I Was a Notre Dame Professor Smoking $800 of Crack Every Day | Ep 206
Summary
Ted Boucher shares his journey from a chaotic childhood with bipolar parents to becoming an elite university professor. He details his early addiction to alcohol and cocaine, a 14-year period of sobriety, and his eventual relapse after entering academia. The episode explores how his undiagnosed bipolar disorder fueled both his professional success and destructive substance abuse, culminating in a high-functioning but isolated life in Seattle.
Topics discussed
Intro: Carpet surfing and side quests
Childhood: Catholic school and parental conflict
First drink: Finding Bacardi 151 at age 14
High school: Soccer, suspension, and grocery job
College: Cocaine, freebasing, and partying
First recovery: 14 years clean after treatment
Graduate school: PhD, perfectionism, and relapse
Seattle: Double life as professor and addict
Rock bottom: Intervention and family crisis
Long Island & Ohio: Relapse and dealer violence
Notre Dame: Addiction during pregnancy
Final recovery: Treatment, new career, and book
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