Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Wvuafm, tuscaloosa.
[00:00:09] Speaker B: Happy Sunday, y'.
[00:00:10] Speaker C: All.
[00:00:10] Speaker B: You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Whitney on 90.7 the Capstone. And what a lovely Sunday afternoon.
[00:00:16] Speaker C: What a lovely Sunday afternoon. Look, I have to confess, I feel like I have allergies going on. And everybody was like, oh, you have Covid. I was like, no, I don't. This is like every year. My voice is scratchy. Everybody in our. And like, everybody in Tuscaloosa that I know has a scratchy voice right now.
[00:00:30] Speaker B: Well, see, I think that balances because you've got the scratchy voice, and then I have the, like, 12 year old, like, prepubescent voice going on.
[00:00:38] Speaker C: We have a good balance in so many ways.
[00:00:40] Speaker B: We really do. Now, how has it been over at the rec center? Has it been crazy busy in the facility?
[00:00:45] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. I would say.
I think I said this last week or maybe the week before. Who even knows? Time doesn't exist anymore. But we've been busier than ever, and I think everything feels normal again. And so our classes have been full.
I feel like I'm running in and out to do presentations and teach wellness classes, and it's just. I'm just all over the place. So, yeah, the students and the faculty staff are keeping the rec hot. The machines are constantly being used. Classes are full, so it's going great. What about y'?
[00:01:16] Speaker D: All?
[00:01:16] Speaker B: We have been super busy, and we actually.
One of the things that we offer in our department is presentation. So we do that a lot for classes. And so we have. We've been trying to market that more to our faculty staff. So we have a suite of presentations that we advertise as don't cancel that class.
Like, consider doing one of these. So we get a lot of requests for, like, the freshman Compass courses. And I will have to admit to you, it's been a little interesting this year because I normally just do our nutrition and eating disorders and body image presentations. Well, we have just revamped our general health and wellness presentation that covers a variety of topics. And I'm now in the rotation of presenting that. And these are some of the stuff is on health topics that are not in my wheelhouse,
[00:02:07] Speaker D: Whitney.
[00:02:09] Speaker B: This past week or this month, I've had to do presentations where I am talking about condoms.
[00:02:15] Speaker C: Awesome. You get the banana out and everything.
[00:02:17] Speaker B: I don't get the banana out. But there's something extremely awkward talking about parasitic STIs and prevention.
[00:02:25] Speaker C: It's just weird.
[00:02:25] Speaker B: And dental dams. And you can tell the students appreciate that info.
[00:02:30] Speaker C: They need to know it.
[00:02:31] Speaker B: But, you know, I know it would be unprofessional for me to say, I feel really uncomfortable telling you this because I'm embarrassed. But I'm also professional.
[00:02:40] Speaker C: Right. But also speaking unprofessionally, do you ever kind of want to giggle that, like, you're up there presenting about these things when you are always doing nutrition? If you like me, I always talk about, like, fitness and wellness and be like, well, today we're gonna talk about safe sex. Let's do it.
[00:02:52] Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, seriously. And, you know, and I, like, I feel more empowered and I feel more well rounded.
[00:02:57] Speaker C: I respect that.
[00:02:58] Speaker B: I didn't tell my husband about it because I'm sure he would tease me. So I just have been telling him, like, oh, I've been doing these new presentations. But he's not gonna ask, like, what's the topic? Cause he's gonna assume it's nutrition.
[00:03:09] Speaker C: It's so funny because Nic, who our listeners know because she's our wellness guru, when we have her on, like, she is not afraid to talk about STDs and in her classes, she's not afraid to show the slides. She's like, people need to know, like, this stuff is real. And I just think it's kind of funny because, like, people don't realize it. And then when you see pictures of things, you're like, ooh, you know, and you need to know. But I think I just always think of her because she's so animated in how she presents it. And I think I would kind of giggle because I think I can just be immature sometimes, which, you know, is okay. I guess it keeps things lively. I don't know. But good for you, Sheena.
[00:03:43] Speaker B: You know, I'm proud of myself, but I could tell the students were very happy to know that we offer all of the different barrier methods, like the internal female condoms, the regular condoms.
[00:03:54] Speaker C: You guys offer that?
[00:03:55] Speaker B: Yeah, we have them for free in our office.
[00:03:56] Speaker D: Oh, my gosh.
[00:03:57] Speaker C: See, I did not know that I knew y' all had the condoms. I remember, like, seeing the little basket in your office and being like, oh, but I didn't know y' all had every.
