot of stress on the system, too, because all the resources that is going into that individual to have to come back, let's call it twice a week for the same diagnosis, essentially. That's a lot for the hospital, the staff, the equipment, everything that goes into it. But at some point, we have to look at this individual and say, hey, what we're doing is not working, right?

SPEAKER_01:

Right.

SPEAKER_02:

Why don't we actually try to help them? Let's treat them. Let's if we can't do it because we're just the ER, what resources are in town? How can we connect this person with someone or something that can help them outside of what we're doing? Because it ain't working.

Courtney Andersen:

Right, right, right. Especially too when people start getting caught up in that detox, like that ER detox loop, right? Because then is that what you're saying? Is that then they end up going in either on a weekly or every couple weeks to then detox from alcohol?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, definitely. So they'll come in, they'll detox, they'll get treatment, right? Because they're miserable. And so now, especially if you're talking to someone that's homeless, right? Now you've got air conditioning, got a roof over your head. If you can tolerate food, you would get fed, but certainly you would get liquids there, even if it's intravenous. But they're given medications, they're given Ada van, whatever it may be, that's going to ease the anxiety, it's going to ease the pain, it's going to make sure you don't go into DTs and have seizures and things like that. So they get you stabilized. And then as soon as you're stable, they kick you right back out because you were already here earlier this week. And then they step right back out to the environment that they know and that they're used to, and they start drinking again. And then just a few days later or the next week, they're right back for the exact same thing. It's very common.

Courtney Andersen:

Yeah, very common. And a system you don't want to get caught up in. Truly, because it just can it just continues. And that's just what I know people who've gotten caught up in that system, right? And it's almost, and I don't want to sound, I don't want to sound like an asshole when I say this, but it's almost like it's a comfort to them to be able to know I can just go to the ER and get taken care of in this way. So then I don't have a seizure or stroke out when medically detoxing from alcohol. So it almost becomes, it's like that then becomes a crutch for somebody with that detoxing in the ER in the hospital.

SPEAKER_02:

You're exactly right. They're very smart and they know the system and they know what their body can tolerate, and they know exactly how much they can drink, they know the onset for like duration, how many hours until I start feeling this bad, and how much longer until it's really bad and I need to go. They know all this. And it's almost like clockwork. And they take advantage of it.

Courtney Andersen:

Yeah. Yeah. It's a that's that is a cycle that that is a cycle that I do feel bad for people who get caught up into it. But I'm very happy because I haven't I quit drinking 13 years ago that I didn't get caught up in that because I can see what a slippery slope that could be. So when did you then open up your facility, your first one?

SPEAKER_02:

So in February, it'll be four years. What is that? 2022? Yeah. Okay.

Courtney Andersen:

So 2022.

SPEAKER_02:

February of 22.

Courtney Andersen:

You opened up, and I would love to hear because it seems like from your book, The Recovery Tool Abouts, which thank you for sending me a copy. It seems like this does come down to, and which can I just say this? I like your book too because it also gives like journal prompts. Mine does the same because it really is up to a person to figure out this journey of what works for them and to navigate that type of work. Yours seems like a pretty holistic approach.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Try to give them something that's real world, that's applicable in the real world, right? Yeah. If I give you a step-by-step program that's just not feasible for you, you're never gonna do it.

SPEAKER_01:

Right.

SPEAKER_02:

And if I give you a book to read through that's got a ton of medical jargon, it's got big words, or it's hard to follow, or it's just really dry. It feels like you're reading a medical textbook, you're never gonna read it. It does no good. So this was written in a way very intentionally that someone can actually get through, right? There's some humor in there, there's a lot of, well, you got patient testimonials, patient stories in there. And I do that intentionally so I can try to relate to someone. Or they've got the story of, well, this won't work for me. Or look, those stories, it's nothing like what I've gone through. Well, I tried to pull some stories in there that can maybe relate to that individual so that they could get through the book because there's a lot of tools in there. And look, if you walk away with one thing, it could change your life. If you walk away with a dozen things, it could definitely change your life.

Courtney Andersen:

So, do you want to break down just a couple a couple things that stick out to you of helping somebody live a sober life, a long-term sober life out of your perspective of what you think on what you know to have helped your patients and people in your facility?

SPEAKER_02:

Is this question more for the individual that's struggling, or is this more like a loved one, family member, friend, whatever that's trying to help them?

