Episode
How My Mother’s Overdose Led Me to Fentanyl Addiction | Ep 154
- Podcast
- Get a Grip Podcast
- Published
- Apr 19, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 4851
- Processing state
not_requested
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Summary
In this deeply emotional and unflinchingly honest episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes sit down with Nicole Kaufmann to tell a story that cuts straight to the core of trauma, addiction, and survival.Nicole’s journey begins in a chaotic childhood marked by instability and exposure to substance abuse at home—including the haunting memory of her mother taking an entire bottle of Valium. From a young age, Nicole battled severe mental health struggles, including suicidal thoughts that took hold far earlier than most could imagine.As she grew older, drugs became both an escape and a trap. What started with meth and cocaine quickly escalated, especially after being prescribed Xanax. Then came a devastating turning point—losing her mother to an overdose. The grief and pain sent Nicole even deeper, leading to multiple suicide attempts and a cycle of self-destruction that seemed impossible to escape.Her story only intensifies from there. Nicole opens up about surviving abuse in her first marriage, suffering a serious back injury that led to a prescription for Percocet, and the rapid descent into opioid dependence. She shares what it was like to experience brutal oxy withdrawal, moving in with her grandparents in an attempt to stabilize, and facing deeply personal trauma—including being forced into intimacy while her body was shutting down, even entering menopause at just 26.As addiction tightened its grip, Nicole found herself living a double life—delivering pizzas while snorting pills, falling in love with her dealer, and eventually becoming hooked on pressed “30s” and fentanyl. What started as pills turned into powdered fentanyl, pushing her further into dangerous territory.In one of the most powerful moments of the episode, Nicole shares how her grandmo…