Facing a Life Sentence After Getting Sober w/ Vinsent Franke | The Hopeaholics Podcast

In this intense and deeply emotional episode of the Hopeaholics Podcast, Vinsent Franke shares a raw, unfiltered account of trauma, addiction, crime, faith, and recovery that spans decades. He opens up about early childhood exposure to drugs and alcohol, severe abuse that shattered trust, and a life split between discipline and chaos that fueled addiction from a young age. Vinsent details his descent into drug dealing, violence, incarceration, and psychosis, alongside moments of extreme loss, including the addiction and struggles of his son and the unbearable weight of parental guilt. The conversation takes a powerful turn as he recounts a profound spiritual experience that ended his addiction overnight while facing a potential life sentence just days into sobriety. From navigating insanity defenses and jail time to becoming a therapist, pastor, and recovery leader, this episode explores the intersection of trauma, spirituality, accountability, and grace. It’s a gripping story about surviving the darkest corners of addiction, confronting generational pain, and finding purpose through recovery, service, and faith.
#thehopeaholics #redemption #recovery #AlcoholAddiction #AddictionRecovery #wedorecover #SobrietyJourney #MyStory #Hope #wedorecover #treatmentcenter #natalieevamarie

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Timestamps:
00:03:31 - Clean and sober since 2004
00:04:55 - First drink at nine years old
00:05:52 - First time getting high as a child
00:09:56 - Childhood abuse and betrayal by a stepfather
00:11:20 - Discovering his mother married another abuser
00:14:45 - Finding Charles Manson letters in his mother’s possession
00:18:09 - Starting drug distribution to survive
00:19:20 - Being told to grow his own weed at thirteen
00:20:30 - Paying for an abortion and emotional collapse
00:23:12 - First time smoking cocaine
00:26:48 - Meeting his son for the first time in prison
00:28:42 - Abandoning his son while deep in addiction
00:31:31 - Prescription pills leading to heroin
00:33:21 - Refusing to force his son into treatment
00:34:53 - Son in psychosis calling from the hospital
00:35:46 - Spiritual experience that ended his addiction
00:39:08 - Facing a life sentence days into sobriety
00:39:57 - Acquitted after insanity and diminished capacity defense
00:41:23 - Realizing recovery is spiritual warfare
00:44:18 - Becoming a pastor after addiction and prison
00:48:26 - Discovering sober living operators using drugs
00:49:05 - Starting and running sober living homes