I Walked the Streets for 15 Years to Feed My Crack Addiction… Then I Lost My Children in Sobreity | Ep 201
Summary
Tina Lester joins the Get a Grip Podcast to discuss her 23-year recovery journey, marking 20 years since her prison release. She recounts her descent from a stable childhood into crack addiction, prostitution, and crime, including a harrowing escape from a violent client. Tina shares the profound grief of losing both children to overdose and accident, emphasizing how faith and family now anchor her sobriety.
Topics discussed
Intro, ads, and Tina's escort business backstory
Meeting through a lost ring and divine timing
Childhood, family dynamics, and early struggles
First drug use, addiction, and meeting her husband
Pregnancy, son's health, and relapse consequences
Ads, prison time, and turning to prostitution
Street life, dangerous encounters, and pimping
Life on the streets, identity, and prison conditions
Ads, check fraud, and stealing from her mother
Prostitution with women, arrests, and hatred of addiction
Rehab, finding faith, and post-prison employment
Career change, relapse trigger, and AA meetings
Tragedy: Daughter's overdose and grandson's suicide
Faith, forgiveness, and connection to Jelly Roll
Near-death experience, self-forgiveness, and purpose
Closing thoughts and final advertisements
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