[00:04:04] Speaker B: Oh, very cool. So it's expanded my horizons, but I've also got to talk about other things. So we talk about financial wellness in the presentation, sleep hygiene, alcohol poisoning, signs and symptoms, all that kind of stuff. So I just feel like a more well rounded individual today. But we will not be talking about STIs on today's show. So just to let our listeners know, but it is time for a break. So you guys take a break. Go to the restroom. Do what you gotta do. You are listening to Fit to Be Tied with Sheena and Whitney on 90.7 capstone.
[00:04:42] Speaker A: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa.
[00:04:51] Speaker C: Welcome back, friends. You're listening to Fit to Be tied with Sheena and Whitney on 90.7 the Capstone. And I'm in my scruffy, raspy voice.
[00:04:58] Speaker B: I like it, girl. I like it so much.
[00:05:00] Speaker C: Yeah. And we're just having a great time, just making our way through September, and we have kind of a lot of things going on in the month of September. I know the week before was wellness Week, and it's National Recovery Month. And so we always get our friends from Collegiate Recovery Services to be on the show and just learn about things that deal with addiction. And we've had Ben Spellman for the past, like, three years on this show. And he's awesome. And it's funny because him and my brother were in recovery together. So then when we met, I was like, oh, yeah. And I was like, yeah, yeah. It was just, I don't know, it was like all these things that had connected. And so anyway, Ben, shout out to you. Hope you're doing well. But, yeah, we always like to showcase our friends around campus.
[00:05:44] Speaker B: Absolutely. And, you know, and I have a feeling that our guest knows Ben because, like, her facial reaction, as we mentioned, that was great. She was geeking out, I think. I think that's what that emotion was. But this afternoon we actually have Taylor Huebner, and I am just so excited to have you on the show this afternoon. So welcome Taylor.
[00:06:05] Speaker D: Hi.
I'm so excited to be here.
Sheena has just been such a big part of my story, and I'm gonna try not to get, like, teary. We've got, like, somebody who's, like, raspy, and then there's like, Sheena's like, I'm like, pre pubescent 12 year old, and then I'm gonna cry.
[00:06:20] Speaker C: We have all the.
[00:06:23] Speaker B: But Taylor, like, you and I, we definitely, you know, our paths have crossed, and I feel very lucky to have gotten to work closely with you and get to know you as an individual. And, you know, it's really nice, too, for this afternoon show, really, whenever we are able to get our students on the show and to share their story and especially when it comes to this topic. But, you know, we first kind of want to know a little bit about Taylor, like, where are you from? What kind of things are you involved in. I know you're in grad school, so tell us all the things you're up to right now.
[00:06:57] Speaker D: Oh, goodness gracious, where to begin?
So I am from Columbia, Missouri, so not M I Z, I promise. Roll Tide.
But I.
So I grew up in Columbia and then I moved here a little bit over eight years ago when I got out of treatment.
So I am a communication studies graduate student. I almost said major.
I'm a communication studies graduate student and I am graduating in December pending thesis shout out to Dr. Carmack.
Love ya.
But no, I am writing my thesis right now. And I also am working partish Foolish Times at a job in retail, which I absolutely love.
And then I'm a part of the crc, which I know you all have mentioned, the Collegiate Recovery Community and Intervention Services.
Vince Spellman is doing very well.
[00:08:06] Speaker B: Awesome. I love that guy.
[00:08:08] Speaker D: I know. He's such a good guy.
We've been through it together. Grad school, undergrad, all of it, you know, so great guy. But I am, I guess, kind of going through it right now. You know, whenever it comes to recovery month. Kind of hit it at a spot this year that was interesting for me, but nonetheless, here I am trudging on.
So I've got. I met with my thesis advisor today.
[00:08:42] Speaker C: Awesome.
[00:08:42] Speaker B: Nice.
[00:08:43] Speaker D: And I have a month to finish. Okay. A month. Ish. A little bit over a month. And so the reason I bring up my thesis is because it is about recovery. So I specialize in intercultural and health communication studies.
So I am doing my thesis on safe consumption sites and the legalization of them in the United States.
[00:09:09] Speaker C: Interesting.
[00:09:10] Speaker D: Okay, so if you don't know what a safe consumption site is, which you all may, but I know some of our listeners may not, it is a place where people can go and use drugs safely, like inject drugs safely. They have clean syringes, they have drug testing kits that can test for fentanyl and other substances as well. It goes past just test strips.
[00:09:36] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah.
[00:09:38] Speaker D: And then they have.
It's called drug searching, actually. Which is weird because people are like, why would you call that friends? Yeah, but. And they just have all these resources. So basically I'm just kind of obsessed with like that.
