S E12: Breaking the Cycle: Kids of Addicts Finding Healing and Hope

2026-07-27

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Hunter talks to three people who were raised by parents suffering from addiction, and how that changed them.Meet this episode’s strangers:-Troy was raised from age two to seventeen by his stepdad, who is an ex-NFL player. Troy looked up to him, but as his stepdad’s alcoholism spiraled out of control, he drifted out of Troy’s life. Troy describes watching him slide into depression and isolation, and the heartbreak he felt discovering that his “superhero” stepdad was deeply flawed. Despite long absences, Troy continues...

Hunter talks to three people who were raised by parents suffering from addiction, and how that changed them.

Meet this episode’s strangers:

-Troy was raised from age two to seventeen by his stepdad, who is an ex-NFL player. Troy looked up to him, but as his stepdad’s alcoholism spiraled out of control, he drifted out of Troy’s life. Troy describes watching him slide into depression and isolation, and the heartbreak he felt discovering that his “superhero” stepdad was deeply flawed. Despite long absences, Troy continues to reach out to his stepfather and hopes one day he will find the help he needs.

-Taylor’s father fell into drug addiction when she was 10 years old. The addiction changed him drastically. He became abusive and struggled to maintain a job and home, forcing the family to become unhoused. She describes celebrating her 16th birthday living in a shelter. Now, as an adult, Taylor is working to heal her relationships with her mother and her father, who has found sobriety.

-Jeffery describes growing up with a mother who became addicted to opioids. Even after repeatedly confronting her about her addiction, she continued to use. He describes living in fear that she would die, and the anticipatory grief he felt. Sadly his fears were realized when she passed away from an overdose. Even through all the pain, Jeffery recognizes that his traumatic experience shaped him into the man he is today.

Chapters:

00:00:00 The impact of addiction on children

00:03:30 Troy - witnessing my dad's alcoholism and depression

00:07:15 Learning lessons from a parent's mistakes

00:11:00 Overcoming self-sabotage and finding peace

00:14:45 Taylor - Growing up in an unstable home environment

00:18:30 Navigating teenage homelessness and hardship

00:22:15 Breaking generational cycles of family trauma

00:26:00 Rebuilding self-worth and emotional stability

00:29:45 Jeffrey - Coping with my mother's death and complex grief

00:33:30 Healing from emotional neglect and abandonment

00:37:15 Processing the slow loss of an addicted parent