They Thought It Was Just Xanax—Now They’re Dead | Richard Taite

Summary

Culture Apothecary with Alex Clark

Episode: They Thought It Was Just Xanax—Now They’re Dead | Richard Taite

Date: October 17, 2025
Guest: Richard Taite, founder of Cliffside Malibu & Carrera Treatment Wellness and Spa
Main Theme:
A raw, urgent discussion of America's fentanyl crisis—its deadly reach from teens to veterans to celebrities—the failures in medical and legal systems, and what truly works and doesn’t in addiction recovery.

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Episode Overview

This episode delivers an unvarnished look at the fentanyl epidemic overtaking the U.S., how counterfeit pills and online pharmacies are killing unsuspecting youth, and why addiction is misunderstood. Richard Taite brings data, tough love, and hard-won wisdom from decades in addiction treatment, sharing memorable personal stories, clear solutions, and a philosophy that rejects the disease model in favor of "transcendence." Key segments include a breakdown of the evolving drug landscape, family advice, the intersection of trauma, and distinct solutions for veterans and everyday families.

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Main Discussion Points & Key Insights

The Fentanyl Crisis: A Deadly Gamble

• Russian Roulette Analogy: Taite compares the current drug landscape for youth to Russian roulette, as about "every fifth or sixth pill has a lethal dose of fentanyl." (00:00; 09:55)
• Unknowing Victims: Many fentanyl deaths are not chronic addicts, but casual or first-time users—"A students dying on the weekend" at parties, unknowingly taking laced pills. (02:34)
• Online Pharmacies: Taite describes online pharmaceutical sales as "a breeding ground for the cartels" selling fake, often deadly, pills like Percocet or Xanax. (04:04)
• HALT Act: Praises recent legislation as "genius," keeping fentanyl and its chemical precursors under tough regulation with mandatory sentencing for dealers ("the fentanyl president" motif). (04:31, 09:55)

Memorable Quote:

"If you're on pain medication for longer than five to seven days, it's got you. You don't have it."
— Richard Taite (00:00)

On Parental Awareness:

“If you don't know how to help your child and you know he's using, then you're going to his funeral. You better call for help.”
— Richard Taite (00:20, 52:17)

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How Drugs Reach Kids – and Why Early Parent Conversations Matter

• Social Media’s Role: Fentanyl and other drugs are accessed by underage users through Snapchat, TikTok, and street dealers. (07:15)
• Approaching Your Kids: Taite insists conversations about drugs must start as early as six years old—frequent, loving, and attuned.
  • Example dialogue Taite uses with his own son about never taking a pill from anyone. (12:06)
• Building Trust: Consistent parental attunement and honesty are key in prevention; “If you have to ask how to talk to your children about this, you’re not the one to do it.” (10:47)

Quote:

“You can never take a pill from anybody...they need somebody to co-sign their bad behavior to make them less wrong. But you know it’s wrong. So don’t co-sign anybody’s bad behavior.”
— Richard Taite (12:06)

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Who is Dying and Why?

• Not Just "Addicts": Many victims take a counterfeit pill once and die due to no tolerance; the randomness is what’s so deadly. (02:34)
• Physician Role: Doctors are under-equipped ("one week of addiction training"), and patients must be their own health advocates. (07:40)

Heartbreaking Story:

Taite shares about a young man, seven years sober, prescribed pain meds after a car accident. When the doctor cuts him off, he seeks relief on the street, takes one pill, and is dead within a minute. (07:40)

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The Drug Market’s Evolution: Ketamine, Pink Cocaine, and “Tranq”

• Ketamine Therapy: Taite is skeptical, calling most clinical ketamine therapy "horseshit" outside a narrow, self-selecting group. (22:18)
• New Drug Slang: "2C" or "pink cocaine" is fashionable but usually contains a mix of dangerous substances—ketamine, fentanyl, MDMA, etc.—with charming names masking their lethality. (23:41–24:08)
• "Tranq": Mixture of fentanyl and xylazine (a veterinary tranquilizer), causing gruesome wounds that can’t be counteracted by Narcan. (25:07)

Quote:

"Pink cocaine sounds fun, but there’s very rarely cocaine in it. It’s ketamine, it’s fentanyl, it’s MDMA…”
— Richard Taite (24:08)

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Veterans and the System’s Failures

• Serving Those Who Served: Taite provides pro bono care for veterans and now has a contract to scale up, aiming for 1,000 beds/month. (15:58)
• National Security Implications: 40% of his active-duty military patients test positive for fentanyl, often unknowingly via laced pills. (17:30)
• Treatment for Vets: Specialized, comprehensive protocols are needed, and his centers publish theirs openly. (18:39)

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Addiction: Disease, Choice, or “Transcendence”?

• Rejecting the Disease Model: Taite’s approach (outlined in his upcoming book, "Transcendence") focuses on outgrowing addiction rather than managing a lifelong diagnosis. (05:47, 33:18)
• Aim for Transcendence: “What do you want to be? What do you want to do? Where do you want to go?...Let’s get past that, and let’s get on to living and thriving.” (33:18–33:40)

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Family Advice: What to Do, What to Watch For

• Red Flags: Faded or abnormal behavior? Start drug testing & find a therapist. Don’t hope they’ll “grow out of it”—kids are dying. (19:04)
• Immediate Intervention: Even “just one time” at a party can be fatal; early rehab/therapy is “three years of therapy in 30 days.” (20:22)
• Insurance Realities: Most insurance will cover quality treatment for only a low deductible (~$250–$500); it’s less about cash, more about acting quickly. (21:08)

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Why Treatment Centers Succeed or Fail

• Insurance Squeeze: Payouts are down, stays shorter (~23 days), leading to high recidivism and closure of centers. (38:34)
• Luxury & In-Network Options: Taite offers both ultra-luxury (Carrera, $195k/month) and affordable, in-network centers, with top-tier staff rotating between. (36:59–37:12; 52:57)
• Celebrity Enabling: Managers/agents often push stars out of rehab early to get back to work, harming long-term outcomes. (39:57–41:19)

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Trauma & Recovery

• Root Cause: Trauma (in all degrees) underlies most addiction; treatment must address more than the substance. (47:49)
• Aftercare: Ongoing support is non-negotiable–likened to working out a muscle. Taite uses a "pizza" metaphor for holistic life fulfillment. (49:41)
• Self-Love as Prevention: Spa and self-care are integrated into treatment to teach self-esteem as a critical pillar against relapse. (51:10)

Quote:

"Self care turns in to self esteem, which turns into self love. And I’ve never met anyone, ever … who tried to kill themselves with drugs and alcohol, who truly love themselves."
— Richard Taite (51:10)