Courtney Andersen:

More for the person who's struggling. I do have people who listen to it and have loved ones, but they take this advice too. So I like to give the perspective usually from the person who is struggling.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. Right off the bat, I like to talk about something I call the three pillars of change. And to first make a change, you have to have awareness that something's wrong, right? What's going on? Hey, we can talk about alcohol. So, hey, it used to be a couple of drinks a week, and now it's a couple drinks a day, and then that turned into several drinks a day. And you can kind of see the slippery slope, right? You can see the weekly or daily numbers going up. So having awareness of, hey, this is maybe starting to get out of hand. I'm not in control like I once was. I don't like the way I act, I don't like the way I feel when I wake up the next day, whatever it may be. So, first is awareness. Second, educating yourself on it. So learning about the process of alcohol addiction, learning about the resources that are around you, learning about what you can do to make a change for well, to stay safe because alcohol detox could be deadly. It can be lethal, right? So that'd be the second thing. Awareness, education, but then implementation. You got to take action. So if you take the time to realize, yep, there's a problem. Okay, hey, I'm gonna read whatever resource that's out there, and I'm gonna watch some YouTube videos and I'm gonna educate myself, but then you stop there. I would argue that's even worse because now you have this newfound education, but didn't actually put it into practice. You didn't take that next step. So that's gonna be the third thing is action on it. I think for anything in life that's going on. I know we're talking about in this example alcohol abuse, but it could be getting in shape, it could be fixing your marriage, it could be getting a different job, anything. I think that those three pillars apply.

Courtney Andersen:

Yeah. So how would that for your program in your you caught the renew healthway in the ecosystem? So what does that look like for a patient? You do inpatient?

SPEAKER_02:

We don't do inpatient. Oh, you don't do inpatient.

Courtney Andersen:

Okay.

SPEAKER_02:

Yep, that's about the only thing we don't offer. That and methadone.

Courtney Andersen:

Okay, but it is uh it's an outpatient program, yes.

SPEAKER_02:

It's an outpatient program.

Courtney Andersen:

Okay. So what does that structure look like of an outpatient program with you? Yeah, and what is focused on during that time with the person?

SPEAKER_02:

So we are medication based. Now we have counselors, we have therapists on staff as well. So we can absolutely help you if you're someone says, hey, medication is not for me, but I am a nurse practitioner. That is my background, right? And I firmly believe in the science that we have what these medications can do. It is not to try to get somebody hooked, it doesn't have to be for forever. For some folks, it is for forever. Others, it doesn't have to be. It could be a temporary thing to help get your mind in a place where we can now start to make these changes, we can start to make this progress to change the way that our life has been, right? So let's say that it's one of those patients that come in that is interested in the medication. First of all, of course, we do the evaluation, we determine if it's appropriate for you. And if it is, we would get you started on that. We would help you through the detox and withdrawal phase, then we would get you on something that would help block those cravings. It's gonna change the way your mind thinks. If you are like Naltrexone, if you were to drink, it's gonna block the effects of the alcohol, so you're gonna get that euphoric rush. Or if it's opioids, we could use something like deprenorphine that would do the same thing, right? It's literally gonna block that high. So now we're not thinking about it. And if we do slip up and drink or use or whatever it may be, we're not gonna get that rush from it. And now we can start to have control. Yeah, but it doesn't end there. There's a lot of work that you, that individual, has to do, right? To change yourself, to change your environment, to work on everything that's going into why you were using or abusing to begin with. And then maybe six months, two years down the road, it's individual, it's different for every individual. Maybe we could start talking about coming off that medication. Or maybe it's someone that they need longer. I've got patients that have been on medication for 20 years and they don't want to come off. And I'm talking zero slip-ups. There have been zero relapses, but they don't want to stop the medication because it doesn't inhibit their day-to-day, and they look at it like insurance. Like, hey, I know I'm not gonna go back to the way I was two decades ago, and all I have to do is take this little pill once a day. Easy money. I'm not gonna change that.

Courtney Andersen:

Yeah, and can we just pause right here now? And just for the record, this is gonna go out at the end of 2025 here, but uh, because a lot of women I coach will ask me about the medication, where it's almost like there's shame in that. And I don't think there's no shame of in there's no timeline. So that's what I like, what you said, and it's because I've worked with women where it's like, well, I should I come off of this? I was like, I do it's up to you. I mean, if it's helping you, push it back because there is so much, I do believe nowadays there's so much pressure for people to feel like, okay, after a month, I should have this thing down. Where it's that's not the case, especially when you have to look of how long the substance, whatever substance was in your life for. If you were drinking or using drugs for 20 years, I mean, it's not just gonna be a month.

