Join us as we journey into the extraordinary life of Duncan Maxwell. Hailing from the Netherlands, Duncan's path, which led him all the way to Scranton, Pennsylvania, is a testament to resilience and the transformative power of recovery. We peel back the layers of his past, traversing the cobblestone streets of Amsterdam, the Dutch countryside, the pulsating energy of the EMDR and techno club scenes, and even the intricate nuances of European sex clubs.

Duncan doesn't hold back as he delves into the heart of his tumultuous upbringing, his interactions with trauma, and his search for cultural identity. He provides an unfiltered look at the challenges he faced growing up in Amsterdam, away from his mother, and the impact of living in a collectivist society on his generational attachment. His story of trauma and subsequent redemption is a potent reminder of the indomitable human spirit. 

The latter part of the episode is a deep dive into Duncan's substance use and his experiences in the Dutch club scene. Duncan's recount of attending the world's most exclusive techno club, Bergine, is a riveting tale that provides a glimpse into a world often shrouded in mystery. This episode culminates in Duncan's journey to recovery in Scranton, where he channeled his entrepreneurial spirit to launch a new business designing high-end purses. His story is a testament to how recovery can lead not only to personal healing but also a thriving entrepreneurial spirit. Duncan's transformation is a beacon of hope and an affirmation that it's never too late to rewrite your life story.

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Leaders Of Long Term Recovery in Pennsylvania 

We combine proven recovery principles with new, innovative techniques to provide one of the most effective programs for young men in the country.

 Discussions on addiction and recovery. We interview clinicians/researchers, legislators, and individuals that include a variety of means to recovery. Joe Van Wie is a father, husband, filmmaker, and reformed media consultant in recovery. 

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Title: "Not Dying" with Tim Calpin

In this episode of Season 3, Episode 58, Joe Van Wie interviews Tim Calpin, a man who went missing for eight months and was at times presumed dead. Tim shares his harrowing experience of living in Kensington, Pennsylvania, a town often associated with opioid-use-disorder, where people are sadly viewed as zombies.

Tim discusses his return from the streets of Philadelphia and reflects on why he sought refuge in a place known for its struggles with addiction. Despite his unbelievable creative talent, skill, and kindness, Tim found himself in this challenging environment, leading to questions about the human mind and the impact of addiction on individuals and communities.

The conversation delves into the importance of awareness and being open to one's experiences, even in difficult circumstances. Tim's journey prompts a discussion about resilience and the ability to embrace what is, rather than what ought to be.

Before his time in Kensington, Tim graduated summa cum laude from Syracuse University with a B.A. in Marketing and Business Management. He worked as an assistant to the executive producer at the comedy central show "South Park," where he honed his pitching, research, and marketing skills. Later, he pursued a successful career as a Freelance Writer and Screenwriter, writing feature-length film scripts for major studios like Warner Brothers, Paramount, Lionsgate, and YFG. This included his first feature film "Assassination of a High School President" starring Bruce Willis. He also developed television pilots for FOX and Comedy Central, including the animated series "COPS: Uncuffed."

This episode offers a captivating glimpse into the life of Tim Calpin and the challenges he faced, making it an insightful exploration of human experiences and resilience.

Lets' meet Tim :) 

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Leaders Of Long Term Recovery in Pennsylvania 

We combine proven recovery principles with new, innovative techniques to provide one of the most effective programs for young men in the country.

 Discussions on addiction and recovery. We interview clinicians/researchers, legislators, and individuals that include a variety of means to recovery. Joe Van Wie is a father, husband, filmmaker, and reformed media consultant in recovery. 

Fellowship House
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Warrior Spotlight: Meet Kate Favata, Community Relations Liaison

I grew up in a middle-class family about 10 minutes from CleanSlate’s Wilkes-Barre center. Growing up, my neighborhood seemed like the perfect suburban community. My parents didn’t lock their doors and loved their country and neighbors. The only reference to drug education we had was Nancy Reagan’s, “Just Say No” campaign and most people in my community thought that if people did just that, the drug problem would cease.

My parents and my friend’s parents only knew about heroin from the news reports they’d seen in the sixties, saying that their rock idols had died from overdoses. Little did they think there could be a heroin problem in their own community. My home of Northeast Pennsylvania, once known as “a valley with a heart,“ had in just a few years become nicknamed “a valley with a habit“ by local media. I don’t think anyone at the time could imagine how true that statement would become.