[00:09:53] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:09:53] Speaker D: And so I was like, why don't I write a thesis on it? You know, so I can't save the world, but hopefully, you know, a couple people can hear about it and maybe we could get some.
Something rolling in Alabama.
[00:10:09] Speaker C: But yeah, I've never heard of that before. So is that like literally just a.
Like just A place that you go and it's not methadone clinics. No, it's separate from that.
[00:10:21] Speaker D: It's separate. So basically what they do, it depends on the clinic. But most of there's three open in the United States. They opened last year.
[00:10:28] Speaker C: Where are those three?
[00:10:29] Speaker D: Do you know? Two in New York and one in Rhode Island.
[00:10:32] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:10:32] Speaker D: And the governor in California actually just vetoed opening them in California.
And it passed and everything like that. And it vetoed it.
So I am primarily focusing my research on using framing and framing different research articles that I read and different news media and things like that to kind of figure out where people stand.
[00:10:56] Speaker C: Yeah. Interesting.
[00:10:59] Speaker D: But no, it's a place like some place call them. In other countries, they call them like safe zones or so they literally have a setup and that's where you go and you use. And they have nurses and doctors and naloxone.
[00:11:14] Speaker C: What is your thesis on? What is the. I mean, I haven't ever written a thesis. I did comps. Okay. So that's just where I am in my master's. But like, I mean, you have this thing that you're writing about. What exactly is it? Just. Or I mean, I mean, maybe I'm not asking that.
[00:11:32] Speaker D: No, no, no, you're fine. You're fine. My research questions are basically, I guess, would you be accepting of a safe consumption site in your area?
And. And how do you think it would be beneficial to your community?
[00:11:47] Speaker B: I like that.
And I think that that is something that is very new and novel to our listeners. And you're probably the first place that that's kind of being introduced to their ears.
[00:11:59] Speaker C: And that's it. I didn't know that.
[00:12:01] Speaker D: Most people don't.
[00:12:01] Speaker C: I had no idea. I've heard Suboxone clinics and like methadone, but yeah, I was like, tell me about this.
[00:12:07] Speaker B: Yeah. And you know, Taylor, as you were sharing. Actually, I don't know if we've ever talked about this in our one on one time together, but I'm cur brought you to UA specifically. Yeah.
[00:12:18] Speaker D: Oh, well, my dad was actually here at the time that I got out of treatment.
I had always been an Alabama football fan. Cause my family from Mississippi, they're huge Alabama fans. And I never thought that I would end up going here, especially through.
[00:12:33] Speaker C: I wish y' all could see her face when she said. I was like. I was like, I didn't think I would go here.
[00:12:36] Speaker D: Yeah. I just never thought I would live in the south, you know, I mean, it's just. I'm from the Midwest. And Midwest, girl, you know? But I always wanted to go, like, northeast or Pacific Northwest, you know? And then I went to rehab down here, and my dad lived here, and I moved in with him and my family, and it was kind of just like, I came to campus, I got to know some of the people on campus, got to know about the crc, which I know we're gonna talk about, and kind of fell in love with it.
[00:13:08] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:13:08] Speaker D: And then I've been here for eight years, so that's awesome.
[00:13:12] Speaker B: Hearing the magic of Tuscaloosa.
[00:13:14] Speaker C: The magic of Tuscaloosa is suck you in and you'll stay.
[00:13:17] Speaker B: Yes, for sure. Now, just out of curiosity, what do you plan on doing after grad school? I know that we're about to have to take a break, but didn't know kind of like professionally what you're hopeful for.
[00:13:30] Speaker D: Honestly, I'm planning on teaching. I know that I've been offered some opportunities to teach, obviously as a TA and so I was a TA in the public speaking department and also taught adjunct this summer. So I've gotten the opportunity to do that, and I'd like to continue teaching maybe at community colleges or just, you know, at an undergrad level.
[00:13:55] Speaker B: Well, I love that, you know, and I think just the fact that it sounds like you found your passion in this, and I love the fact also, too, that you've been doing a lot of work in the public speaking sector with the departments on campus, because so many of our students, they need that skill, you know, and when they have this perception of, like, I can never public speak, and then it's like all of a sudd expert, and so. And you get to be part of that process. But before I continue to gush on that, we've got to take a quick break. But, Taylor, we're just glad to have you on the show. But you guys take a break, grab something to drink. Do what you gotta do. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Shannon Whitney on 90.7 Capstone.
[00:14:39] Speaker A: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa.
[00:14:48] Speaker C: Welcome back, everybody. You're listening to Fit to be Tuscaloos with Sheena and Whitney. And we have Taylor on our show today. And, man, Sheena, we always find the best guests.