SPEAKER_02:

That's right. You're exactly right. So I have a way that I love to explain this. So I think that addiction and substance abuse is widely accepted as a chronic disease.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

So if we're going to look at it that way as a chronic disease, what are some other chronic diseases we have? Hypertension, high blood pressure, right? High cholesterol, diabetes, all these things that are really common. So if you're someone that's struggling with any of those and you go to your doctor and they do the blood work or whatever it may be, and they say, Yep, you got high blood pressure, you got high cholesterol, what's the first thing they're gonna try to do? Lifestyle changes. Hey, you need to start exercising a little bit, you need to push some of that dinner plate away, right? We need to cut back on our diet a little bit, maybe eat more nutritious meals, but also less in calories. You can if you're drinking, stop drinking, right? Because that's gonna increase uh increase blood pressure, all these things. So lifestyle changes would be the first thing. Okay, come back in three months or whatever, let's see how you're doing. Then you come back and either you didn't implement the lifestyle changes or you did, but it wasn't enough. Whatever the case may be, it might be time to start talking about medication. So then we put you on medication, right? Because we need to get these numbers down because it can be detrimental to your health. So start medication, sure enough, numbers decrease. You should still work on these lifestyle changes. It shouldn't be, oh, hey, now I take this shot of insulin so I can go eat cake. No, I mean we need, right? That's not the way it's designed to be. Or hey, I really don't have to exercise now because I take this little pill and my blood pressure is managed. The goal would be increase your fitness, have a better diet, a healthier diet, and then maybe you can get off of that medication. So now I'll bring this back to where we're talking about. It's the exact same thing for alcohol or any substance abuse. Right off the bat, if we can make lifestyle changes, that's all we need to do. Fantastic. But if we can't, let's start medication to get you over the hump while we're implementing these lifestyle changes. We're changing the environment, whatever that may be. And then ultimately, maybe we can come off of that medication if these lifestyles, if these new habits, this new way of living stay in place. If they don't, just like with the blood pressure, you stop exercising, you start eating pizzas every day, you're gonna go back on that pill because your blood pressure goes up. Same thing here.

Courtney Andersen:

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SPEAKER_02:

So we do not. We have IO people, which those are daily weekly meetings, right? Of course we have the therapy and the counseling. But as far as like a community-driven or peer support, that is actually something that we really want to try to ramp up in 2026. So at this point, if I told you that we already had it in place, I'd be lying to you. But it is something, it's a goal that we're trying to get towards.

Courtney Andersen:

Yeah. I just want to know if in the outpatient, that's what I was getting more at. If it was going there, well, no, because you don't have a you don't have a that's what I'm confused about. You don't because you do telehealth, right? Okay. All right. So so yes.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. So we offer the in-person visits, but yes, that would be from home, right? They would leave and go home. It's just a 30-minute or whatever visit. We do telehealth. And then of course we help within the detention centers. So jail system. So that would technically be inpatient, right? Because they're housed there, but I don't think that's what you're referring to. As far as stay overnight or a seven-week there, I'm sorry, seven-day stay or something like that. We don't currently offer that.

Courtney Andersen:

Now, is there a reason why you didn't get into that? Because this is what is interesting about rehabs, right? And this is what I've heard because I've coached many women too who've come out of rehab because they wanted that extra accountability and support. And that what they learned was that they were really never prepared for them to go out back into the real world because you are cocooned. Like you are in this safe space and you're not really having life thrown at you. I when I quit drinking, I didn't have the option of rehab. So if anybody ever wants to give me a week at a rehab, I will gladly go just to check it out, right? But but I so a lot of people are it's like they came out and they're like, holy good God. And it hits them after a week, where it's like you are going back into your own environment that, you know, and people and all of that. So was there a reason that you did not want to do an inpatient at all?