By the time the local government and medical community admitted that heroin was a problem, years had passed and resources were scarce. I was in college when I started using. It was the nineties, so I listened to bands like Nirvana, Jane’s Addiction and Alice in Chains, watched movies like “Trainspotting” and “The Basketball Diaries,” and in an attempt to be well-read, frequented books by Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac. I thought of myself as a free thinker who did not conform to societal norms. Heroin to me was fascinating and taboo and, at the time, I incorrectly equated it with being artistic and creative.

I was around 18 years old when I started using heroin. At the time, I had no idea how drug use would affect my future. After more than 30 treatment episodes, including stays in halfway and recovery houses, countless 12-step meetings, multiple recovery books, trying medications and detox – you name it, I tried it – I ended up homeless in Philadelphia with track marks up both sides of my neck. My living quarters consisted of an abandoned building with no plumbing where rats and roaches were my roommates.

Along the way I had episodes of endocarditis, countless blood infections, frostbite, abscesses and even got stabbed, shot at and robbed. I would not say I was suicidal, but I had thought to myself that if I happened to die, that was fine with me. I figured it came with the territory and the lifestyle I had chosen. After reading countless obituaries of friends and acquaintanc

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Leaders Of Long Term Recovery in Pennsylvania 

We combine proven recovery principles with new, innovative techniques to provide one of the most effective programs for young men in the country.

 Discussions on addiction and recovery. We interview clinicians/researchers, legislators, and individuals that include a variety of means to recovery. Joe Van Wie is a father, husband, filmmaker, and reformed media consultant in recovery. 

Fellowship House
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For Mary Beth, childhood abuse and other traumas led to substance use disorder (addiction). 

Beginning with alcohol at age 12, she spent several years abusing various drugs. She found methamphetamine at 16 and started shooting up at 17. Mary Beth struggled with meth until she was 32 years old.

By incorporating ideas from multiple sources to build a secular (not 12-step or faith-based) recovery plan that works for her, Mary Beth has been sober since 1994. She used similar techniques to address the trauma and related anxiety as well.

Mary Beth is a board member for LifeRing Secular Recovery and She Recovers Foundation.  She speaks on behalf of these organizations, about multiple paths to recovery, and about all topics related to substance use disorder and recovery. She also speaks about sexual abuse and rape, child abuse, domestic violence, ptsd, anxiety, and recovering from these as well.

Mary Beth's book-length memoir, From Junkie to Judge: One Woman's Triumph Over Trauma and Addiction, is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bamm, Indie Bound, and other sites, and at your local bookstore.  She also has placed essays in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and Recovery Today. 

Professionally, 6 years into recovery, Mary Beth attended Berkeley Law. She worked at a large firm in Silicon Valley, then litigated class actions for the federal government. In 2014, Mary Beth was appointed a federal Administrative Law Judge, a position from which she retired in 2020.

WEBSITE: https://junkietojudge.com/

For more Info on LIFE RING:https://lifering.org/

For more info on She Recovers: https://sherecovers.org/

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Leaders Of Long Term Recovery in Pennsylvania 

We combine proven recovery principles with new, innovative techniques to provide one of the most effective programs for young men in the country.

 Discussions on addiction and recovery. We interview clinicians/researchers, legislators, and individuals that include a variety of means to recovery. Joe Van Wie is a father, husband, filmmaker, and reformed media consultant in recovery. 

Fellowship House
As a treatment center, Fellowship House offers both residential and outpatient treatment services to

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S.A. Blair is a woman in long term-recovery since September 9th, 2016, rebuilding her life after over a decade of self-destruction. With her passion for writing in one hand and her passion for helping people in the other, she wrote her first book, The Difference: a memoir. This book details the heart-wrenching downward spiral into her heroin addiction, recalling multiple expulsions and arrests, self-harm and suicide attempts, she strives to capture the essence of the human experience, providing proof that while our experiences may vary, our feelings are the same. She now resides in Denver, Colorado, where she studies Biology and Environmental Science, and is participating in an internship conducting genetics research in a lab. She has begun work on her second novel, which, acting as a sequel to the first book, will dig into her spirituality and recovery journey.

 

"This dream-like (and at times nightmarish) sequence of events offers deep insight into the perils of intense drug use. Through it all, the author is able to navigate through her stark past with wit, grace, and an overt compassion for her family and friends. Gut-wrenching yet cathartic, “The Difference” depicts the plight of modern desperation with utter poignancy."

-William L. Karp, review on Amazon

Check out her Memoir on Amazon;
https://www.amazon.com/Difference-memoir-S-Blair/dp/B0BF2Q763C?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

 

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Leaders Of Long Term Recovery in Pennsylvania 

We combine proven recovery principles with new, innovative techniques to provide one of the most effective programs for young men in the country.