[00:14:56] Speaker B: We really do, I think, because we just.
[00:15:00] Speaker C: I mean, I don't know if it's because of the people that we work with, and it just works well in our community, but we always bring really good people on the show. And Taylor was telling us a little bit about herself and how she came to Alabama because She's a Midwest girl. And the face that she made when she said Alabama, I was like, oh, but now you love it.
But I'm kind of curious. You know, we are talking about National Recovery Month, and. And I think it's really cool when people can be transparent and a little vulnerable and tell their story, because I still feel like as much as we talk about addiction, it's still people kind of dance around it at times. I think younger generations are a little bit better about talking about it, but still, like, my grandmother will be like, when Chuck's about my brother, I'm like, dude, he's fine. He's living his life. He's doing his steps. He's good. But at the same time, there's still this mindset that I think some people have, and it's nice to just talk to people that are just normal, like you, like, hey, here's my life.
So tell us a little bit about your story.
And, I mean, you can take us in any direction that you want. And, Sheen, I know you've worked with Taylor for a while now, so, I mean, tell us about it.
You're like, where do I begin?
[00:16:07] Speaker D: Where do I begin?
[00:16:07] Speaker C: Where do I begin?
[00:16:08] Speaker D: What would you like to know?
No. So I am a recovering opioid addict myself. So, of course that's why Texas took such great interest in the opioid epidemic.
So, gosh, it has been since January 17, 2014, since I used heroin.
So that was my drug of choice. And it really just blows you away. It takes your soul.
But kind of in the meantime of all of that happening, I had started drinking at a relatively young age, unbeknownst to folks in my family, but was also prescribed things at a young age. And now they're definitely cracking down on that. More like, they don't give kids prescription pain pills to the degree that they were giving me, which is absolutely insane.
But they definitely, especially after, like, a lot of documentaries and stuff that have aired.
But anyway, so I also started suffering from an eating disorder around the same age, so around 11.
So as I've been, like, in and out of recovery for the last decade or so, I have also been in recovery from an eating disorder since 2018.
And, you know, the whole thing is, is that everybody, you know, when you hear a speaker talk about their story, right? When you hear somebody tell their story, for me, I'm sitting there and I'm listening to somebody tell their story, and I'm hearing about my life, I'm hearing my story. But for an outsider who's not somebody who's an addict or an alcoholic. They're hearing a story that's, like, crazy, you know? And so, like, I don't want to, like, specify on, like, the craziness. It's just, like, I want to say that.
Trying to think of the right words. I want Dr. Brooks, people.
But anyway, I guess it's not as glamorous as it seems. Cause sometimes we get up there and we tell stories, and it comes out as like, oh, it was so rough out there.
And it was.
The reality of it is that it's scary and it kills people. And on August 12th, one of my best friends from home died of an overdose. And then started several days later, I had another friend in Birmingham die of an overdose. And, you know, there's enough people in 2021 not to go back to my statistics, but enough people in 2021 died of heroin overdoses to Phil Bryant. Denny Stadium, man.
[00:19:03] Speaker B: Oh, my goodness.
[00:19:04] Speaker D: And it's all due to fentanyl for the most part. But so all that to be said, I could very well be one of those folks, you know? And that's the reality of my disease, is I can look back at things that have happened in the past that I've shared on or told my story and which Sheena's heard my story before.
But it's different every time. I'm speaking again at recovery night this semester, and it's going to be totally different than it was last time, even though I'm the same person.
And I just think that it's really interesting what kind of comes out.
But I said all that to say because I think it's really important to bring awareness to the eating disorder aspect of it because a lot of people know somebody who's been affected by the opioid epidemic. Right. And they know somebody who's gone to a certain fellowship or who has been in a CRC or whatever their avenue of recovery is.
[00:20:06] Speaker B: Sure.
[00:20:09] Speaker D: But. But most of us know people who have eating disorders. It's just not talked about.
It's not talked about. And Sheena talks about it. I know Whitney. I mean, you both. You talk on the show. You know, I mean. But for me, overcoming my eating disorder was like, a million times harder than coming off of heroin. Wow.
I mean, Sheena, like, I'm gonna try not to get emotional. Sheena saved my life.
Like, I mean, because I got out of treatment.
I got hyper metabolic, and we were freaking out, and I lost, like, what, 30 pounds?
And like, we were like, okay, so what do we do? Like, where do we go from here? And, like, everybody thought that I was, like, using again.
It didn't occur to people that it was just like, our bodies are weird and like, we process food weirdly. And like, I was like. Had my fitness pal apple was like, this is how much I've eaten today. It's like, I promise, you know, like, and. But, you know, it's.
It's been a journey, you know, and. But, you know, and since the. The last time that I acted out, like, physically on my eating disorder was during COVID lockdown. So that was like two and a half years ago.
[00:21:29] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:21:29] Speaker D: And I never would have thought that I would be able to say that, you know, which, I was anorexic, so I was, you know, I purged. But anyway, that was the last time that I had done that. And the restriction slowly faded away. And I remember counting calories was like, such a thing for me. It was my last thing to hold onto.
And one day I was just like, I'm not doing it anymore. This is taking over my life.
And like, I mean, Sheena could tell you I had characters, charts and graphs and Excel spreadsheets of what I was gonna eat every day and how I was.
And it was absolutely. I wasn't getting schoolwork done. I wasn't doing anything. Like, I have no idea how I passed that year of school because I was literally just charting food.
But then I look at myself today and there's also recovery support group meetings at the CRC for eating disorder stuff. And like, there's as in. There's like, people who are in recovery from that in the crc, but there's support there for that as well. And like, they were the ones who like, brought me to treatment.
Like, the CRC brought me to treatment. They brought all my stuff. They drove my car up there because I was too fragile and scared and shout out to Jaime for not wrecking my car.
I drove like this little car and I don't know, Jaime's like, what, six?
[00:23:01] Speaker C: He's huge.
[00:23:01] Speaker B: He's tall guy. He's huge.
[00:23:03] Speaker D: Yeah, he's just a big dude. He's just a big dude. Like, he's like six. Six, maybe. Yeah, yeah. I mean, and it was like a Pontiac and he like, drove into Birmingham.
But anyway, my eating disorder recovery has definitely been such a large,
[00:23:21] Speaker C: I don't
[00:23:21] Speaker D: wanna say accomplishment, but like, life changing event for me.
[00:23:26] Speaker B: Well, and you know, and I'm wondering too, Taylor, you know, as listeners hear your story, they talk about how recovery from your eating disorder felt so much Harder than your opioid addiction. You know, there might be someone who's like, how can that be? But, you know, I kind of wanted to make the statement that maybe some folks may not realize that, you know, I would think with substance abuse addiction, like, you state, like, you're able to, like, stay away from that. Like, you're not gonna have to put yourself in situations where you're exposed to it. When with an eating disorder, you're exposed to food every single day. It's vital to our life. And it's like, holy cow, how do I navigate using this thing to help me live in my body that I've seen as an enemy for so long? So I think I wanted to make that statement to our listeners in case they may not have realized that's why an eating disorder recovery could feel so much more difficult than.
Than other types of substance abuse.
[00:24:24] Speaker D: Oh, yes. Like, I mean, that's like, the thing that I always say to people is when they ask, why is it so much harder? And maybe for other people, it's not, but for my personal journey, it's harder because when you stop drugs and alcohol, you don't have to form a healthy relationship with them. You just get. I mean, you don't just get rid of them. It's way more healthcare than that, but you don't do them anymore. You know? Like, it's not like I had to form a healthy relationship with Opie.
You know, I had to form a healthy relationship with food. I couldn't get rid of it. That's what I had been doing for 15 years.
So Sheena helps me with that.
[00:25:02] Speaker B: Well, and, you know, I think Taylor, for one, thank you for your transparency and vulnerability with that, because I think that, again, this is gonna be probably one of the few opportunities that a lot of our listeners get to have, like, that inside, intimate look into someone's life like that. So I want to thank you for that. And if you're okay with it, I know we've got to take a.
But if we can continue with your story and then also talk about what the CRC does have to offer and how it supported you. Is that okay?
[00:25:31] Speaker D: Yeah, definitely.
[00:25:32] Speaker B: Okay. You guys are listening to Fit to Be tied with Sheen and Whitney on 90.7 the Capstone. We will catch you on the flip side.
[00:25:42] Speaker A: Wvuafm tuscaloosa.
[00:25:52] Speaker C: Welcome back. You're listening to Fit to be Tied, and. And we're just having a great day, and we're learning lots of things, and Taylor is enlightening us, and I will Say that. This is what I find really interesting. Every time you talk to anybody, it doesn't matter who it is, what their story is. Everybody has different perspectives on things. And I loved how you said, when you talk about your story and your life, how you always learn something different from it. And that's just a sign of growing and maturity and like your walk with who you are and what you are and your being on this earth. And so I don't know, I just think it's cool. We were talking a little bit. During the break. I've shared with listeners that my brother's gone through, through the similar things as you. And from a family member perspective, it's like you want to do everything in your power.
