My friend Ryan Rogers returns to the podcast for our third conversation. He’s an addictions counselor in Texas, host of Reality Therapy, and now the author of two books — The Woke Mind and his new release, The Carpenter’s Recovery, a Christian guide to 12-step recovery.
We start with what’s being called “gas station heroin”: a chemical called 7-OH, extracted from kratom, that’s roughly thirteen times stronger than morphine and sold legally next to the 5-Hour Energy drinks at the checkout counter. Ryan walks me through how legal loopholes have produced a generation of accidental addicts, including church kids and high-conscientiousness adults who’d never touch illegal drugs. I share my own “little old lady” story — how my elderly mom was given a 10mg THC gummy by her stoner massage therapist — as a warning to anyone navigating this new landscape with vulnerable elders.
From there we go into cannabis-induced psychosis, cannabis use hyperemesis disorder, fentanyl displacing heroin, and what’s actually working in addiction treatment. Ryan explains why he wrote a Christian recovery book and why naming Jesus in AA meetings still gets people shut down. We close on the state of the therapy field: woke ideology, AI psychosis, the rise of niche experts over licensed therapists, and why “live your truth, king” is the worst possible response to a client telling you they’re about to relapse.
Watch on YouTube | Listen wherever you get your podcasts | or stay here on Substack
Follow Reality Therapy podcast | Follow Ryan on X @ryanmcrogers
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[00:00:00] Start
[00:02:06] Gas Station Heroin: What Is 7-OH?
[00:05:55] Kava, Feel Free, and Designer Drugs
[00:11:25] How 7-OH Hits the Opioid System
[00:14:30] The Little Old Lady THC Gummy Story
[00:25:30] Methadone vs. Suboxone for Detox
[00:35:56] The Carpenter’s Recovery: A Christian Approach
[00:40:32] Why AA Pushes Back on Christianity
[00:48:15] Reality Therapy and the State of the Field
[00:53:42] AI Psychosis and the Future of Therapy
[00:58:40] Tough Love and “Live Your Truth, King”
[01:04:30] Honoring Who Teenagers Are Becoming
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MUSIC: Thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude & permission.