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For Those Currently Struggling

• Steps for Help: Seek treatment immediately—don’t wait.
• You’re Not Stuck: “We are the most talented people alive. We’re the only people that you can find in a dumpster, and seven years later, we're the district attorney.” (54:21)
• Rehab Isn’t Failure: Relapse isn’t failure. You keep trying; “Never” stop helping a loved one. (33:55)

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Culture’s Remedy

• Spiritual and Social Media Detox:
  “Get off social media and get closer to God. I’m not religious, but I love God with every fiber in my body.” (55:08)
• Hope as a Gift: Addiction is not a sentence, but a catalyst for building a “big life” and helping others. (55:46)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00, 09:55: The Russian roulette of fentanyl-laced pills
• 02:34: Why “good kids” are dying
• 04:31: HALT Act and legislative action
• 07:40: Most heartbreaking family story & medical system failures
• 12:06: How to talk to kids about drugs – real example
• 15:58, 17:30: Veterans falling through the cracks, military fentanyl exposure
• 19:04: What signs parents should watch for
• 22:18, 23:41: Ketamine therapy, “pink cocaine,” and new drug trends
• 25:07: “Tranq”—the deadliest new street drug
• 33:18–33:40: Taite’s “transcendence” philosophy
• 39:57–41:19: Celebrity enabling and conflicts with treatment
• 47:49: Trauma’s role in addiction and recovery
• 49:41: Aftercare and “life pizza” metaphor for wellness
• 51:10: Self-love as the root of recovery
• 52:17: Direct advice for parents discovering drug use
• 52:57: How to choose an affordable, quality treatment center
• 54:21: Encouragement for those currently in recovery
• 55:08: Remedy for sick culture: less social media, more spirituality

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Notable Quotes

• “You better call for help…If you don’t know how to help your child and you know he’s using, then you’re going to his funeral.” — Richard Taite (00:20, 52:17)
• “Fentanyl is killing people that don’t typically use fentanyl…The A students are dying on the weekend.” — Richard Taite (02:34)
• “I have a different outlook on substance use disorder…better is better.” — Richard Taite (32:38)
• “Never. Because I’ve had more sobriety dates than there are dates on the calendar…We don’t ever throw anybody away.” — Richard Taite (33:55)
• “We go on to thriving and have big lives that help so many people. It’s such a gift.” — Richard Taite (55:46)
• “Get off social media and get closer to God.” — Richard Taite (55:08)
• "Even a busted clock is right twice a day…if you don’t give the President credit for anything, you don’t matter…it's un-American; as he does well, we all do well." — Richard Taite (58:50)

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Further Resources

• Carrera Treatment Wellness and Spa: Elite, private rehab in Beverly Hills
• One Method Center: Top in-network, affordable treatment in Cheviot Hills, CA
• One Call Placement: Free referral service for treatment options
• Transcendence by Richard Taite (book): Out soon
• Podcast: "We're Out of Time with Richard Taite"

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The Takeaway

This is an urgent, compassionate call to action. Fentanyl is a threat to every family. Don’t wait: early, comprehensive intervention, honest family conversations, and ongoing aftercare—rather than shame or denial—are critical. Addiction is not a death sentence, but a prompt to build a bigger, better life through “transcendence.” Most importantly: Reach out for help, and never give up on someone struggling.

Transcript

[Richard Tate]

If you're on pain medication for longer than five to seven days, it's got you. You don't have it. Doctors have one week of addiction treatment, education in medical school. Every fifth or sixth pill has a lethal dose of fentanyl in it. So it really is Russian roulette.

[Alex Clark]

What do you say to the mom who knows that her child is using but doesn't know how to help them?

[Richard Tate]

If you don't know how to help your child and you know he's using, then you're going to his funeral. You better call for help.

[Alex Clark]

Fentanyl is now the number one killer of Americans aged 18 to 45. Not cancer, not car crashes, not taking your own life. One pill can take your child, your friend, your partner, and they might not even know what they took. Today we're tackling the growing popularity of ketamine therapy, the fentanyl crisis, celebrity addiction, luxury rehab facilities, why veterans are falling through the cracks, and what President Trump is doing about all of this. Plus, what really works when someone you love is spiraling with addiction. My guest is Richard Tate, a nationally recognized addiction recovery exper, founder of the world renowned Cliffside Malibu and now Carrera Treatment wellness and Spa. He's helped celebrities, veterans and everyday families navigate the darkest corners of addiction and find real recovery. This conversation is life saving and fascinating and if you're a parent or you know someone who is struggling, you need to hear this. I'd love if you could first pause this episode, leave a five star review on Spotify or Apple podcast. It takes literally 5 seconds or less and greatly impacts the show and my amazing team who work so hard behind the scenes on it. Every episode is a available to watch on YouTube by subscribing to real Alex Clark or on the Culture Apothecary Spotify, which offers video. Please welcome addiction specialist Richard Tate to Culture Apothecary. CDC data found that between April of 2019 and April of 2021, fentanyl poisoning was the leading cause of death for Americans 18 to 45. It was not cancer, it was not car accidents, it was fentanyl. But you've said that people who are overdosing and dying from fentanyl are typically just unlucky. They're not even addicted. So what does that even mean?

[Richard Tate]

Fentanyl is killing people that don't typically use fentanyl because the fentanyl users that use fentanyl have a tolerance for it. Right? And so what's really happening is you'll go to the rave, you'll go to the party, you'll go to the bar and you'll be given something from a friend. You take half a pill and you die. And the reason you die is because you don't have any tolerance for it. Okay, so the A students are dying on the weekend. The high school students, the college students. This is who's really dying.

[Alex Clark]

And what we're seeing is kids are dying from one pill. It could be the first time that they've ever taken anything. It's just one pill that they're popping and then they're dying. Is there any way to tell what is real and what isn't real? I mean, kids that are taking drugs, like, how do they know, how is it that they're accidentally taking fentanyl?

[Richard Tate]

First of all, you never take fentanyl. Fentanyl is to be given if you're giving birth. It's fast acting and not long lasting. Okay? This is why you use fentanyl under the supervision of a physician. It's not for end users. The way you know it's fake is if you don't get it from a doctor, from a pharmacy and not an online pharmacy. The online pharmacies are killing everybody. Any drugs that you get on the street and any drugs you get from an online pharmacy you can assume are laced with fentanyl. And it is about 70% of the time.

[Alex Clark]

What are online pharmacies? How are they killing people?

[Richard Tate]

Well, online pharmacies are a breeding ground for the cartels. So they're selling on online pharmacies fake pills.

