About this episode

Ronnie Schaffer shares his journey through addiction and recovery, influenced by his troubled childhood and family dynamics.

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast , Louis Essig sits down with Ronnie Schaffer for a raw and deeply personal conversation about growing up with an alcoholic and abusive father, getting into the party scene at a young age, working in his dad’s bar, opioid addiction, fentanyl, loss, and ultimately finding a path toward recovery. Ronnie opens up about his childhood and the impact his father's alcoholism and abuse had on him. He shares some unbelievable stories from growing up before talking about his teenage years, including dealing weed and throwing a massive high school party that would become one of many turning points in his life. After getting kicked out, Ronnie found himself living at the top of a bar before eventually becoming a bartender at his dad's establishment. What initially seemed like a way to make a living quickly became a lifestyle centered around the bar. Ronnie talks about his daily routine, drinking, and eventually starting to pop Percocet. Things began to spiral after Ronnie was kicked out of working at his dad's bar. His opioid use intensified, eventually leading him to get high using his grandmother's fentanyl patches. Then Ronnie's world was hit with…

People in this episode

Host: Louis Essig

Guest: Ronnie Schaffer

Topics covered

• addiction
• recovery
• family dynamics
• personal stories
• opioid crisis
• childhood trauma

Keywords

• fentanyl
• opioid addiction
• alcoholism
• childhood trauma
• recovery
• personal stories
• party scene
• Percocet
• throat cancer
• nail gun incident

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Get a Grip Podcast

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• How I Wenat From Crack in High School to a Full-Blown Heroin & Meth Addict | Ep 209 · September 6, 2026 · 1h 10m
• My Mom Introduced Me to Cocaine… Then I Got Hooked on Perc 30s | Ep 208 · September 4, 2026 · 2h 55m
• I Was Prescribed Xanax at 14… Then Fentanyl & Xylazine Destroyed My Life | Ep 207 · September 2, 2026 · 1h 16m
• I Was a Notre Dame Professor Smoking $800 of Crack Every Day | Ep 206 · August 30, 2026 · 1h 51m
• How Hiding My Sexuality Kept Me Shooting Oxy and Heroin Until I Finally Came Out | Ep 205 · August 28, 2026 · 2h 5m
• How I Went From Fighting in Afghanistan to Fighting a 7OH Addiction | Ep 204 · August 26, 2026 · 1h 46m

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