Hooked

I was heartbroken listening to their story, but also rooting for their recovery the whole time. I hope they stay strong on their path of recovery, and send little Anthony into the world with all of the knowledge and tools he needs to live a full, healthy, substance-free life. Thank you for sharing your story!

I couldn’t stop listening. Well told, balanced, and truly offered insight into the intersection of addiction and family systems.

Thank you for sharing your story. So real!

Found this on my podcasts homepage this evening as recommended for me. After reading the synopsis I was fascinated and decided to give it a shot.. I didn’t even make it to the midpoint of episode one before I was sharing it, following it and telling my husband he had to listen - not later, not tomorrow, RIGHT NOW. I just finished episode 2 and I’m already fully invested. Tony’s story goes to some fascinating and jaw-dropping extremes, but at its core, it’s heartbreakingly familiar. I think it would have been exceedingly easy to tell a version of this story in which Tony is the villain; a bad man doing bad things to fuel his addiction with no regard for anyone else. I think a lot of people view addicts in that way, unfortunately, but we humans are rarely so one-dimensional. Lucky for us, the narrator of this podcast doesn’t pretend to only see the world in black and white, and he doesn’t tell Tony’s story that way. He approaches it with respect for the nuances of the story AND the human being who lived this story, showing genuine interest in not only the facts, but also the environment that made the elements of the story come about. The full-throttle extremes of Tony’s adventures, the expert storytelling and what seems to be legitimate empathy for the person who lived this crazy tale all combine to create a compelling, multifaceted story about a real person who is many things - a man, a father, a victim, an addict, an engineer, a bank robber, a criminal, a survivor - but most importantly, a human being, in all his imperfection. Captivating, heartbreaking, thrilling, empathetic, emotional and inspiring. I can’t wait to continue listening.