[Alex Clark]

So people think that they're getting what, for example? And it's.

[Richard Tate]

They're getting a Percocet, a Percodan, a Vicodin, whatever they think they're getting.

[Alex Clark]

And it could be fentanyl.

[Richard Tate]

Yes.

[Alex Clark]

And is this not regulated at all?

[Richard Tate]

Well, it is now with the HALT act that the president just put in.

[Alex Clark]

What is the HALT act that the president just put in?

[Richard Tate]

It's genius. Let me tell you what the fentanyl president did. And I call him the fentanyl president. Okay? What he did was he signed into law an act that basically changes. First thing it did was it made it a Schedule 1 drug, which is the highest you can get. The second thing it did was the precursor chemicals. Every time you change one little ingredient to a pill, the, the law no longer applies. So what he did was he enveloped this law so that when the dealers change one little ingredient, but it's basically the same drug, it's. You're still, you're still going to jail. The. I think it was 10 years that it's now mandatory if you selling fentanyl and you kill somebody, okay? And just so you know, these aren't overdoses. These people are being murdered. This is poison, okay? When you give something to someone that they're not bargaining for, you're being poisoned. And if you die, you're being murdered. So let's call it what it is.

[Alex Clark]

Do you think addiction is a disease? A choice?

[Richard Tate]

So I just wrote a book that's coming out in a couple weeks called Transcendence. And it's going to redefine what drug addiction really is. See, drug addiction right now is a sentence. They call it a disease, it really isn't, okay? You can go ahead and thrive in the world after drug addiction, okay? You can. And when you talk about a disease, what you're really doing is you're asking God all day long to help you stay sober. Now, I've got a great relationship with God. People laugh at me about the pipeline, okay? But I don't ask God all day long to help me stay sober. That's not an issue. I've completely transcended that, okay? So I can do whatever I want, whenever I want. It's just if I have a glass of wine and I start to feel a little bit, I don't have the, oh, if a little is good, more is better. I don't have that thing anymore. So I'll push the wine aside and go, oh, that feels nice. Right at the very beginning. That is transcendence. It's the polar opposite of the disease model. And it's again, it's like we were talking about earlier before the show. It's all about common sense.

[Alex Clark]

Where are kids buying pills online? I mean, are kids under 18 getting access to pills online?

[Richard Tate]

They're getting it from Snapchat. That's where this thing is happening. TikTok. They're preying on our children. It's not just human trafficking. It's not just that, okay? It's all of it. When you're, when you have children, you have to be really on it and watch what these kids are involved in.

[Alex Clark]

You've spoken to so many families who have lost children to fentanyl. What's one of the most heartbreaking stories you've heard?

[Richard Tate]

The most heartbreaking story I've heard is, is the story that got me back to work. After a 5 year non compete, I treated an entire family and my favorite had seven years sober. He got into a car accident. A doctor put him on pain medication for two months. By the way if you're on pain medication for longer than five to seven days, it's got you. You don't have it. And doctors have one week of addiction treatment, education in medical school, they know less than nothing. Which is why when people say, well, I got it from the doctor, no, you have to be your own advocate for health. Now. This is. This is the world we're living in. And now the kid gets cut off by the doctor. And back in my day, you could doctor shop. You could go and go to this doctor and that doctor and all this other stuff, okay? Today you can't, because all the systems talk to each other. So he's cut off, and now he's detoxing. He's sick, and he's. And he needs to get well. He went and got one pill. One. He's on the street. He takes one pill. He slumped over in less than a minute over his steering wheel and dead. And I went insane. I went insane. And that coupled with the fact that I'm a father and I'm scared to death about my children, so I felt like I was going to be punished, like something bad would happen to my children, like happened to my boy. Okay? And that was too much for me. That's why I came back to work and started the we're out of Time podcast to raise awareness of fentanyl. There is nothing more unnatural in the world than bearing your child. It's not something anybody gets through. It's not something that anybody gets over. It will destroy your entire family forever. Forever. So get on it.

[Alex Clark]

Why is the border so critical in this crisis? What is not being said to the media?

[Richard Tate]

You know, look again. The fentanyl president's doing it. All right, okay. And. And listen, he is the fentanyl president. He's mentioned fentanyl more times in his first hundred days than the last two presidents combined. The border is so important. And the reason the border is so important is because China, who is the most buttoned down country, the most surveilled country in the world, they knowingly are letting fentanyl precursors go to Mexico, where you've got an Hispanic in a hazmat suit. I'm not being hyperbolic. With an oar right, in a vat, and they're doing this, and then they pour it in the pill mills. So you're. Every fifth or sixth pill, I think, has a lethal dose of fentanyl in it. So it really is Russian roulette.

[Alex Clark]

Yeah, I was just gonna say that's Russian roulette. That is exactly every time you take it. I mean, you could die.

[Richard Tate]

It's not if, it's when. Yeah, it's when you're going to die. And I want to tell you something about the kids. People ask me all the time, how do I talk to my children? And I tell them, if you have to ask how to talk to your children about this, you're not the one to talk to your children about this. Because when you become a parent for the first time, you want to get down on your child's level, put your phone away and connect, right? If you don't start with that foundation, and then at the very least, now, if you haven't put your phone down and connect with your small children, okay, then you're not going to build that trust. They're not going to listen to you. My children listen to me. They listen to their mother. We've been attuned to their needs before they knew they even had a need as a child. And that builds trust. So if you have to ask, and I'm not talking about asking for the know how of doing it, but even if you're. Even if you have to ask, it's like, why would you have to ask how to have a conversation with your children about something that's messy?

[Alex Clark]

I mean, what age do you think you should start talking about drugs?

[Richard Tate]

Oh, I started talking to my kids about it at 6.

[Alex Clark]

So how does that conversation sound like? How do you bring a conversation like that up?

[Richard Tate]

I'll tell you exactly what I said to my children and what I always say to my children. I tell them that I'm absolutely in love with them and not to. And not to co sign somebody's bad behavior. I'll tell you what I told my kid I last year when I was taking him to school, as I'm letting him out of the car, I said, hey, buddy, I need to tell you something real quick. And he said, what is it, Daddy? And I said, you can never take a pill from anybody. He said, daddy, we've talked about this a hundred times. I said, I know, pal, but you're going into sixth grade today for the first time. You're going to middle school. And I want to tell you how it's going to happen. Someone's going to offer you a pill or a powder or a vape because it's in the vapes. And they're going to do that. And the reason they're going to do it is because they need somebody to co sign their bad behavior to make them less wrong. But you know it's wrong. So don't co sign anybody's bad behavior, okay buddy? Because it's not something I can get over. I love you. You're the only son I have. And he said, okay, daddy, I love you. I won't. I promise. That's how you talk to your child.

