In this compelling video, Chris Cella shares his journey from the middle class to opioid addiction and his inspiring comeback.
Join him as he recounts his struggles with addiction, including his experience with gateway drugs and the descent from marijuana to heroin. Cella reveals the harsh realities of rehab, the challenges of withdrawal, and even the missteps he made along the way, including interactions with the Mexican Mafia.
This thought-provoking conversation also addresses the broader implications of America’s drug crisis, shedding light on the growing meth epidemic and exploring solutions to these pressing issues.
Don’t miss this powerful story of resilience and redemption.
### Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
1:11 Cella’s Opioid Addiction
9:01 The Reality of Gateway Drugs
14:04 The Shift from Weed to Heroin
21:57 Burning Down the Entourage House
28:05 Cella’s High School Experiences
36:25 Life in Rehab
41:51 Robbing the Mexican Mafia
53:07 Updates on Cella’s High School Friends
58:56 The Truth About Withdrawal Symptoms
1:05:42 Confronting Rehab Scams
1:11:00 Cella’s Spiritual Awakening
1:18:59 A Turning Point in Drug Policy
1:21:45 Addressing America’s Drug Crisis
1:23:30 The Rise of Meth Abuse
1:35:51 Lasting Effects of Drug Addiction
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I am so over people claiming drugs and alcohol is a disease, it is a dis-ease for those in their lives, I dont anyone anyone having this 'disease' who have never used before
File this one under 'who gives a shit.'
This guy drives me nuts when he says sober… If he is drinking and smoking marijuana he is not sober
I'm from Ohio that has been completely devastated by it and I hope that JD Vance does more for his home state when it comes to this there is so much work to be done.
5:53 THATS PRETTY MUCH HOW PAIN MANAGEMENT WORKED IN FLORIDA. ONCE YOUR ON IT FOR A FEW WEEKS ITS OVER . WITHDRAWAL IS THE WORST .
I'm so glad you addressed this the other day when you were talking about marijuana, with Matt Walsh! I got really upset because I know so many people that were addicted to opioids that found relief in medical marijuana. I'm glad you had this conversation.
No idea who that dude was. What a story and we wish him the best moving forward!
Suboxone is a terrible drug, it's brutal to detox from and the doctors don't even have a protocol if you want to stop taking it. In 3 years, I lost six molars and serious enamel loss. Best option is to kick the dope immediately in a safe place where someone can look after you if possible.
Fent-a-NIL
I’m struggling to take this dude too seriously.
This fella knows very little. He is using AA stuff but not honoring his sources he is not an authority. I’ve worked in the field 41 years
original founders of aa never liked the whole rehab industrial complex.
We need to shut down drug dealing treatment centers
Suboxone is not clean and sober. The doctor is the number one dealer
I used to believe that addiction was ab genetic trait, until I listened to
Dr Gabor Maté having a great conversation with Joe Rogan – ep # 1869
Have a listen and make up your own mind, ……
Suboxone is more addictive. He is incorrect we have people strung out on this 15 years. Just horrible. Also drug treatment centers should not be allowed to prescribe this or give it to people as they are getting kickbacks. MAT programs should be shut down.
This kid is close to my age and has almost the exact same story as myself and many of my friends. All of these drugs were being pushed by the pharmaceutical industry to doctors, so for awhile we would all be on OxyContin, then that would go away and we’d be on Roxicodone, then Opana, then when all the pills finally got ristricted, finally Heroin and eventually fentanyl from Mexico. The cartels are clearly evil, but it’s very clear to me who the real drug dealers are, and they’re right here in America at the highest levels of the corporate world and government.
In 2003 I was a bartender/cocktail server at a college bar, on the main drag, in a big college town. One night I met a girl who would alter the trajectory of my life. I took her home that night and she very quickly became a fixture at my townhouse. She was a pharmaceutical tech at a local pharmacy who happened to do the inventory. When I say I had an endless supply of everything you can think of, I’m not exaggerating. Her mother had severe back & neck issues for which she received her own copious amount of opiates, including morphine lollipops and OC 80s. I soon found I could stay up all night snorting blow then snort an 80 at 7am on a Saturday gameday morning and arrive to work and not just perform, but excel. Eventually, the crazy I had to deal with did not make the endless supply worth the trouble and I soon found myself fending for my self. I managed just fine for a few years but inevitably, I too, would turn to heron. I went through some very dark, very traumatic times – and I mean “traumatic” in the truest sense of that word. Today, my life is amazing. I live in a beautiful, affluent community, have a beautiful, loving wife, 2 boys who are nothing like I was at their age & while I did use treatments, like Suboxone – that IS a miracle “drug” when used properly, I didn’t or don’t ever need conventional therapy that blames everyone but me for the choices I made. I love my career & I love sobriety. Thank you, Lord, for saving me.
This guy has a major spirit of rejection and fear of rejection..
His description of opiate withdrawal is spot on
1:26:17 correct! 💯
I broke my leg in 5 places and ended up on opioids. When I tried to stop taking them I went into extreme withdrawal. I had no idea what was happening. I ended up having to ween myself off of the pills over the course of 3 months. Each week I reduced my intake by 1/8 of a pill and each week I suffered intense withdrawal symptoms and panic attacks. My digestion was destroyed in the process. I am still in recovery years later. I never used opioids recreationally, or every felt high from taking them.
Such a great reporter! Perfect mix of social bonding n unbiased curiosity with ur questions n statements ur just epic Tucker! Solid!
1:15:52 classic! His quote of getting clean is just so great! I understand 100 percent!Such a great story 😊
If this guy still smokes marijuana and drinks he is not clean. I have 12 years clean from everything in Narcotics Anonymous.
