In "Stop B4U Start," we meet the founder and members of a non-profit devoted to educating and empowering young individuals to stop using drugs and alcohol before they even start. A national study done by NCADD revealed that more teens are dying from drug overdoses than people are dying from motor vehicle accidents per year. There are 2.5 million alcohol-related deaths worldwide annually—320,000 of those being young people (ages 15-29). With the current system in place, trying to treat those with drug and alcohol dependence just isn’t working, so Stop B4U Start is focused on changing that and giving youth the very best chance to a great life by reaching them before there’s a problem. Use the show notes below to guide you through this very special episode. 2:18 - We meet the first of our three guests, founder Danny Murphy, whose own addiction issues go back to his childhood. At just five years old, Danny experienced his first overdose when his mother warned him not to go into the medicine cabinet. "If something tastes good, more is better,” he realized at that young age. Shortly after, he experienced bullying, and eventually sought approval by learning to play and excel in sports. His parents divorced, and he started hanging out with the “cool kids” and drinking. He also experimented with pot, which was his gateway drug, and once he did cocaine, his life fell apart within six months. . . . 14:41 - Our second guest (and a Stop B4U Start Board Member) Kim Barro got turned on to marijuana by her babysitter when she was just 14 and had recently lost her father. Not knowing how to grieve at such a young age, she found comfort in using marijuana because it temporarily suspended her grief. Like it did for Danny, marijuana became Kim's gateway drug, and she began drinking and then doing cocaine. For 34 years, Kim has had periods of sobriety as well as relapses. Her addictions have also included pills and shoplifting: “Doing something to distract me from me was a wonderful thing," she explained. 21:23 - Stop B4U Start advisor Kevin Fields describes his generalized anxiety disorder. 26:08 - Kristi asks her guests for their opinions about various drug myths and facts. The first is whether there is an addiction gene. 29:38 - Is marijuana truly a gateway drug? The group agrees that they’re seeing a trend in prescription pills being the new gateway drug, and pain pills are leading to heroin use. 35:53 - Is addiction for life? 37:11 - Do drugs really fry your brain? Are addicts “damaged goods?” 42:22 - Do you have to hit rock bottom before you get help? The guests go into detail about what made each of them ask for help, and it’s evident that everyone’s “rock bottom” is unique. 49:22 - Danny discusses what inspired him to create Stop B4U Start. For more information on Stop B4U Start, visit their web site and learn about ways in which you can get involved as well as view educational films. Follow them on a href