[Alex Clark]

It's just an ongoing conversation. It's bringing this up frequently. It's not one and done. It's throughout their life, reminding them early and often.

[Richard Tate]

These kids don't even have a front their, their frontal cortex developed yet until they're like what, 23, 25 years old. So you're basically walking around with brain damage and you think you're indestructible. Okay? And that's a bad combination.

[Alex Clark]

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[Richard Tate]

You know, right now we're taking veterans right off the street and we're putting them into treatment. I've been treating the veterans for 17 years without a contract. Three people at all times for free, and we just got a contract. So now I'm really on it, and now I can afford to treat more veterans. We hired a CEO to scale to a thousand beds because I want to treat a thousand veterans a month. That's what I want. And then put them through outpatient, who's.

[Alex Clark]

Mostly on the street right now. Is it. Is it Afghanistan veterans, Iraq veterans, or older?

[Richard Tate]

That's a great question. I never ask.

[Alex Clark]

Oh, you don't ask?

[Richard Tate]

I don't ask.

[Alex Clark]

Okay.

[Richard Tate]

If you're a veteran, I love you.

[Alex Clark]

Yeah.

[Richard Tate]

Okay. I don't need to know which war you fought in. Okay. But I will tell you this. It's a national security issue because you can't have people on sidewalks, in encampments, and then have people sign up for a voluntary military.

[Alex Clark]

Oh. Because people are like, this is my future if I do this.

[Richard Tate]

That's exactly right. And. And even though. Even though right now the president has got a big campaign to increase our military. Our voluntary and military doing great. Okay. But over time, this is going to become a problem. But I'll tell you what the biggest problem is right now with the military. I also treat the active military, and 40% of the active military is coming in on fentanyl. And half of these people swear on a stack of bibles that they've never used it.

[Alex Clark]

Where's it coming from?

[Richard Tate]

It's coming from China and Mexico.

[Alex Clark]

But how's it getting into them?

[Richard Tate]

Well, up until just recently, it's been crossing the border.

[Alex Clark]

You mean because they're taking some other drug? They don't. They don't think it's fentanyl. That's why they're saying, I've never taken this. Okay.

[Richard Tate]

40% of them say they've never taken fentanyl, but they're on, like, a percocet. Or a Xanax or whatever they are, and they're laced with fentanyl.

[Alex Clark]

Okay?

[Richard Tate]

There's a problem with getting your military fighting force, the best fighting force in the history of the world, loaded on fentanyl, Right? That's a China thing, man. Okay? That's how they want it.

[Alex Clark]

Because they're getting their drugs through these online places instead of through a doctor or what?

[Richard Tate]

Because through the street, through dealers, through online. Doesn't matter where they're getting it. The, the part that bothers me is the readiness of our military when they're infiltrating our military with fentanyl. I think that is one of the biggest dangers to natural security that we have today.

[Alex Clark]

Is there a special way to go about treating a veteran who's struggling with addiction as opposed to, like, somebody else?

[Richard Tate]

On our website, on the One Method center website, in the navigation bar, we have a whole protocol for actually treating the veterans, and it's comprehensive and it's soup to nuts. So that's the type of thing that will completely eradicate the fentanyl use in our military, for sure.

[Alex Clark]

Are there signs that parents should be looking out for in their kids before it's too late?

[Richard Tate]

Yeah. If you look at your kid and he looks faded or not normal. Right. Then start drug testing them immediately, and then he needs a therapist immediately. Immediately. And really, you know, it's even almost past that. It depends on your kid. You know, these are things that no one's growing out of anymore, okay? Because they're dying. So you really have to get your kid into a top notch treatment facility right away. Right away. Or at least consult the facility to see where your child is in that arc. Right? The kid took one pill, okay? But the problem is you never know what they're taking because kids always defend their right to drink and use. That's just the way it works. Any person who's using drugs or alcohol excessively will defend their right to drink and use.

[Alex Clark]

Okay, so let's say you've got a kid. You're talking about one pill, for example. Or like they get busted sneaking out and going to one party. I mean, is that kid. Are you putting your kid in rehab?

[Richard Tate]

My kid?

[Alex Clark]

Yeah.

[Richard Tate]

My kid's going to rehab the next day.

[Alex Clark]

Even just one time, being at a party, drinking underage.

[Richard Tate]

Absolutely.

[Alex Clark]

Really?

[Richard Tate]

Absolutely. Because if you go to my rehab, if you go to Carrera or one method, that's three years of therapy in 30 days. So in what universe are, are you not a different person once you've had three year, three years of therapy thrown into 30 days.

[Alex Clark]

Right. But I'm just, and I'm just playing devil's advocate for some parents. Listening of teenagers is like, okay, who of us didn't go to like a house party and just have like a couple beers or whatever? Oh, my mom found out, I guess. Like how do they know the severity with their child? Like do I really have to spend the money to put them in a treatment center just for being a teenager and doing that? That's different I think than like oh my kids, you know, recreationally, like popping Xanax bars.

[Richard Tate]

Okay. Or well, there is no money involved. Okay? You can have an HMO insurance policy and for 250 to $500 deductible, you're going to get 30 days of free treatment. Okay? So the money thing is just. Thanks for bringing that up because the viewers don't know that. But there is no waiting anymore. That's the thing. Look, if you love your children then you don't risk it. There's nothing bad that's gonna happen if you put your child into a treatment facility where they're going to get scared straight. Listen, the best medically assisted treatment that you can possibly get is top notch treatment. Top notch because what it does is it ruins your using. You can't unring a bell, right? So now what happens is if you relapse and the duration is a much shorter and less violent, which saves your life.

[Alex Clark]

As a nationally recognized addiction expert and founder of Carrera Treatment center in Beverly Hills, what is your opinion on ketamine therapy?

[Richard Tate]

Personally, I don't like it. Okay, but it works for some small population. But it only works for a population. And I know you're going to ask me which population. The population that believes it.

[Alex Clark]

Okay, so you don't believe it.

[Richard Tate]

I don't believe in it.

[Alex Clark]

Why?

[Richard Tate]

Because I think it's horseshit. That's why.

[Alex Clark]

Explain.

[Richard Tate]

Because it's not necessary, okay? I don't see the value in it at all. I don't. The people that have done it, I don't see any long lasting benefit. Some people, I see a short lasting benefit. But there's all sorts of ways to do that and get you into your long, your long sobriety arc. There is no reason to do this when you have so many different interventions and it's dangerous. Even with a physician. Depending on the physician you get, it can be dangerous.

