Daryl S. on Denial, Chronic Illness, and the Road to Recovery – Daryll S.

About This Speaker Tape

Daryll S. maps out a recovery path that required six or seven stints in treatment and a stay in a Florida prison before the wreckage finally stopped. He cuts through the myth of the 'quick fix,' admitting he spent years in denial pretending he wasn't an addict while the disease took him to the bottom of the pit.

Now four years clean he balances a life of service—working with the New York Mets and running an autism foundation with his wife Tracy S.—by leaning on a faith-centered approach. He describes recovery not as a cure but as a chronic illness of the brain that must be managed one day at a time warning young people that the 'people places and things' of the old life are always waiting to pull them back into the dark cloud.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:45 Daryll S. discusses the difference between treatment and long-term recovery.
• 2:10 Laughter: Discussion on the 'denial part' and the struggle of not getting it the first time.
• 3:15 Daryll S. mentions the tragedy of those who died so that others could live.
• 4:30 Daryll S. describes the 'bottom of the pit' and his time in a Florida prison.
• 5:45 Reflection on George S.'s influence and passion for people who have failed.
• 7:10 Daryll S. explains his faith-centered recovery and his relationship with the 12-step literature.
• 8:50 Warning about 'people, places, and things' as triggers for relapse.
• 10:15 Advice to young people on catching the illness of addiction early to avoid future pain.