Dave S. was pronounced dead on arrival at 15. By 16 he was in a 1980 "attack therapy" rehab — diapers on heads, break-them-down tactics — and sitting in his first 12-step meeting next to his dad. He stayed clean for 17 years. Then came the wife, the kids, the business… and the idea that he was cured. One "social" smoke later, the disease that had been doing pushups for 17 years took the next 9 years of his life: benzos, opiates, a decade on subs, legal trouble, and losing his house, his marriage, and nearly himself.

Twelve and a half years ago, Dave walked into a meeting high, planning to borrow money — and his old friends trapped him into detox instead. Since then: 144 pounds lost, a bipolar diagnosis that finally explained the self-medicating, peace made with the mother he'd hated his whole life (he was with her the day she passed), a weekly prison meeting commitment in PA, and Sober Transport — driving people to treatment with his rescue dog Henry riding shotgun. Today he builds AI answering and text-message re-engagement tools that help treatment centers reach the people everyone else gave up on.

⏱️ CHAPTERS
0:00 Meet Dave S
6:26 Dead on Arrival at 15
10:43 Seventeen Years Clean, Then Relapse
15:59 Benzos, Subs, Rock Bottom
22:55 Sober Transport and Henry
28:37 Bipolar and Self-Medicating
31:51 Weekly Prison Meeting Service
37:25 AI for Treatment Center Admissions

One Last Hit Podcast — real stories of addiction, survival, and coming back from the edge.

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