On today’s episode of The Addicted Mind Podcast, Duane sits down with father, husband, sales executive, speaker, and author Kyle Dean Houston. They speak about being in the throes of addiction, despairing for hope, staring down your own doom, and ultimately persevering through recovery.
Kyle openly describes trying methamphetamines and quickly spiraling into a needle-using meth user. At rock bottom, Kyle was overcome with depression and tried to overdose, but failed. He talks about spending months in county jail trying to learn to make the right decisions. Making and breaking promises to his family, Kyle eventually realized that he was powerless over his own actions and he couldn’t continue to live that way. Coming to grips with the role that the brain plays in your addiction was crucial during this time.
The moment that really changed everything was when he realized he could have a purpose for his life. Being alone in jail put Kyle in the position to finally start thinking about what he could actually do to change his life. His relationship with God and the spiritual goes back to his childhood, but in the moments alone in jail, his understanding of the spiritual really opened up. He began to see the full weight of his own ability to take control of his life. It struck him like a hammer, he says. He says that in the jail cell, he never felt so alone.
In transitioning out of prison, Kyle was institutionalized and he was scared to death. He knew that people were aware of his problems, his PTSD, and he felt prison would’ve been better. But only five months later, he met his future-wife, who would go on to be his rock and cornerstone. Kyle credits her for virtually all of his success. That, and his intense drive to accomplish what he sets out to do.
Time stamps:
02:40 — Kyle quickly introduces himself.
06:55 — Kyle’s relationship with alcohol led to harder drugs.
16:05 — Understanding the powerlessness of addiction.
18:00 — Without any distractions in jail, Kyle started to think about his purpose.
21:45 — Running toward God when you start to understand your purpose.
23:34 — Unconditional love and oneness supersedes all.
24:55 — Kyle’s transition out of prison.
26:00 — Bulletproof determination and Kyle’s wife as a blessing.
30:00 — Kyle’s decision to share his story.
32:15 — How holding onto shame fuels addictive behavior.
34:00 — Kyle’s advice to the listener.
Key quotes:
05:55 — “My story really starts when I sat down to write the book, because that’s when I began
to let go.”
14:58 — “When you’re in the moment, and you make those promises, you truly mean it.”
17:50 — “Everything that I owned in the world was right there in that cell.”
19:30 — “I remember reflecting deeply on the fact that someday I would die.”
20:50 — “When the noise gets removed, you answer the call.”
21:30 — “The question of what your life is going to be and why is driven right in the middle of
your chest like a sledgehammer.”
22:50 — “The willingness to be honest with yourself about what’s going on in your life is just
the beginning of the work that needs to be done.”
25:50 — “I have a bulletproof belief that I can literally do anything I set my mind to.”
28:00 — “Life is so hard already; if you can find support, it makes it that much easier.”
30:30 — “In an act of self-preservation, I’m going to put this out there for the world.”
34:00 — ”Never give up. Never count yourself out. No matter how many times you’ve
failed…you can get back up.”
Contact:
Visit Kyle’s website at: www.kyledeanhouston.com.
Email Kyle at: kyle@kyledeanhouston.com.
Keep up with Kyle on Instagram and on Facebook @kyledeanhouston.
Preorder Kyle’s book on Amazon below.
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