[00:26:31] Speaker D: I don't know if we asked you
[00:26:32] Speaker C: this before, maybe we should, but you want to do everything in your power to make sure that person is safe and happy and doing well. But then there's the part where you can enable them but you don't realize you're doing. It's so many things that like, people just don't know. There's meetings for that too. But what triggered you to get help? I mean, did you, was it an intervention with your family or did you just one day you're a lot of like, I'm done.
[00:26:56] Speaker B: Yeah. Like, did you go in like kicking and screaming or if you don't.
[00:27:02] Speaker C: If people go in multiple times too, it's not just like a one time thing.
[00:27:07] Speaker D: Oh, yeah. I mean, I tried to get. I had been trying to get sober since 2010, so I guess I said a decade, but it's been, it's 2022.
But I went kicking and screaming. Yes. Into a couple car and yeah, couple, couple different reasons why I was there in that car. And it wasn't even that. It was like. And I say this, I've said this before, and I think it's really important for me to remember is that what scared me was not the constant cycle of jails, institutions and death. And by death, I mean, like literally I overdosed and had to be Narcan. I didn't even know how many times.
And just the cycle of it. I accepted it and I became okay with it. And it wasn't me accepting it that was like what scared me. It was that I was okay with accepting it. Does that mean that I was accepting, accepting it? That was the moment for me that I was just like, oh my God, you know? And then I went to treatment in St. Louis. We drove through a blizzard and for like two hours to St. Louis I went to treatment, and then I ended up getting transferred to a treatment center here that some people are familiar with. Bradford. And they're great. But I. I have.
Bradford was like, we don't have what you need for your mental health.
So, like, no big deal. I was too much for Bradford, but just with the eating disorder and everything, too, you know, they transferred me to uab, and then I ended up basically trying to manipulate my family into letting me leave and, like. Like, wait for a bed to get in somewhere.
And that didn't happen.
[00:29:12] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:29:12] Speaker D: The doctor came in and my parents came in, and apparently they had been talking without me knowing.
[00:29:18] Speaker B: Excuse me.
[00:29:19] Speaker D: I was like, did I okay this? And they were like, so here's your options. You can either go to this treatment center for nine months, or you can go on the street streets. It was in Birmingham, you know, I had never been here before. Yeah. I had no money. I had nothing, and I didn't have clothes. I was in a psych hospital, you know.
[00:29:37] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:29:38] Speaker D: Like a psychiatric unit, I should say.
And that was not the first time, you know, And I was like.
They were like, you can go on the streets of Birmingham with nothing, or you can go to treatment. And I was like, I had to actually, like, that's how strong my disease is. I had to actually consider, okay, well, I could go on the streets of Birmingham and I could continue doing what I'm doing to continue getting high, you know, I'll figure out a way. I always find a way, you know? And I mean, I'm an addict. I can find. I can. I can sniff out a way to.
I am so resourceful. And, you know, but for some reason in that moment, I was just like, all right, I'll go, you know? And that was like. He had looked at me and he said, what are you willing to do for your recovery?
And that was the moment for me that I was like, I'm gonna die if I don't do this.
[00:30:30] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:30:31] Speaker D: And so I went there for nine months and.
Nine months. Nine months. Nine months in a lockdown facility. Wow.
[00:30:40] Speaker C: Because I feel like. And I'm trying to remember, and maybe I don't have my timelines right at all in my head, which happens all the time, but.
Cause in childhood insurance, won't they pay?
[00:30:49] Speaker D: Like, oh, it's state funded.
[00:30:51] Speaker C: Oh, okay. Okay.
[00:30:51] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:30:52] Speaker D: Okay. State funded.
[00:30:53] Speaker C: Okay, gotcha. Yeah. Because, I mean, some people go in for treatment for, like, the whole, what, like two weeks? And then some people. And then they're out, and then you can't go back you know it. But like, nine months.
[00:31:00] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:31:01] Speaker C: In a lockdown.
[00:31:02] Speaker D: Yeah. Like, we left. They drove us to doctor's appointments, and they drove us to work where we had people supervising us to make sure we didn't speak to men and stuff like that.
And, like, there were only a couple places we could work, but. But we got one phone call a week to an approved family member only, and there was like 40 of us, and 10 people could make a call maybe, you know, and we had visits every other weekend, but only two people could visit at a time. It had to be immediate family. And, like, it was intense. Like, I'll just say that. And every. We were always losing privileges. So I think I got to see my family three times the whole nine months I was there. Wow. Yeah. And, like. And I hear about these people in these treatment centers that are, like, to me, it's like, passage is Malibu. I'm like, what, you get to have a cell phone? You get to, like, you have a chef. You didn't have to make all your food.