Oxi was prescribed to me after my eye socket was broken after i caught my now x wife with a guy in Florida outside a restaurant. I was drunk and i pushed him away from her. Then turned around to question her and he kicked me in the face. Broke my nose and orbital socket. But after take the oxi….I thought my life was going GREAT! i had surgery and was cross eyed 18 months before my brain corrected my forward sight.
Now when I lay on the couch and watch TV I still see 2 TVs but only paid for one😂.
Jesus Saved me.
I have lost many friends from overdoses. I myself have o.d.'d and died more times than I can count, somehow threading the needle between life and death. I have commited heinous crimes and given up my personal integrity. Of the people that I used with, around 40 people, I am the only one that is still alive. My story is nearly unbelievable, a constant vacillation between bad decisions, absolute and profoundly chaotic situations filled with bad actors with ill intent, no movie could translate, and God sent grace and miracles in no way deserved. I am literally a walking miracle. If I could recommend anything to anyone, concerning drug use, it would be this: don't. If you decide to, it would be a lot easier and cleaner with a gun. Because you WILL die from this. A long, drawn out, undignified death. Do you and your families a solid. Get a hobby, not a habit. I no longer use drugs.
Another story of the spoiled rich kid
1:35:49 I was using opiates, benzos, coke & alcohol + several different kinds of research chems that I for whatever reason decided to declare myself the test dummy for and would switch back and forth before switching to only heroin/fent/benzos towards the end of my time using.
I did that starting out recreationally until I shattered my wrist and got prescribed high mg oxys in like 4th grade which led to an unhealthy interest in drugs at a young age despite being the top DARE (anti-drugs & violence program) student @ my elementary school in 5th grade. Then in 7th or 8th grade I had to get a large cystic tumor removed and was prescribed like a WILD amount of morphine 60mg tabs…..which is basically processed heroin in a pill….insane 🤦🏻♂️ which led to using progressively harder substances in progressively larger quantities starting at age 13 or 14 and haven’t used (other than marijuana for pain management – “as prescribed” since I was maybe like 27?
I’m now 30…I started trying to seriously get clean at like 26…maybe 25? I’m not sure tbh bc my memory is still completely fu*ked as you can probably tell from this comment.
I still have EXTREME problems with keeping balance/equilibrium, memory, extreme back and neck pain, headaches, acid reflux, all kinds of fun 💩 lol
All of that obviously is different for everyone, but the equilibrium and memory problems have gone on a lot longer than I thought they would after getting clean. It sucks because my mind is moving in double time, all the time, but when I need to actually vocalize those thoughts there’s definitely some kind of disconnect that happens still lol.😊
Every time Chris laughed it creeped me out
1:00:11 he is so right in so many ways but this part……😮🎉yup.
The only disagreement I have is that only some people are addicted to alcohol, but others are not. That's like saying only some heroine users are addicted but others are not.
Absolutely 3 weeks or more if you were a hardcore user for years
dont ever sensor the f word – its always usually well placed or needed to convey context!
I work in a hospital. 90% of my patients have underlying mental health issues they are unable to get treated due to lack of insurance. The state and federal government needs inpatient facilities for these people. They self medicate with drugs and alcohol. I have 24 year olds dying from cirrhosis! Our healthcare system is so broken.
Thank you, both, for your honesty
Uh…probably wouldn’t have an ad for an addictive chemical.
Fentanyl went into the dope way before 2016 on the East Coast basically around 2010-2013 it killed basically all my friends!!! Im so lucky that im still alive!!! I was a heroin addict from 2002 to 2014 overdosed 3 times 8 years in prison kidnapped and tortured for robbing a dealer. I never thought i could get clean nevermind stay clean.
I've been clean since 2014. I had a little boy and he changed my life! Now im a single dad and love my life 🙏
Chased the dragon for 10 years – doctors gave me all the pain pills I wanted for cash. I thought I was top on the world. One day I had a SEVERE realization driving down the road on my lunch hour and said never again. It was rough for 2 months and came through it. Toughest part was putting on a show to everyone that I wasn't going through anything so I could keep my family and job.
My experience with Suboxone is different from what this gentleman explains. Suboxone is a combination of Buprenorphine and Naloxone at a 4 to 1 ratio. Buprenorphine is a medium acting opiod and is unique in that regard. Methadone is the only long-acting opiod. Everything else is short acting. An opiate is organic and is a derivative of the Opium Poppy. An opioid is a synthetic opiate basically. Anything organic is easier for a human body to metabolize or quicker, at least. The only things that are longer and harder to detox from Buprenorphine is Methadone and Fentanyl in my experience. To some extent, what he is saying about Buprenorphine is true aside from the fact that Buprenorphine is the lesser of the evil of other opioids. It is far better to be sober. Buprenorphine has a saturation level of 32 milligrams, making the potential of abuse much less. However Buprenorphine is a powerful opioid and if combined with alcohol and/or benzodiazepiens, its effects are intensified, and death can occur. From my experience, being on Suboxone (Buprenorphine) has led me to abuse alcohol and benzodiazepiens to obtain the polysubstance effect. In the case of chronic pain Buprenorphine would be the best option for someone with an addictive personality. It is a partial agonist and only attaches to two of the opiate receptors. Kratom can be taken in addition to Buprenorphine to add in pain relief. Black tar heroin is from Mexico. The CIA developed a drug named deoxy-heroin-5, which was made to heighten withdrawal symptoms to be used in interrogations. According to the research I have done on the subject. From what I have learned, addiction is a spiritual malady that requires a spiritual solution. Jesus Christ and my acceptance of Christianity is the only thing that has worked for me. Alcoholics Anonymous has been crucial in my recovery and has helped to improve my relationship with God.