[Alex Clark]

I feel like what I hear is that ketamine, recreational use, not as treatment is exploding amongst college kids. And I know that it I feel like the first time I started hearing about college kids using ketamine at parties was like. Like 2016, 2017. I feel like it's gotten even more popular now that we've had, like, you know, eight, nine, 10 years. Are you seeing this rise in popularity?

[Richard Tate]

Yeah, I see it. I see it. Along with the other drugs, like 2C, which is pink cocaine, and the Whippets and all this nonsense.

[Alex Clark]

What's 2C?

[Richard Tate]

2C. That's what they call it. That's the street name for pink cocaine.

[Alex Clark]

I think this is important because this is, like, parents need to know. So pink cocaine is just cute.

[Richard Tate]

No, I love that. It's great marketing. Right. It's not defund the police.

[Alex Clark]

Right, right.

[Richard Tate]

It's great marketing. Okay.

[Alex Clark]

It's just food dye or.

[Richard Tate]

That's right. It's poison. First of all, pink cocaine sounds fun, but there's very rarely cocaine in it. It's ketamine, it's fentanyl, it's mdma, and sometimes cocaine, it could have some speed in it. It's. It's different. It reminds me of the farm parties. P H A R M parties, where kids would just go into their mother's cabinets and their grandmother's medicine cabinets, grab a handful of pills, they'd walk into a party, there'd be a big bowl. You know the bowls that you have of candy on Halloween? They'd throw these into the. Into the bowl. And then when everybody got there, they'd all take a handful of pills and throw them down. And that's why everybody ended up in the ER room back then. That's pink cocaine. It is the single most dangerous thing you can. You can do right now because you don't know what's in it. And it's different all the time.

[Alex Clark]

Okay, I've never heard of that, so I'm glad that you brought that up.

[Richard Tate]

It's horrific. You want to hear something else?

[Alex Clark]

Yes.

[Richard Tate]

That you're going to. That you're going to just absolutely hate. What? Fentanyl mixed with Xylazine, they call it tranq. Okay. You. You put it. You take a shot, you put it in your arm, and it creates a hole this big where you can see your bone in it. Ew. I know. And then you slump over like a zombie where your knuckles are hitting the ground and it's coming to a suburb near you. It is the single most dangerous thing. And you can't take Narcan to save yourself on it. You can't. Oh, and you know what Xylazine is? You're going to die. Do you know what it's meant for? No. Putting down large livestock. Killing large livestock.

[Alex Clark]

And kids are taking this?

[Richard Tate]

Yes.

[Alex Clark]

Is this popular in Los Angeles?

[Richard Tate]

Downtown it is, but everything moves. It starts downtown.

[Alex Clark]

Skid row.

[Richard Tate]

That's right. And then it does this.

[Alex Clark]

How do drugs in Los Angeles get from skid row into, like, into, I don't know, Brentwood.

[Richard Tate]

Well, it's just like what we were talking about earlier, right? Word of mouth. And then it. This is the one that gets you so high, man.

[Alex Clark]

Do you think Matthew Perry's death was a wake up call on the risks of ketamine?

[Richard Tate]

Matthew Perry's death was an indictment on doctors, okay? It's the same thing that just happened, I believe. Make certain you get that I believe in. Because nobody wants to be sued. Same thing happened with Jim Mercenary. And he was the owner of the Colts in Indianapolis, where you're from, who was a wonderful man, okay? And he was, I believe, let down by his doctor.

[Alex Clark]

And they were doing ketamine as a therapy for these people.

[Richard Tate]

He was doing ketamine and everything else, I believe. I don't remember the exact drug, okay? But it doesn't matter. What matters is, is that it's an indictment. The Perry thing was about people around him that owed him a duty to take care of him. The same thing is happening all the time. The doctors of celebrity. Okay, think about it this way. You're a doctor, which means you went to school for your entire life, okay? You missed the parties, you missed everything. And now you get to talk to all your friends about treating Matthew Perry.

[Alex Clark]

Right?

[Richard Tate]

And other celebrities. Come on now, this is just common sense.

[Alex Clark]

How do you convince somebody who doesn't think they have a problem to get help?

[Richard Tate]

You don't have to. You don't have to. There's only two types of people that come into treatment. Only two. One to get well and one to get the heat off. There's not one statement that's killed more people other than he has to get better for himself. We don't have that luxury anymore. We're out of time. We can't do that. This is ridiculous. If it was true that you. You could not get sober unless you did it for yourself, then 50% of the people that we have, okay, that are coming to treatment to get the heat off, 50% of those people wouldn't get sober. And about 50% of the people that don't even want to get sober get sober with us. That's just the way. That's just the way the Numbers work out.

[Alex Clark]

So how do you get them in there?

[Richard Tate]

It's called an intervention. Okay, but remember, the people that don't want to come in are coming in to get the heat off, right? So it's either a health problem or their kids won't speak to them, or their wife is leaving them, or they got a problem with the job or. Or they got a problem with the law or they've created records with lawsuits. Whatever it is, okay, they don't want to come in. That have to come in. That's most of it.

[Alex Clark]

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[Richard Tate]

First of all, to please the parents is really a good thing because kids are hardwired to love their parents unless their parents have been completely absentee landlords. Okay? That's the general rule. And so, like, so, for example, my kids will not take a pill, God willing, okay? Because they know it would destroy me. That's good enough. But also because my kids are emotionally healthy and have self respect and self love and self esteem. They won't do it because they don't want to die, because they've got a future that we talk about all the time. Because my children are going to have a different lot in life. My children have to understand that there's a responsibility with what their life is going to be about.

[Alex Clark]

How can families avoid enabling while still loving their person through addiction?

[Richard Tate]

Yeah, you can't enable your children. Those days are over. Okay? It's time to get back to parents being parents and children being children. Okay, That's. That's the best answer I can give you. You know, all this whole podcast is just about common sense. That's my whole thing. Okay? I have a different outlook on substance use disorder than most people in the addiction industry, but the people in the addiction industry have done things one way the entire time, and I believe better is better.

[Alex Clark]

Well, what is different about your take on addiction compared to the rest of the industry?

[Richard Tate]

Okay, well, I'm all about transcendence. What do you want to be? What do you want to do? Where do you want to go? Okay, let's get this thing. Let's get this speed bump over there and let's get to thriving in the world. The other more prevalent idea in this industry is you're saddled with a disease forever.

[Alex Clark]

Right?

[Richard Tate]

I'm not about the labels. I'm about let's blow this off. Let's get past that, and let's get on to living and thriving and building a family and getting a career.

[Alex Clark]

If somebody keeps relapsing, when do you stop trying to save them?

