ICE Took My Baby's Father... Why I Turned to Heroin and a Brothel

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes sit down with Carmen Honeycutt for a shocking and deeply personal story of addiction, loss, survival, and recovery. Carmen's struggle with substance abuse began at a young age and quickly escalated into a devastating addiction to Opana, one of the most powerful prescription opioids of its time. What started as experimentation soon became a daily battle that would consume every aspect of her life. At just 19 years old, Carmen found herself pregnant while working in the restaurant industry and navigating a complicated relationship. As she became a young mother, addiction continued tightening its grip. She opens up about being introduced to Opana 40s, the powerful hold the drug had on her, and the desperate lengths she went to in an attempt to escape both addiction and emotional pain. The story takes an unexpected turn when her child's father is detained by ICE and eventually deported. Determined to stay with him, Carmen travels to his home country, where she experiences a completely different way of life while battling addiction and withdrawal far from home. As her addiction progressed, heroin entered the picture and changed everything. Carmen shares the terrifying reality of intravenous drug use, the differences between heroin and prescription opioids, and how her dependence eventually led her into prostitution to support her habit. This episode offers a raw look at the realities of addiction—the isolation, the desperation, the overdoses, and the consequences that follow. Carmen discusses multiple near-death experiences, involvement from Child Protective Services, losing control of her life, and the heartbreaking moments that finally forced her to confront her addiction. Most importantly, she shares how recovery finally clicked, what life looks like today, and why she continues to speak openly about her experiences to help others who are still struggling. This is a story of survival, redemption, and hope for anyone who believes they are too far gone to change. ⏱ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 – Title of First Chapter 00:00 - Childhood and Early Drug Use 04:30 - Getting Introduced to Opanas 07:00 - Moving in With Chefs & Getting Pregnant at 19 09:00 - Becoming a Mother at 19 13:30 - Discovering Opana 40s 18:00 - Trying to Quit Opanas & Attempting to End Her Life on X4nax 20:30 - Mixing X4nax, Alcohol, and Opanas 23:00 - Hospital Visit After the Attempt 27:30 - Baby's Father Detained by ICE Returning to the U.S. 31:00 - Fighting the Deportation Case 34:20 - Shooting H3roin for the First Time 35:00 - Following Her Deported Boyfriend to a Foreign Country 37:00 - Using Drugs on the Flight & Withdrawing Overseas 39:30 - Life in a Third-World Country 42:30 - Returning to the U.S. & Relapsing on Opanas 44:00 - Joining a Brothel to Fund Her Addiction 45:20 - Inside the Brothel: What It Was Really Like 47:30 - How the Business Worked & What Everything Cost 50:00 - Family Vacation & Forced Detox 53:00 - Her Parents Put a Tracker on Her Car 56:00 - Wanting to Move Back Overseas & Family Intervention 1:00:00 - Going to Treatment 1:03:20 - Leaving Treatment & Skipping the Halfway House 1:04:00 - Buying H3roin After a Meeting & Witnessing an Overdose 1:06:30 - Overdosing Herself While on the Phone 1:10:00 - CPS Gets Involved & Returning to Treatment 1:11:30 - The Moment Recovery Finally Clicked 1:13:30 - Her Final Overdose & Being Revived With Narcan 1:17:30 - Life in Recovery Today 1:24:00 - What Opioid Withdrawal Really Feels Like 🔥 Expect emotion. Expect truth. Expect hope. 🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more powerful stories on addiction, recovery, and resilience. Get a Grip Podcast Social Media: Find our TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio links, a more on our Link Tree below! Get a Grip Social Media Links: ⁠https://linktr.ee/officialgetagrippod... For Collaboration and Business inquiries, please use the contact information below: 📩 Email: getagrippodcast614@gmail.com 👇 Let us know your thoughts in the comments. #getagrip #redemptionstory #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #addictionrecovery #recoveryjourney #trauma #childhood #oxy #dealer #soberlife #wedorecover #childhoodtrauma #healing #inspiration #awareness #kingpin #trafficking #hustle #opioidcrisis #neardeathexperience #fyp #prison #bar #mistake #change #survivor #survival #tv #television #inspire #parole #officer #school #teacher #students #study #student #changinglives