SPEAKER_02:

No, and it's actually something I would like to offer. Look, it I'll be honest, from the business side, it takes time, it takes money, right? These things are not free to start up and you get a facility, you've got staff, everything that goes along with that, it can be very costly. So it's something I actually would like to offer. I do think inpatient has a place. I also love everything you just touched on. So I'm gonna preface this by saying I have nothing against inpatient rehabs. Yeah, but I think that they need to fit into the greater picture because I call it fairy tale land. It is. You go in there and you have a crazy amount of support. I mean, 24-7 if you need it, right? They have all these breakout sessions, you have all these doctors and professionals that are there, you have these groups, you have everything that's going on, you're completely supported for let's say it's a 28-day inpatient. Then you leave and you go home and you're right back in the exact same environment. And that's where something like Renew Health, what we currently offer, outpatient should come in. That should be bridged, like that should be the next step. And if you don't do that, statistically, the odds are stacked against you. Relapse is so, so high because nothing has changed once you go home. You're a different person, you feel good because you've been in there for 28 days in this example, and you've detoxed, everything's out of your system. You've had a crazy amount of support. If you have a crazy environment at home and you're used to getting yelled at or arguing and fighting, and now you haven't done that and you've gotten peaceful sleep for the last, you feel great. And you feel like you could conquer the world. And then reality kind of slaps you the second you go back home. Of course, this is not the case for everyone. I'm not trying to put everybody in a little box here, right? But it is the case for the majority. And it doesn't have to be. That's where you go to an outpatient program. That's where you continue IOP. That's where you have your support system and you make changes, the things that you've learned. Hey, I can't go back to that same environment because for one, it sucks, right? That's why I'm living the way I live. And two, I'm gonna relapse. I gotta make these changes. It's not a good way to live.

Courtney Andersen:

Yeah. If I were to pick, I I just from where I sit now, I do think the IOP is way better than the inpatient. I but I do think people all, and I say this always, Trent, of my one disclaimer is you if you're gonna quit drinking, you need to talk to a doctor about withdrawal because that's the number one. But I do think for more long term, the IOP is a better option for people. So because yeah, like again, I live in Michigan. So if I went to Malibu Promises during the winter, beginning it in November, December, and then had to come back to the Pitts of Hell in Michigan in January where it's gray days, I would be like, oh my God.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, absolutely. Yeah, and that's something we can't control, right? We can't control the weather and how soon it gets started. So if somebody could have, I guess maybe an ideal situation, three to seven days of inpatient detox to help through that. Yes, awesome.

Courtney Andersen:

Right.

SPEAKER_02:

And then let's continue outpatient and let's do IOP. And then you have your weekly or monthly meetings with counsel and therapy. You've got your peer support group sessions that you go to, and then you can scale back on that as time goes on if you need to, if you don't need to be kept that busy and that accountable, right? But I think that would be a very ideal situation for 98.9% of people.

Courtney Andersen:

Yeah. This is where I believe that this topic of conversation with addiction, it is treated. There's so much more than just meetings. And again, I don't have a pro I participated in AA, but there's got to be more than just AA because it's it is specifically, I do believe pe people have to work their own program. And what that means is changing your lifestyle. This isn't all going to be all at once because that is very overwhelming for people. But I do believe that there's just more ways. It's a whole probably of what you would think an ecosystem of getting sober just than just going to rehab and just doing these meetings. It is a it's a whole thing. It's a lifestyle.

SPEAKER_02:

It is. I love to make the comparison of getting in shape because I think the health should be important to all of us. But it's not just, okay, I'm gonna go to the gym for 30 minutes a day and I'm good to go. It's an all-day thing. It's what you're eating, right? It's staying active throughout the day and not just being sedentary the whole time. It's discipline over motivation because hey, it's early and it's cold and the weather kind of is not great outside, and I really don't want to go to the gym, but I'm gonna do it anyways. And we're gonna power through it, even if it's not the best workout I've ever had, we're gonna power through it, and that makes me stronger. And then it's the rest of the day that goes along with that. And it's the same thing here. It's an all-day lifestyle. And those little things compound the days, the hours, they compound and build up to where you're a stronger individual.

Courtney Andersen:

Yeah. What right now are you? I'm not saying that with that one drug or substance abuse is it matters more. I just want to know what in 2025 are you seeing more of people being addicted to? Is it alcohol? Is it spentanol?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. And that could very much be a geographical thing. We're down in the southern part of New Mexico here. So you got to think about it. A lot of it's coming through Mexico, through El Paso, and it goes right up that highway, hits Albuquerque, and you got two major intersecting highways, it gets dispersed. It's not the only path, of course, but that is a major pathway that it comes in. Well, that's right through where we are. That's just a couple hours away from. I've got a location in Roswell, and I've got a location in Alamogordo, which is getting even closer towards El Paso that I was mentioning. So fentanyl's pretty rampant. And I mean, we see everything. I still see heroin, we see a lot of meth, cocaine, a lot of alcohol, uh, amphetamine abuse, like Adderall, but fentanyl would be the primary thing that we see.

Courtney Andersen:

Yeah. And then when did you start getting into the prison system? Because I mean, I don't I couldn't even imagine that a lot of the systems really has anything put into place for people going in there with a drug or alcohol addiction.

SPEAKER_02:

You're right. So 2025 this year is where we really started. Now, I had tried for a couple of years leading up to. We had some barriers and some roadblocks there that I won't get into. But this year, we were fortunate enough to be able to start to break some of those down and get in 2026. We suspect to be in a lot here in New Mexico, which is great because if someone's already in treatment, they can continue when they go in. Or if they've been an inmate and they need help, they need treatment, they can raise their hand and then they can get that evaluation and treatment started there. So it's going to be a facility by facility thing because each one is kind of like its own entity. So it's literally knocking down the doors of each one trying to get in there.

Courtney Andersen:

Yeah. My sister had to detox in jail. I'm not outing her. She we do a show within a show on this podcast. So I don't think I'm outing my sister, Trent. But and she has said it on our show within a show that she said that was the worst experience of her life with detoxing in jail. She they don't they do not give zero Fs, and that was like god-awful.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, put you in the drunk tank and good luck. Maybe some crackers and water or something. And they're not trained for that, too. They don't know what to do, and it's not trying to downplay them or say an affaulted theirs, but they're not trained medical professionals that specialize in addiction medicine, right?

Courtney Andersen:

Right.

SPEAKER_02:

And it can be scary for the individuals that work there too.

Courtney Andersen:

Yeah. Oh my God. I would could you imagine seeing them for the first time and being like, what is happening to this person? Like having no.

SPEAKER_02:

I don't know what to do. Right. Right. They're angry because they're likely they're uncomfortable, they're angry, they're maybe being mean. They don't exactly want to be in jail to begin with. So you've got both sides kind of going at it. If you can imagine where that could get out of hand pretty quickly. So we're trying to make that change here. We're trying to make that change to where these people do have a safe space no matter where they're at, and which is great because, well, let's say that we're treating you inside of one of these detention centers, one of these gels, and then now you're going to get released. You're already a patient with renew health, right? I keep talking about this bridge. You just continue on for outpatient.

Courtney Andersen:

Fantastic.

SPEAKER_02:

This is why I call it the renew health ecosystem. There's so many things. And then we get you started in IOP or we could get you going with sober living, whatever it may be, to hopefully truly make a change in this individual. And then they don't have to be a frequent flyer and two months later go right back to that gel system again, right? We're trying to really make a difference here in the state.

Courtney Andersen:

Yeah. Do you have a percentage rate of clients who continue to keep sober working with your with you and coming into renew health and someone that stays in abstinence and sobriety?

SPEAKER_02:

I don't. But I can tell you our numbers are definitely beyond what the national average would be. And I think it's the way that we treat our patients. We truly care about them. We do individualize the treatment to every single person. That can just be a difficult number to track because well, some people fall out. They remain in sobriety, but they stop coming in. And then six months later they check in just to let you know, hey man, I know I stopped coming in. I'm sorry. Not that you have to apologize to me, but I'm sorry. I stopped coming in. But I just want to let you know I'm good. Things are good, man. I'm working, I'm back with my wife, and my kids are living with me. And those are awesome. Those are awesome calls to get.

Courtney Andersen:

Yeah, for sure. Well, and it's a level of accountability. And I think when you treat a human being like a human being instead of a statistic, right? And it's individual individualized to that person, that is a lot of change. One person just one person needs one person to believe in them. And outside of their like inner circle. Like I'm sometimes a dirty little secret to my clients where they're like, my husband doesn't know I'm doing this. And I'm okay with that, or nobody knows that I'm doing that because they need a different level of accountability outside of their circle, outside of their people, because they can't talk to people who don't, when you don't have a drug or alcohol problem, it's really hard to sit there in front of a spouse or a partner or sip sibling and be like, I'm having major anxiety right now. It's a Friday night at 7 o'clock PM and all I want to do is drink. And I am in a downward spiral because when people don't have that issue, they don't get it. They don't get it. Exactly right.