[Richard Tate]

Never. Because I've had more sobriety dates than there are dates on the calendar, and I've given 10, 000 people back to their loved ones. We don't ever throw anybody away. Not ever. Not ever.

[Alex Clark]

What are most people getting wrong when it comes to helping somebody recover from substance abuse or addiction?

[Richard Tate]

Well, they don't know. They don't know. Most people get it wrong because they give advice that they don't know about, Right? So you need to seek treatment if you have a problem with a loved one that's drinking or using themselves to death. And I say drinking too, because drinking affects your decision making, right? You take a drink, all of a sudden a pill sounds good to you, right? If you've got that going on in your life, you need to seek treatment right away. Because we're out of time. That's why I call my podcast we're out of time. Because we are out of time. I'm a father. When you have children as late in life as I did, you don't just love your children, you love all children.

[Alex Clark]

So what are, like, quick steps? Like, what are people getting wrong when it comes to addiction? What can they do to help their loved ones?

[Richard Tate]

You call for treatment immediately. You call for treatment immediately. You can ask your doctor, you can look online. It's not that hard. And you can call us. You can call a number called one call placement, the number one call placement. You know, we can only take one in four people that call us. That's it. The other three out of four we refer out. And the reason we refer it out is because I don't ever want anyone ever to think that we don't care about them because they can't come to one of our treatment centers. So we're referring out 75% of possible treatment every day.

[Alex Clark]

You say that people can find complete freedom from addiction and trauma, not just manage it.

[Richard Tate]

How? The way I have, okay, you go to. You go to therapy, you know, listen. And you can go to AA too. But AA is not treatment. It's a support group. I love aa, okay? AA gave me a life. It was my foundation. But I needed more. Okay? So I went to therapy once a week. Then I realized that wasn't enough. And then I ended up going five times a week. Okay, Now I needed that because I'm slow And I needed to get this thing. And I was a really, really bad addict, so that's what I needed. You know, I've got people in treatment that go through the three years of treatment in 30 days, right? And then they walk out and it's like, oh, no, I'm good. No, dude, Yale Law School's good. You're in rehab. Let me tell you what you need. You just had 40 hours of treatment a week. 40 hours, okay? You can't do three hours a week on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday or Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. You can't go to a therapist three times a week. I mean, look at Carrera. We're. We're marketing to like, what, 250,000 people in the country, okay. They can afford therapy three times a.

[Alex Clark]

Week because Carrera is like top 1% that are struggling with addiction.

[Richard Tate]

Top two tenths of 1%.

[Alex Clark]

Yeah.

[Richard Tate]

Okay. That can afford it. It's $195,000 a month.

[Alex Clark]

Like the most elite politicians and celebrities or who's going to that. But you have another treatment center for. For people like me.

[Richard Tate]

I have another treatment center for people that if they want to spend 250 to 501 time only for their deductible, they can come get treatment at my affordable facility. And 80% of my staff goes from both centers. Carrera is one of one. Okay? There's nothing like it. If you go somewhere other than Carrera and you had the ability to. To afford Carrera, you're pissed.

[Alex Clark]

Are there any celebrities who they've openly talked about going to Carrera?

[Richard Tate]

Do you know what's funny? I don't let them. Oh. I don't want anybody saying it. And here's the reason why. If you take your will back and you leave before you're ready to. Which a lot of people do. Okay. And you relapse. It makes me look like I'm not effective. Yeah, we are effective.

[Alex Clark]

So do you make them sign something like you're not allowed to say you came?

[Richard Tate]

I asked them not to. I asked them not to.

[Alex Clark]

That makes sense. I mean, I get it. From a business perspective, I wouldn't want that either.

[Richard Tate]

But some of them have been in the public, right? Some of them have been in the public. And the ones that have been in the public haven't relapsed. So I'm really encouraged by that. But, you know, that's usually leaked by the management.

[Alex Clark]

Yeah.

[Richard Tate]

Or the agents. Because a celebrity has gotten into trouble and now they're being rehabilitated by Carrera. Right. Because of our reputation.

[Alex Clark]

Why do you think so many treatment programs fail?

[Richard Tate]

Oh, I can tell you exactly why they fail. When I. When I left my last place, after I sold it seven years ago, there were 18,000 treatment centers. Today, there's just under 10,000. So how do you lose almost half the treatment centers in the country in less than seven years during the worst opioid epidemic we've ever had? The reason is. Is because insurance companies, when I left the last time, were paying 67 cents on the dollar for every dollar we billed. Today, they're paying 25 cents on the dollar for every dollar you build. Also, the length of stay used to be about 30 days. Now it's on average about 23 days. It's a profit motive. That's all it is. Insurance companies are meant to take money and not to let money out. I mean, that's not news.

[Alex Clark]

Do you think that most luxury rehab centers are money grabs?

[Richard Tate]

A lot of them are. Okay. But they're all going out of business now anyway. Why? Because they don't have the ability to get cash business. They've got the ability to get good insurance business and an occasional cash client. Okay, that's not what we do. Now, of course, we've got a revenue cycle management company that will take insurance to offset the high cost. I mean, obviously we want to do that.

[Alex Clark]

Do agents and managers enable addiction because they need their client back on set?

[Richard Tate]

Absolutely. And it's the biggest impediment to. To treating celebrities because agents and managers only get paid when their client's working. And they're so short sighted. If I had a n for every time I've had this conversation, I'd be living in lower Bel Air. Okay, hey, dude, listen to me, okay? This guy needs another 30 or 45 days. Then you have zero problems and you can go on thriving in the world making money off this guy for the rest of your life. How about that?

[Alex Clark]

They're seeing this as 30 days of this person not working. I'm losing money as instead of like a lifetime of this person being alive because they've beat their addiction. And then they can keep working for.

[Richard Tate]

Longer and they're going to lose a potential job opportunity, which they're not going to lose. Because now when this guy's. Well, the production isn't going to require a huge insurance policy to ensure that this guy doesn't get inebriated and, and, and lose his way during the shoot.

[Alex Clark]

Have you ever had to confront a celebrity's team, their manager or their lawyer because you felt like they Were enabling them and have like a come to.

[Richard Tate]

Jesus moment all the time. And it's never. And it's never gone well because these people don't like being screamed at.

[Alex Clark]

So give an example. Without naming names, what is like one of the most egregious things that you've seen as far as teams enabling a celebrity to use?

[Richard Tate]

Somebody wanting a celebrity out the second they're detoxed? Even before they're fully detoxed. That happens all the time. How insane is that?

[Alex Clark]

And so what do you say?

