From Addict to Advocate (Part 1)

Prepared by Telus just a platform for God to come back someday and so on. This is policymakers weekly radio show and podcast from family designed to better inform listeners about the clinical issues of the day and encourage you to be voices of persuasion for family values in your community and your host family president John Rustin thank you for joining us this week for family policy matters is our nation celebrates Independence Day. We are reminded that the American experiment is one of self-governance and self responsibility, or Democratic Republic operates properly when the citizenry is both engaged and morally sound as president John Adams put it, we have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.

Well, as I'm sure many of our listeners will recognize the voice of today's guest who joins me will discuss not only his success as a businessman and entrepreneur, but also the difficult path he has trod in the struggles he has faced and overcome on his way to recognizing what many would characterize as the American dream Mike Lindell is the inventor and CEO of my pillow. You've probably seen or heard him encouraging consumers to buy his products on TV and radio, but even more compelling than his entrepreneurial success is his personal story of battling with and overcoming intense drug addiction, which is led to him to found the Lyndale recovery network and Mike is determined to use his success as a platform to talk about his faith and to encourage his fellow Americans to follow his example of fearless civic engagement Mike Lindell walking the family policy matters.

It's great to have you on the show from the beer will grade.

Unlike many of our listeners are probably familiar with your pillows and other bedding products, but they may not know about your personal story and journey as we began our conversation today would be great if you could share briefly a little bit about that story well.

I was always been an entrepreneur and not by parents report back when I was seven years old and I got put in your new school and I actually have the co-op or I would be great guided almost effectively trying to pin down the spirit of rejection. I can look back now and see that so you got up through my teen years and up into early adulthood and it kept going that way I would be good. I would either do things that show up. My five year reunion. I was everyone else was finishing college and they were great start to raise a family thing Debbie had a new job and I didn't. I wasn't doing a five year reunion. I became bragging about on the mopping of money for football better.

In a motorcycle accident job going skydiving.

My parachute did not open all the things that happened, but in reality I just took over the Roman pretension but in reality I wanted with those they all had and that actually manifested into a cocaine addiction. About 20 years and then switch to crack cocaine in the early 2000's right around the year 2000, you know people say will bring it all that outline and then put my pillow in 2004 and by the grace of God I caught everything in January 16, 2009 there were all these things happen including an intervention by drug dealers. The year before I quit and I in 2007 I lost a 20 year marriage that we would not and the pillow company.

I was actually making making pillows and labeling them in our living room when I bent my pillow. I turned down everywhere and not wind up doing home shows and fairs, but people try to take the company and not got to be 2008 and it was the middle of the night and I come out I was up for 14 days and the drug dealers first three have a mic to downtown Minneapolis. I walked up with what you guys going to know each other menu of each other, but they did have never met and they did this, what is this an intervention of the guys those guys that were were cut you off and Everett and he's telling the other two guys you're not none of your guys are selling like anything he's been up for 14 days and the one dealer left in the other went down the street was actually his plays and the other guy kicked them out, and he sat in the chair and he looked down at a couple crack cocaine rocks left in any how much you got left tonight. I look good. He looked in it anyway.

Ended up falling asleep and I went down to the streets of Minneapolis. I could not buy anymore crack anywhere. Everybody was turning me down. I got back upstairs and here's what he said he goes I was all upset me goes to me that phone number. Take a picture you he says you're going to need a book you been telling us about any goes you know you but for years the five pillars that the platform for God and you're going to come back someday and help us all out of this addiction. In this world and if that were not to let you die and I would always tell those guys that someday I will come back and quit everything and come back and help so they don't. I just always remember that intervention by the way through those guys work for me not want MSR again Christians that maybe sorry, that is, that is also that is also my quote was the turning point for you in your drug abuse and recovery. I'm certain that experience that she shared had something to do with it but it had to be of little word that was going on internally with you right got me my whole life.

You were me I would get out of things to get out of the I get myself in. You got up I get out of this and maybe that would be going that might playing dog God to get me out of this. I'll never do this again about the guy would get no scrap or whatever and I would I would almost assume I'm going to get through it and in 2008. No drug dealer did that intervention. There was a lot of things happened in 2008, and one of the things my son still in the driveway crying. It was like 18 is that I can't stay here anymore. I was hiding the addiction and not affecting and that was one thing that hit me hard but in December of that year my friend came to me this is very key it came to me and he was my equal.

We had both started cocaine at the same time we had both started turn to crack cocaine at the same time and he's been clean for three years. I hadn't seen them in through your and I heard it yet and he came walking in the door and I said at their equity ability. I would love to hear what's going on as long as you're here, I have some questions that the first question I have is that boring and he said no man in a boring but it wasn't there long, maybe 15 to 20 minutes but he left with the concern I never seen him like that before and it was also that I knew he was here been set free of all this of this addiction. Listening to radio selling cans from the same family you can sign up to receive and to listen to the show online explains anyone sign namely 19 January 16, 2009, and at that point it was like the old-fashioned TV where you turn it off and it goes out of this little tiny.and you turn it back on the TV comes back to life. Well, I knew waited one more day.