SPEAKER_02:

And especially if they drink themselves, right? I've got so many scenarios where I've got spouses, whether it's the man or the woman, where the spouse won't quit. And they themselves, I mean, I never got to see them or evaluate, but from what I hear, they likely have a problem with abuse, right? But the spouse is saying, hey, this is it for me. Like I've gone down this path dozens and dozens of times. It's not working. I'm gonna get divorced. I'm gonna lose my job. I'm gonna lose my house, whatever. I'm gonna make this change now. But it's so tough because then they go home and the husband's like, I don't care, I'm gonna drink. And they'll have five drinks that night right in front of this person that's trying to get treatment. And that usually doesn't go well. Either they inevitably relapse or they care about themselves and they say, Look, if you're not gonna make this change, we're already on the brink of divorce, anyways. I'm gonna make this change for me. And if you're not part of that picture, see you later, man. And I've seen a lot of divorces come of that, which is sad, but it's also empowering because I mean, I want to give that person a high five. I'm like, man, you're doing this for you, and that individual is not good for you. So that's a really bold move. And congrats.

Courtney Andersen:

Yeah, and a lot of spouses, partners, they become drinking buddies. And they don't see that they become drinking buddies until one gets starts changing the lifestyle and changing the dynamic, and then being like, oh my God, this is what we've been doing for 20 plus years. And then they think about it where it's this is what connected us from the beginning. So when I got sober, I was a year and a half in, and I was with my boyfriend, who's now my husband at the time. But after, because he quit with me, Matthew didn't have a problem, but he was just he was one of those types who could just have one or two and be done. But he he was pushing 30 and he just didn't feel good the next day. So when we quit, it was like we had to start dating all over again.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, a lot of things that was probably central in your dates. You'd go out and you'd whatever, go to dinner or go do whatever, and you're having a few drinks, and it's fun. And yeah, you've got to learn new things to do. Absolutely.

Courtney Andersen:

Yeah. I would like semi-force him to drink. I'm like, we're staying out. And then I would start. I was a shot pusher, Trent. So but uh yeah, it's one of those things that you have to really, you really have to rechange your whole lifestyle. And when there is a partner involved and that partner isn't supportive, it is very sad. But you know, but that partner's not supportive. What?

SPEAKER_02:

I think we should touch on the ones that are supportive though, because we got to give them a shout out. Because that can be a make or break for somebody when you do have, I mean, for anything. Again, it doesn't, we can talk about getting back in shape again. If you got somebody that supports you, the likelihood of you seeing that through and actually making that change. And I'm not talking for spring break week, right? We don't care about that. We're talking long-term change. We're talking, hey, I quit drinking for dry January or whatever it is that people do. No, we're talking for good here. And to have that supportive partner can truly be a game changer.

Courtney Andersen:

Yeah. And something that you need to hear from time to time. Like honestly, of just of him or her being like, nope, that we're not doing this. We're not going down this road. So, yes. So, where can people find out more about you? Where can they get your information to the Renew Health Way?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, so Renew Health is just renewhealth.com, or we're all over social media and YouTube and whatever else. It's Renew Health NM, is in New Mexico, so it's at Renew HealthNM. And then I myself is I'm Trent Carter. And again, social media. I've got a website that's we're constantly posting. We stay very active out there, and it's all free information, guys. Everything we put out is really good. It is all science backed, right? It's not going to be some taboo thing. And if it is, then we would put a disclosure on there. So anything you can check out from us can likely help make a change.

Courtney Andersen:

What would be what would you think that would be taboo though? In this, I don't know.

SPEAKER_02:

We typically don't do that. We make so if something makes the news, maybe if something makes the news and it's really being talked about, or especially if it is circulating on social media, we may touch on that. And I can't really think of an example right off the top of my head, but we absolutely would talk on that. And I would likely give the explanation on why I disagree with it or hey, this could be good, but here's some caution behind that.

Courtney Andersen:

Yeah.

unknown:

Okay.

Courtney Andersen:

All right. Well, I will put all of your information in the show notes below. So good people of the world, make sure that you check out Trent's information and get his book, The Recovery Tool Belt.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, Amazon. Yes, Amazon.

Courtney Andersen:

I will put the link in the show notes for that too. And Trent, thank you so much for taking the time today to share with us. And I'm excited to see what's in the future for you and with your company and all what you do with that. I appreciate it.

SPEAKER_02:

Thank you so much. Lots of fun. Have a good day.

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Courtney Andersen

Host
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Kimberly Elledge

Co-host