[Richard Tate]

I don't know if I can say that on your show. Okay.

[Alex Clark]

Yeah.

[Richard Tate]

But it's firm and it's meant to shame people and shut them up and it usually works.

[Alex Clark]

What doesn't the public see about? How fame can fuel addiction?

[Richard Tate]

Look, fame is lonely, okay? I enjoy my privacy. I do. And I'm becoming a public figure. Celebrity is always forced to be on and it's gotta be exhausting. And so you can never have a moment to yourself out in the world. You just can't.

[Alex Clark]

Only behind closed doors.

[Richard Tate]

Only behind closed doors.

[Alex Clark]

I always think about this when it comes to Taylor Swift.

[Richard Tate]

God, I love her. She's the best.

[Alex Clark]

This is why. This is why we get along.

[Richard Tate]

No, you and I are the same person.

[Alex Clark]

I'm a die hard swifty. But I always think about that with her because that's. I mean, she is now reached a level of fame. She's up there with the Beatles, Beatlemania, Michael Jackson, Prince. I mean, this is like she's one of the biggest, you know, of all time now at this point. And so she cannot go anywhere or do anything without somebody talking to her. Pictures, videos, like there's no privacy. I mean, she had a little vacation on some, like, deserted private island with Travis Kelsey. Paparazzi still found them and got grainy photos. Like that feeling of always, no matter what, being watched would be so freaky.

[Richard Tate]

Yeah. And it's a lonely existence. Right, because you're forced to be alone a lot of the times. So I think that causes a lot.

[Alex Clark]

Of stress and can't trust anybody.

[Richard Tate]

Celebrity has it tough. Now, the average layperson says, wah, right, you're so rich and everything else. But everybody has their cross to bear.

[Alex Clark]

What is one of the darkest things that you have heard a celebrity reveal about their Hollywood experience behind closed doors? Being drugged and raped as children, as adults?

[Richard Tate]

Both. Both. And, you know, as the father of a daughter, that's, you know, one of my greatest fears.

[Alex Clark]

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[Richard Tate]

When you get done with your detox, right, Your head is still cloudy and it's going to be cloudy throughout that first month because you don't get to Come in. Okay. Abusing yourself to such a high degree. Right? And then your head clears up in the first 30 days, which is why I don't like people to leave in 30 days.

[Alex Clark]

What's the ideal time to spend in rehab?

[Richard Tate]

It depends on. On where you are in your arc. Right. So insurance companies believe it's 30 days or less. Right. There was even a movie about it, 28 Days with Sandra Bullock. Right. And they got that because that's all that insurance company wanted to pay. The government says it's 90 days is ideal. And the truth is a lot more nuanced. There's six stages of how human beings actually change their behaviors. And. And depending on where you are on that arc, determines what interventions to use to gently move someone through to the next arc, to the next stage, and then you're recovered. Right. So, for example, the first stage is pre contemplation. What does that mean? Just a fancy word for denial. You're in denial, and then it goes all the way up to maintenance and then transcendence, which is where I am. The problem with talking about transcendence is it's a goal to achieve, but not a lot of people achieve it. Okay? But that's the goal, and that's where you want to be. But to answer your question about what works, cbt, dbt, neurofeedback, tms, you know, all of it. All of it. And we've got a list on the website of everything that we do.

[Alex Clark]

What role does trauma play in addiction that people don't talk about?

[Richard Tate]

Trauma's most of it. Sometimes it doesn't rise to the level of trauma, but we put it under the umbrella of trauma, and that's okay. Not everybody has to suffer trauma, but it's a problem for them because it's so real to them and so painful for them. That's how you treat addiction. You treat the trauma, you treat the pain. Okay? Because think about it. Medication doesn't treat illness. It's symptoms maintenance. This is the type of thing where you actually get your life back, but not the life that you had before you were derailed by the drugs and the alcohol. A better life. Because if you can't replace your drug in using life with something of equal or greater value, you can't stay sober. And I don't care what anybody says.

[Alex Clark]

If somebody's listening to this and they are currently secretly struggling with addiction and no one in their life knows, how do you gain the courage to admit.

[Richard Tate]

That you need help when you're done taking the beatings okay. If you yourself don't have the esteem, the self esteem, right. To go ahead and get well in light of everything we've talked about and how dangerous this climate is and how you can die in any minute, then you have to take your beatings. And the second you've had enough, that's when you start getting well. The problem is, is that we're out of time. We don't have that kind of time anymore. So by the time a lot of people have had enough, they're already gone, way gone.

[Alex Clark]

What are non negotiable things somebody in recovery must do once they leave rehab to have continued success?

[Richard Tate]

Aftercare, it's just like working out. If you don't work your muscle, you lose your muscle. Right? And so aftercare is really important. Right. So what I do is I create this pizza. Think of a pizza with eight slices and in each slice you have a different area of your life that you're working on. So your love relationships, your family relationships, your career, your philanthropy, your, your joy of living, whatever is in your health and fitness, all of this stuff, self care, all of this stuff is, is in your little thing. And we identify what the, what the client's goals are and then we develop plans for aftercare. Okay. To support these things. Right? And typically what I tell people is we're going to work on the weak stuff. You're going to default. I can prove it to you in a game, any professional will tell you this. You practice your weaknesses before the games, in practice always. Because when you're in the game, you're going to default to your strengths because you want to win, right? So the, so the key is to build up your weaknesses so that you're strong and you have a holistic life. You've got everything that's thriving.

[Alex Clark]

That applies to a lot of different things, I think everything. What if somebody says, richard, I don't have a joy of living? I can't imagine having a joy of living. And so I just don't even know that going to rehab is worth it because I don't know that I want to live.

[Richard Tate]

Everybody says that every addict walks in not believing that they can have a joy of living. This isn't news. This is the way it works. Nobody walks into treatment on a winning streak. The reason I started Carrera this time, okay, I started it with a world class spa actually in the center. I hired the person from the Ojai Valley and a top 100 spa in the country to recreate my spa in within the center. Now everybody thought that was a vanity play. Nothing could be further from the truth. I needed to work on self care. I needed to work on self love. And so what I started doing is I started really diving into that and I started feeling better. And what I realized was self care turns in to self esteem, which turns into self love. And I've never met anyone, ever. And either of you who tried to kill themselves with drugs and alcohol, who truly love themselves, Right? And that's why I put that in there.

[Alex Clark]

What do you say to the mom who knows that her child is using but doesn't know how to help them?

[Richard Tate]

If you don't know how to help your child and you know he's using, then you're going to his funeral. You better call for help. Call one call placement. It's a company I set up just to refer people out to people that I can't take. If you don't have insurance or you've got state insurance, right, or federal insurance, just call that number. We'll send you somewhere.