But, you know, the cool thing is, is that people get sober in all different kinds of treatment centers. You know, like, some people get sober without going to a treatment center and, like, you know, praise them, because I couldn't do it. Yeah. You know, that's just, like, my reality. But I had tried that. Yeah. It just didn't work for me, so
[00:32:19] Speaker C: kind of moving forward a little bit. So did you do a sober living community? Did you after that?
[00:32:25] Speaker D: No, I moved in with my dad.
[00:32:27] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:32:27] Speaker D: Okay. Okay. Yeah.
[00:32:28] Speaker C: So when you got to Alabama? Because I kind of want to talk a little bit about the crc, a little shout out to our friends over there. But, like, did you then start getting involved. Involved with the crc or were you kind of. Were you just doing. Going 12 step meetings or, you know, how'd you get involved with them?
[00:32:41] Speaker D: Well, so I met a boy.
[00:32:45] Speaker C: It's always how it is.
[00:32:47] Speaker D: So I met a guy who was in recovery and who attended ua. I was attending Shelton at the time, and he introduced me to the crc, and so I became friends with the people who were in the crc, and that's kind of all she wrote. It's actually funny because I was in the CRC when they were in the old building over behind Rite Aid or not Rite Aid anymore. Walgreens. Yeah. Yeah. And.
[00:33:12] Speaker C: Oh, I didn't even know that the
[00:33:14] Speaker D: oldest member of the CRC to exist, because veteran over here, I was at Shelton, you know, and they didn't have a bridge program at the Time. Which now, like, for any Shelton students, we do have a bridge program, and there is a CRC space at Shelton now. That's awesome. Yeah. So I got connected through, you know, he and I dating and. Great guy. We just didn't work out, but I made a lot of friends at the crc, and then I ended up becoming a student at UA through the help of the CRC because it just took a long time to get into tuition because I didn't know all the rules about I was taking classes at Shelton.
[00:33:55] Speaker B: And as far as the CRC goes, do you mind sharing with our listeners what the collegiate recovery community, like, how it supports students in recovery while they're in college? And you're like, how do they not do that?
[00:34:10] Speaker D: I'm like, every way possible.
No, they.
So I just, like, want to give an especially important credit to Hillary Hardy. Yeah. Because she is in there doing it.
I mean, she. I mean, you ask her to call somebody or help you with something, and she's making those calls. She's getting it done.
She's on it, and she is.
[00:34:37] Speaker B: She's about to pop out.
[00:34:39] Speaker D: She's almost nine months pregnant, and she is not stopping. She is setting up tailgates.
Obviously, she's not over exerting herself. I shouldn't make it like that, but clearly she's, like, directly directing the setting up of tailgates, and she's speaking at events and. And just. I mean, she is what makes the heart. She's the heart of that place. Like, Hillary has been. Hillary came to the hospital to see me, though, because I was hospitalized for my eating disorder several times. And Hillary came to the hospital to see me and said, what are we gonna do about this?
And if it had been Jaime, I would have. And like, no, yeah, yeah. You know, but Hillary. I mean, Hillary has taken me to the ER in the middle of the night because I had back pain, like, and I didn't want to go by myself because of being afraid of being prescribed medication. I mean, like, they help students who have been out of school for 20 years who have a 0.002 GPA get into UA. You know, I mean, there's nothing, it seems like, to me, that they can't do involving ua.
And of course, you know, when it comes to a certain level of things like that, it's about who you know and the connections that you've built and things like that.
And Hillary is such a good person and has made so many great, wonderful connections and has that place could. I don't know what we're gonna do when she goes on maternity leave, except leave her alone because she deserves ye.
But our.
I guess I don't know what Jaime's
[00:36:18] Speaker C: title was, but I don't remember. Yeah, I don't remember what his title was. Jaime.
[00:36:24] Speaker D: Yeah, we love you, Jaime.
And I'm like, oh, and Jaime, too. But Jaime's not there anymore, and, you know, but he was there, and, like, you know, he's kind of like the, you know, good cop, bad cop.
[00:36:39] Speaker B: Oh, yeah.
[00:36:40] Speaker D: You know, like, Jaime's scary.
Jaime didn't really scare. It was actually hilarious. I don't know if we have time, but the first time that I went to the crc, and they were like, we just want to know, like, where you're at. What. What Kind of like, how to hold you accountable and stuff.