 Discussions on addiction and recovery. We interview clinicians/researchers, legislators, and individuals that include a variety of means to recovery. Joe Van Wie is a father, husband, filmmaker, and reformed media consultant in recovery. 

Fellowship House
As a treatment center, Fellowship House offers both residential and outpatient treatment services to

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Discussions on addiction and recovery. We interview clinicians/researchers, legislators, and individ

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 Meet Lori Chaffers, M.S.W., is the new Executive Director for Outreach – Center for Community Resources. Previously, Lori served as the Program Director of the Office of Social Service Research & Development at Lackawanna County Office of Youth and Family Services. Lori was one of the founding co-chairs for the Lackawanna County System of Care, and served on a number of community coalitions and task forces addressing needs in the areas of housing, substance use/abuse, services for older youth, and others.  Lori also teaches when her schedule allows as an adjunct instructor at the Marywood University the School of Social Work.  Lori has over fifteen years of child welfare experience including working with families in their own homes, working with children in placement, working with transitioning youth, and most recently cross-systems collaboration and evaluating practice. Lori also has five years of experience in community-building and community organizing within low-income and at-risk populations in Camden, New Jersey and believes that building community and concern for our neighbor is key to addressing social issues. Lori is happy to return to non-profit work at Outreach and is excited for the next chapter in the organization’s history of moving today’s families forward.

Margy Durkin graduated from Wilkes University with a BA degree in Psychology. She was hired in 1989 by BBVS, a state agency serving blind and visual impaired individuals. For the next 25 years, she worked as a social worker with children covering eight counties throughout the Commonwealth. Along with her counterpart in Altoona, she developed the BBVS children’s program which is currently being utilized throughout the state.  After her early retirement in 2014, she returned to the State to work part time as an annuitant. As an annuitant, she was asked to return to train new staff, develop a handbook, and provide counseling to students attending a summer transition program at Penn State University. After the annuitant positions were dissolved during the pandemic, she was then hired as a Community/ School Liaison for Outreach. Margy is also working part time as social worker for the Hanover Area School district. Margy attributes her initial passion for social work to her parents who were a powerful example of service to others.  She reports being beyond grateful for the daily inspiration and opportunity to have a positive impact on those less fortunate. 
In 1995, Margy received an award from The Am

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Leaders Of Long Term Recovery in Pennsylvania 

We combine proven recovery principles with new, innovative techniques to provide one of the most effective programs for young men in the country.

 Discussions on addiction and recovery. We interview clinicians/researchers, legislators, and individuals that include a variety of means to recovery. Joe Van Wie is a father, husband, filmmaker, and reformed media consultant in recovery. 

Fellowship House
As a treatment center, Fellowship House offers both residential and outpatient treatment services to

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Meet Kati Mckendry
Clinical Director, MS, LPC, CCS

Katie’s primary role is to oversee the clinical programming and staff at Little Creek Lodge and Little Creek Outpatient Services. Katie works to constantly improve the treatment offered at LCL and LCOPS, in order to meet with individual and community needs of the clients we serve. She works closely with the staff to ensure clients and their families are getting the best care possible. Katie finds it essential to spend time getting to know all clients and their families and enjoys working directly with them throughout their treatment experience.

Katie resides with her husband and two young daughters in Clarks Green, PA. In addition to Little Creek Lodge, Katie in her free time enjoys riding her road bike.

Education:
Licensed Professional Counselor, State of Pennsylvania

• MS, Rehabilitation Counseling, University of Scranton, 2011
  • Outstanding Rehabilitation Counseling Student, 2011
  • Member of Chi Sigma Iota honor society
• BS, Counseling and Human Services, University of Scranton, 2009
  • Graduated with Magna Cum Laude honors
  • Member of Tau Upsilon Alpha honor society

Prior Work Experience:
Prior to joining Little Creek Lodge, Katie worked as a Drug and Alcohol Counselor at Pyramid Healthcare, an inpatient adolescent drug and alcohol facility, and at R.A.F.T., an adolescent IOP program. She also worked for Pennsylvania’s Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, where she worked with adolescents and adults with developmental, mental, emotional, and intellectual disabilities. Katie has worked at her private practice since completing her Master’s program in 2011.

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Leaders Of Long Term Recovery in Pennsylvania 

We combine proven recovery principles with new, innovative techniques to provide one of the most effective programs for young men in the country.

 Discussions on addiction and recovery. We interview clinicians/researchers, legislators, and individuals that include a variety of means to recovery. Joe Van Wie is a father, husband, filmmaker, and reformed media consultant in recovery. 