[Alex Clark]

If luxury rehab isn't financially possible for someone, which most, I mean most people is not going to be, what types of things should they be looking for in a treatment center to know? Okay, this is in my budget, but it's definitely going to be a good one.

[Richard Tate]

The best way to go about that is called an in network treatment center. So you would go to the website of your card. Just pull out your insurance card. Okay, let's say it's Cigna, right? You go to the Cigna website and you look in your area for the centers. Those centers are called in network centers. And you can go for 250, $500, depending on what your deductible is. Those are the most common that I've seen. And for 250 to 500 bucks for an entire stay, whether it's 23 days or 25 days, everybody's a little different. You'll get that. Here's the important thing to know in centers like that, you're gonna have to go back three or four times.

[Alex Clark]

Why do you say that?

[Richard Tate]

The insurance companies cut you off too early, okay?

[Alex Clark]

Like, because you need that more. Probably like 60 days or 90 days at least.

[Richard Tate]

Yeah, at least. Look, if you, if you're doing drugs for two decades, if you've lost two decades to drug addiction, okay? You, if you think you're going to rehab for under 90 days, you're fooling yourself. That's delusion, okay? I mean, look, I do a great job, okay? And some people think I'm the best in the world at this. But I don't walk on water, okay? I can't do that. And anybody who tells you differently is lying to you.

[Alex Clark]

What is your encouragement for somebody who is currently in recovery listening to this?

[Richard Tate]

You're about ready to have the best life you've ever had. Ever. We are the most talented people there are. We really are. I used to say this in a talk in AA all the time. I used to say that we are the most talented people alive. We're the only people that I've ever seen that you can find one of us in a. In a trash dumpster, and seven years later, we're the district attorney.

[Alex Clark]

That's so true, so true, so true. So many people that are like, I was a crack addict on a mattress, now I own a billion dollar company. I mean, I've heard that so many times.

[Richard Tate]

Well, it's not a billion dollars yet, but it will be.

[Alex Clark]

If you could offer one remedy to heal a sick culture, and it could be physically, emotionally, or spiritually, what would it be?

[Richard Tate]

I would say, get off social media and get closer to God. Okay. I'm not religious. I don't really like religion, but I love God with every fiber in my body. And, you know, I don't do business plans. I do the pull. I feel the pull, and I go that way. And you can't explain that to anybody. I can explain it to my buddy Kelly, but I can't explain it to anybody else. They look at you like you're on glue, but that's the way it works for me.

[Alex Clark]

Tell us about your book and your podcast, Transcendence.

[Richard Tate]

The book is called Transcendence, and really, all it. All it's about is hope for living with this thing that we've got. Okay. And that it's truly a gift. It's not a curse, man. It isn't. Okay. We go on to thriving and have big lives that help so many people. It's such a gift. The podcast is a little different. I've never heard a podcast. I've never watched a podcast.

[Alex Clark]

It's crazy to me that you started a podcast and you've never heard one.

[Richard Tate]

Well, I mean, I used to watch Howard Stern years ago.

[Alex Clark]

Oh, yeah.

[Richard Tate]

And I know he doesn't like being referred to as a podcast, but he was actually the first podcast.

[Alex Clark]

Yeah, right. If you think about it, his movie, like, absolute fun fact Derailment. His movie Private Parts, which he starred in, and it's all about his life up and coming in radio is, like, one of my most favorite movies. Of all time.

[Richard Tate]

No, he's the best.

[Alex Clark]

In the 80s, 90s, he was the best.

[Richard Tate]

Yeah, well, I haven't heard him in 20 years.

[Alex Clark]

Yeah, well, there you go. So you heard his prime. He's awful. Now he's a totally different person. It's sad, but he used to be the greatest.

[Richard Tate]

The podcast is something that I had to do because I'm a father, right? And I've got young children. And like I said, I was afraid. I was afraid. Look, in every small town, you have a guy that puts the dogs down. Every small town in America, there's one guy that puts the dogs down. Do you know why?

[Alex Clark]

Why?

[Richard Tate]

Because he can. So I didn't have a choice. I had to do it, even though I didn't want to do it. And now we're the number one mental health podcast in the country.

[Alex Clark]

And what's it called again?

[Richard Tate]

We're out of Time with Richard Tate.

[Alex Clark]

And you can listen to that anywhere.

[Richard Tate]

You get your podcasts, anywhere you get your podcast. But you should watch it. This is, this is a good show.

[Alex Clark]

Perfect. And then remind everybody your your two.

[Richard Tate]

Clinics, Carrera Treatment Wellness and Spa.

[Alex Clark]

That's the really expensive, nice one.

[Richard Tate]

One of one.

[Alex Clark]

If somebody is very lucky to be able to go there.

[Richard Tate]

And the other one, it is the nicest in network treatment facility in the country with top notch care. 20% of our staff at Carrera goes back and forth to one method. So you're getting the fine. They're both one of one. They're built for no competition at each place.

[Alex Clark]

And one method is located where?

[Richard Tate]

Cheviot Hills.

[Alex Clark]

Is that California?

[Richard Tate]

It's Cheviot Hills, California. It's a nine iron from Cheviot Hills Country Club said no in network treatment facility ever.

[Alex Clark]

Thank you, Richard, for sharing your wisdom, your story and I think life saving advice. So that was super important for me to do this episode.

[Richard Tate]

Well, thank you for having me. Okay. Your video in front of Congress and the standing ovation you got was beyond inspiring. So thank you for what you're doing. Oh, can I say one last thing?

[Alex Clark]

Sure.

[Richard Tate]

That that bums me out more than anything. If you're not giving the President credit for anything, and I mean anything, then you don't matter because even a busted clock is right twice a day, Right? So if you don't give him credit for anything, you don't matter. And more importantly than that, it's un American. Because as he does well, we all do well.

[Alex Clark]

Let's freaking go.

[Richard Tate]

That's a wrap.

[Alex Clark]

If you or a loved one are struggling with addiction. Please find resources in the description of this podcast. Leave a five star review for us. Tell others why this is one of the most important podcasts that they could possibly listen to. We're on a mission to heal a sick culture. Twice a week, Mondays and Thursdays, 6pm Pacific, 9pm Eastern. A brand new guest. A brand new unique remedy to heal that sick culture. Subscribe to Real Alex Clark on YouTube. Follow me on Instagram at Real Alex Clark. The show's also there. At Culture Apothecary, you can find merch for the show tpusamerch.com code Alex Clark. That'll get you 10 off. I'm Alex Clark and this is Culture Apothecary.