Episode 11: Realizing your true potential without alcohol with Rashad Walser

This week on Stack'n'Days, Ray is joined by Rashad Walser, who has been through a tumultuous journey of addiction and recovery. Rashad grew up with a drug-dealing father, which exposed him to parties in his home from an early age. In this episode, Rashad talks about his struggle with addiction, the challenges he faced on his road to recovery and how he achieved his goals and aspirations. Childhood Trauma and Early Addiction Rashad's father was arrested when he was just 4 or 5 years old, and this traumatic experience left a deep impact on him. His father was released early and moved to California, where Rashad used to spend every other summer with him. During one of these visits when Rashad was 8 years old, he had his first drink. He now sees this as child abuse.  Rashad struggled with abandonment issues and always wanted to fit in, which led him to start smoking weed at the age of 12 and drinking at the age of 13. He and his friends formed a gang and got involved in fights with other gangs, even carrying guns. Professional Life and Struggle with Alcoholism After graduating from high school, Rashad started working in a hospital. However, his friends at the time used harder drugs like Xanax, Ecstasy, and PCP, and he also continued to drink heavily. When a friend was murdered, Rashad turned to alcohol to cope with his grief. He started doing the night shift at the hospital, which allowed him to drink all day. Eventually he started throwing up at work during his shift due to alcohol withdrawal. Rashad was diagnosed with alcoholism and lost his job shortly after he OD'd on a cocktail of drugs at a rave. Multiple Rehab and Detox Stays Rashad had his first child at the age of 20 and another at 23. Despite multiple detox and rehab stays, he kept drinking and was in and out of these programs. After Rashad crashed his car nearly killing his brother, Rashad's cousins did an intervention and sent him to detox once again. However, due to the damage alcohol had done, he had seizures and went into a coma, which required him to be hospitalised and sedated while detoxing. Rashad went to 31 detoxes and 8 rehabs, but it was not until he joined a 90-day rehab program that he started seeing a change. Road to Recovery and Finding Purpose In rehab, Rashad made a 5 and 10-year plan that gave him a sense of direction and purpose. After leaving rehab, Rashad faced multiple challenges, including the loss of a family member, losing a job due to a background check, and the death of Kobe Bryant, which affected him deeply. Despite all these challenges, Rashad used his pain to motivate himself and started working as a youth development specialist. He eventually found work in the rehab he had attended as a patient and as a recovery support specialist for the state. Rashad is now living his dream of helping people of color get clean, making music, and acting. Generational and Family Trauma Rashad also reflects on the generational and family trauma he experienced due to his father's absence and the way he was raised. Rashad tried to have deep conversations with his father, but he didn't respond well. However, he had some deep chats with his mother and grandmother, who he forgives for their shortcomings, as they were doing the best with what they had. Rashad acknowledges that his parents and grandmother did not know any better and were doing the best they could.

Links and details Rashad’s book: Sui Generous: Year Two, A Recovery Memoir  Rashad’s Instagram: @Rilla_fit  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rashad-walser-rss-36a3a8177  Darryl McGraw Ted Talk