Fellowship House
As a treatment center, Fellowship House offers both residential and outpatient treatment services to

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PART II :Today's guest is my friend Joe Kane.  Joe Kane is the Clinical Director of Mountain's Edge, partial hospitalization program, near elk mountain, Pennsylvania, Joe holds a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology from Penn State University. He also has a Master of Social Work from Marywood University. Joe started in this field in 2006, as a behavioral worker at the Scranton Counseling Center, moving on to be the clinical administrator for over a decade at Clearbrook treatment centers.

Then he was the Clinical Director of Avenues Recovery Center in Philadelphia. Joe's interview breaks into two parts today, part one, we're going to talk about addiction. And the second part will be next week, we're going to talk about how Recovery may begin.

Joe has influenced thousands of peoples start in finding stabilization to an active addiction. His reputation has been a standard for young clinicians  entering the field in this Region.

Learn more about PHP

https://mountainsedgerecovery.com/

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Leaders Of Long Term Recovery in Pennsylvania 

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 Discussions on addiction and recovery. We interview clinicians/researchers, legislators, and individuals that include a variety of means to recovery. Joe Van Wie is a father, husband, filmmaker, and reformed media consultant in recovery. 

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As a treatment center, Fellowship House offers both residential and outpatient treatment services to

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         Today's guest is my friend Joe Kane.  Joe Kane is the Clinical Director of Mountain's Edge, partial hospitalization program, near elk mountain, Pennsylvania, Joe holds a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology from Penn State University. He also has a Master of Social Work from Marywood University. Joe started in this field in 2006, as a behavioral worker at the Scranton Counseling Center, moving on to be the clinical administrator for over a decade at Clearbrook treatment centers.

Then he was the Clinical Director of Avenues Recovery Center in Philadelphia. Joe's interview breaks into two parts today, part one, we're going to talk about addiction. And the second part will be next week, we're going to talk about how Recovery may begin.
Joe has influenced thousands of peoples start in finding stabilization to an active addiction. His reputation has been a standard for young clinicians  entering the field in this Region.
So let's meet Joe Kane.
 Joe Kane (63%), Joe Van Wie (36%), Speaker 3 (<1%)

Learn more about PHP
https://mountainsedgerecovery.com/

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Leaders Of Long Term Recovery in Pennsylvania 

We combine proven recovery principles with new, innovative techniques to provide one of the most effective programs for young men in the country.

 Discussions on addiction and recovery. We interview clinicians/researchers, legislators, and individuals that include a variety of means to recovery. Joe Van Wie is a father, husband, filmmaker, and reformed media consultant in recovery. 

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September is coming to end, a month to recognize Awareness & Recovery. My friend "Stretch" is here today to discuss the unlikeliness of life putting him on the cover of this closing months "Happenings Magazine". 

“If You Want To See A Miracle, See Someone Who Truly Recovered From A Drug Addiction”

James “Stretch” Johnson has been in recovery for over 26 years. He began his road to recovery on January 27, 1997. He was incarcerated at many points in his life totaling nearly 25 years behind bars. He speaks about his life’s journey to provide hope and inspiration to others.
On Aug 26, 2022 Happenings Magazine - Christine Fanning


Stretch stops by to discuss the cover story and  the turning point in his sobriety becoming Recovery.

Check Out his story at Happenings Magazine below,

https://www.happeningsmagazinepa.com/2022/08/26/if-you-want-to-see-a-miracle-see-someone-who-truly-recovered-from-a-drug-addiction/

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Leaders Of Long Term Recovery in Pennsylvania 

We combine proven recovery principles with new, innovative techniques to provide one of the most effective programs for young men in the country.

 Discussions on addiction and recovery. We interview clinicians/researchers, legislators, and individuals that include a variety of means to recovery. Joe Van Wie is a father, husband, filmmaker, and reformed media consultant in recovery. 

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Jonathan Blake is currently a Licensed Social Worker in Pennsylvania. Jonathan obtained both Bachelor’s  (BSW) and Master’s (MSW) degrees in Social work from Marywood University, graduating with his MSW ins 2014. Jonathan has worked in the substance use field, as a primary counselor in both inpatient and outpatient settings, and currently works as a medical social worker, with main focus on behavioral health.

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Leaders Of Long Term Recovery in Pennsylvania 

We combine proven recovery principles with new, innovative techniques to provide one of the most effective programs for young men in the country.

 Discussions on addiction and recovery. We interview clinicians/researchers, legislators, and individuals that include a variety of means to recovery. Joe Van Wie is a father, husband, filmmaker, and reformed media consultant in recovery. 

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