Who this episode is for:
- Anyone who thinks addiction can't touch high-achieving professionals 🧠💉
- People who think "functioning alcoholic" is a badge of honor 🥃🏆
- Those stalling on help because \"work is too busy\" 🏃♂️📅
- Anyone who's survived a brutal divorce 💔
- Healthcare workers, therapists & rehab skeptics 🩺🧪
- Family members who don’t get why their addicted loved one keeps spiraling 😔👨👩👧👦
- People NOT in recovery but know they’re circling the drain 🚨🌀
Dr. Chris Schenewerk is in the building. And if you think doctors are immune to the wreckage addiction brings, buckle the hell up. Chris, Jakob & (a Jeff-less) Pondoff dive into a no-holds-barred convo with the Medical Director of Illinois Recovery Center—who also happens to be a recovering alcoholic with one hell of a story.
From vodka before work & blacking out mid-interviews to meeting his now-wife in rehab & launching a recovery movement across Southern Illinois, Dr. Chris drops wisdom & one-liners like it’s second nature. This episode is raw. It’s real. It’s redemption in action. 🔥
We hit everything: colonoscopy prep as a diet plan, trauma in kids, why "functioning addict" is bullshit, & how the Three Amigos AA group grew from four in the back of a doctor’s office to 50+ strong at Life Community Church in Columbia, IL. Oh, & don’t worry—dude still remembers Halloween riots at Carbondale. 🎃💥
Highlights:
- The look in the mirror that scared him sober 👀
- Checking into rehab instead of waiting for an intervention 🚑
- Why Angela’s 12th rehab stay was the one that stuck 💪
- Letting go of a dream home for an 800 sq ft apartment & a new life 🏚️➡️🏠
- Building a recovery group where loved ones, doctors, students & misfits all get a seat at the table 🪑❤️
Get ready for a mix of heartbreak, laughter, truth bombs & a whole lotta hope. 💣💬✨
Timestamps:
- 00:00 - Bertarelli Cutlery shoutout & intro 🔪
- 01:23 - Dr. Chris Schenewerk joins the chaos 👋
- 03:00 - Colonoscopy prep & weight loss dreams 💩💭
- 05:07 - Sober date & first (only) rehab 🗓️🍷
- 06:09 - Meeting Angela in rehab 💞
- 08:40 - War stories vs. character defects 💥⚙️
- 11:38 - His kids were sponges absorbing the wreckage 🧽👶
- 13:42 - The trauma that never leaves kids 😢
- 15:20 - Divorce, drinking & blame 🥃💔
- 19:15 - Functioning alcoholic is a lie 🚫🍻
- 21:50 - Blood alcohol levels & reality checks 🧪🧠
- 26:06 - Interview gone wrong & mirror moment 🪞😨
- 29:30 - Checked in before the intervention could happen 🙏
- 31:36 - Why he refused the \"doctor-only\" rehab 🩺🚷
- 35:26 - Humility is the key to first-time success 🙇♂️🔑
- 39:01 - Angela's old bar used to be his watering hole 🍺🏠
- 41:13 - Her blood alcohol was nearly 0.5 before they shocked her back ⚡🩸
- 44:18 - Moved from mansion to minimalism to rebuild life 🏰➡️🛏️
- 47:32 - You won't die without your job, but you might without rehab 🚫💼➡️🏥
- 50:07 - Therapist laid it down: \"You can't fix anyone but yourself\" 🛠️🙅♂️
- 54:59 - The birth of the Three Amigos meeting 👨👩👧👦🔥
- 1:01:06 - Why their AA group is different ✨👐
- 1:03:07 - Medical students are now required to attend 🎓📖
- 1:08:47 - If you clown, expect to get called out 🤡🛑
- 1:10:15 - Triggered by truth? Good. Sit with that. 💥🧠
- 1:12:00 - Calling BS in meetings—why coddling doesn't save lives 🚫🍼
- 1:15:33 - Why victim mentality keeps people stuck 🧱😩
- 1:20:10 - Creating recovery community beyond the meeting walls 🏘️🧑🤝🧑
- 1:24:44 - Getting honest with yourself in step work 🔍🧾
- 1:30:19 - The holy ground of AA: why this stuff works 🙌📿
- 1:37:52 - Final thoughts on service, healing & legacy 💬🕊️
- 1:44:59 - One last bomb from the Doc: stay humble, or get humbled 🔚😤
Books & Resources:
Three Amigos AA Meeting:
Fridays @ 7PM at Life Community Church in Columbia, IL
(Yes, it’s open to the public. Yes, it’s raw & real.)
Sponsored by:
