Jess sits down with Jennifer Chase—certified life coach and founder of Rise Addiction Life Coaching—to rethink a well-worn myth: Is trauma the real gateway to addiction? Jennifer shares her generational story of alcoholism, childhood sexual abuse, a brain-tumor surgery that led to opioid dependence, and the exact tools and reframes that helped her reclaim voice, power, and peace.

We cover:

• The controversial reframe: “Substance wasn’t the problem—it was my solution.”
• The “perfect family” facade, secret-keeping, and why truth-telling is liberation
• Shame → use → more shame: how forgiveness (including of her abuser) broke the loop
• The hardest mirror: when her son became addicted to her prescribed opiates
• Codependency ≈ addiction: why connection is the antidote to both
• Practical tools: meetings, movement, meditation, journaling, music, and “choosing your hard”

A closing thought

Healing isn’t linear. When we shine light on shame, we make space for breath, choice, and self-worth.

Chapters

00:00 — TW + welcome

01:05 — “Perfect” outside, chaos inside

04:40 — Truth-teller, not “black sheep”

08:48 — Brain tumor → opioids: “Where has this been?”

12:50 — Shame spirals & escalating use

14:55 — When your child mirrors your pain

18:58 — Rock bottom → treatment

21:05 — Forgiving to reclaim power

25:12 — Families, enabling & new boundaries

29:00 — Choosing your hard

34:20 — Tools you can use today

40:05 — Emotional safety in unsafe systems

46:40 — “The cave you fear…”

49:55 — What life after trauma means today

Resources & Links

• Jennifer’s website: https://riseaddictionlc.com
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jenchase
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenniferreinhartchase
• Find support: AA & Al-Anon (search local meetings in your area)

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www.jessicavanrose.com

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