[00:36:53] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:36:54] Speaker D: I went and I sat in Jaime's office. I just want to go ahead and, like, tell you all, since you can't see me. I am five, two, very small person, and Jaime is, like, six. Six, like, big shoulders, football player. But he was a football player, right? Yeah, yeah. Like, I mean, big, big guy. And I walked into his office and sat down on the chair with my arm crossed, and I just said, I don't want to deal with you.
I want to deal with Hillary directly. I have no interest in your opinion on my recovery, and if you have any questions about that, you can ask Hillary, because that's who I'll be talking to. And Jaime just looked at me and was like, what?
Like. Because everybody was always so scared of him, and I just walked in there, and I was like, mm, mm.
[00:37:40] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:37:42] Speaker D: And then I grew to love him. And when I said I bawled whenever he left, I mean, such a quality human. You guys should definitely have Jaime on here.
[00:37:52] Speaker C: Have we.
[00:37:52] Speaker B: We have.
[00:37:52] Speaker C: Have Jaime. We have.
[00:37:53] Speaker D: Yeah. Okay.
[00:37:55] Speaker B: Yes, totally. And I just. I mean, the fact that you've been able to share your story today, and even just the way that you describe the crc, it's from such a personal place. It's not just like, these are the services.
[00:38:06] Speaker D: I know, right?
[00:38:07] Speaker B: So I think that it just shows just the genuine nature of how much you appreciate that support. And I know, again, we're about to have to take a break and have our last five minutes, but we actually would love to have you for the end of our show, too. We have a question for you at the end that we've been sharing with. We've been asking all our guests, so nothing too crazy, but with that said, we're gonna leave. Y' all in a cliffhanger, folks. You are listening to Fit to Be Tied with G, Shane and Whitney on 90.7 capstone.
[00:38:41] Speaker A: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa.
[00:38:50] Speaker C: We are back. You're listening to Fit to Be Tied, and as always, a wonderful show, and September always brings great information because it is National Recovery Month. And, Taylor, thank you so much for being on the show with us today.
You've been a pleasure for. But we have a question.
It is not, like, a crazy question. It's just, like, I think the first show we did with our first guest, I was like, I just want to ask this question because I think it's, like, cool. My question is, like, what gets you hyped and excited? Like, what makes you excited about whatever? Like. Like, when you're like, got to go to work, and you're like, I mean, what gets you going?
[00:39:23] Speaker D: Okay, so I don't know if you all have ever heard of the band Fish.
[00:39:29] Speaker C: Oh, you're okay. I can feel your vibe.
[00:39:32] Speaker D: Yeah.
But before I go to work, when I wake up in the morning, when I ride in my car, every time before I speak, there's a specific Grateful Dead song that I listen to, actually, but because of a specific lyric.
But I dance with my.
To get hyped up, I dance with my cat.
[00:39:54] Speaker C: Good.
[00:39:55] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:39:55] Speaker C: That's exactly the type of answer we
[00:39:57] Speaker D: want to a specific.
Yes.
[00:40:00] Speaker C: What song can you tell us?
[00:40:02] Speaker D: It's called Fee.
[00:40:03] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:40:04] Speaker D: Her name is Ophelia.
[00:40:05] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:40:06] Speaker D: Short Fee. And then I have a dog named Gumbo named after another fish song. And then. But my favorite fish song is called Gaiy. Okay. And so then we all kind of dance together to that song.
[00:40:17] Speaker C: The dog and the cat.
[00:40:18] Speaker D: Yeah. Awesome. They hate each other, but it's fine. One's on the bed, one's on the floor.
And I know, and I don't mean this in, like, a braggy music, snobby way, and I know that, like, Cole is my partner is gonna hear this and be like, oh, my gosh. But, like, I know every beat and drop and note to that song. And I'm like, like, you know, like, making hand motions, dancing, and that's what I do to pat myself up. I listen to the song.
[00:40:44] Speaker B: I like it, man.
[00:40:45] Speaker C: I mean, it goes right along with Sheena saying that she plays NSYNC in the car for her boys the way to school. And so, guys, on that note, I think that's how we need to end our show.
[00:40:55] Speaker B: I think so too. So that was awesome. Let's make this happen. But, Taylor, thank you so much. Thank you for, you know, and we're excited just to ask you what your hype question is because everybody's had such different answers and yours is a fabulous answer. But thank you for being with us and sharing your story. And you guys, cheers to the end of another great show. You have been listening to fit to be tied with out shout Sheena Whitney on 90.7 capstone.
[00:41:25] Speaker A: Wvuafm tuscaloosa.