People say was that your bottom and I said well you know I made sure I didn't have any money. Bring laughter of anything but. But I knew that my calling would be gone Through someone else and I knew this inside of me and I said I actually said a prayer for God.

I want to wake up in the morning and never have the desire for these drugs or alcohol or anything. Again, and I'll do this. I'm called to do the platform.

Actually, I woke up in the morning and and the desire was gone so sweetly gone and in it and then things started happening a week later I had to borrow money from some guys but not I didn't know these guys were mad about it story I walk in the night afraid of.

I was a pretty good to talk anybody, but these guys had suits that really wants else I don't know anybody with more than one fork in it worth their salt. I walk in the CL policy.

Are you all the fees and I need to borrow 30 grand in cash with no collateral for these guys were taking my company. I did get my fabric back and I walked in there and I told the story I sent out about 40 grand for 30 grandma Peter back within two months, do home shows and fairs around the country and I have a dream of an infomercial someday and I used to be a crack cocaine addict and I'm like no I got the one guy goes. He goes going to declare crack and I said last Thursday (like shortcake that the other party said they ended up giving me the money they still don't know why, given the money ideally was a divine appointment, but but now two months later though. I felt led to go to my church and have the outpatient treatment center that was for the night and I felt led to go there and I walked in the door and I told the counselor you know I used to be an addict.

Two months ago I and I felt led to come here and all the stuff I went in there on the first and I've been a treatment center throughout that BBs forget my life was back in Stockton. But this woman is different and I was telling on drugs and everything in there going.

We don't care how much you do we want to know what what talk about your father and your family and and I'm going to have to do with anything in there going well. My family divorced when I was seven. Back when divorces were common and I learned so much. Seeds were planted there were addiction manner for scrubbing that center and then all these years later by the way, I was that I am done with full surrender to Jesus Christ that comes with a letter that comes February ready for the February 18, 2017 there's a big suck. But there was a lot of seeds planted back that up with addiction and not important to me. Well, thank you for sharing that. No mice. I know you're stepping up to the plate to help stem the tide of drug abuse in our countries.

Tell us about the mission of the Lindell recovery network what what I'm doing and actually I'm just going to be ready to launch in about a month 15 might all of my books coming out from a crack at it to see you know that is going to get all the proceeds from the book and everything is going to finance his recovery network, but what you put in there going to be an addict, to be like the tour guide website and enema go. I tell the output in your age and your addiction but your addicted to a 22-year-old OP that it might not relate to a 50-year-old meth addict. So these stories that I have collected tens of thousands they're not stories.

The bottom is the commonality of the drug like for crack and what you didn't like about the drug like like let's say it's for crack cocaine.

I broke you know I got tired of always peeking out Windows. It was so much work. I got tired of finding out trying to find baking soda because you need that to make crack I was.

I got tired of going to grocery stores at two in the morning and buying a set of silverware this because I needed now for crack addict sees that story. He knows I've been working is not a story about Bob so they know the commonality, but they see it in their faces going.

Wow, how did they get set free. Everyone on the set free all of you story came from their alumni from the faith-based treatment centers in the country. Now I tell the attic on the tour guide. I say hey you guys, I have vetted over 3500 centers over the last year and 1/2 every one of them works and I tell the attic you going here and I said that is going to be like an apprenticeship on like this just may be in my Feldman to the attic, not the family.

I'm not playing on the family.

I'm going to be allocated. There's no money. It's great.

There's no rule 25 is free all these things and get them in there and I think you guys when you get out of work waiting for you. I'm really helped. Mentors set up all over the country. So when they get out they have a mentor and now if they come out mentor. They meet with him and live settings and now if something goes wrong to say they have a relapse is a relapse match every attic that comes out of the center even if they have Jesus as their foundation. They still have triggers that help in the same let's say my kids still don't very, they still don't get other. That would mean they won't talk to me know if that mentor didn't have that happen to punch into the app they're going to go my kids.

I won't talk to me and I can't deal with this now metrics out there that are on call 24 seven. Just like my call center that that had that exact same thing happen to them and they made it through.

They're going to get on the phone with never get on that out and there it is so easy for that person to talk to Guy Pruitt because made it through the other benefit our spouse, then wake I went to treatment in my right didn't get that job and by the way this is going to be one of the biggest employers in the country of employee tens of thousands of members there's no better mentors and people to be called for the people that have been through it and say this is in part one of my fellow inventor and CEO Mike Lindo. Be sure to tune in next week to hear part two to listen to the show online information resources on how you can be a voice persuasion in your community and state visit our website and see family.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter