“I Didn’t Think I Was Addicted” — Navy SEAL’s 6-Day Detox

About this video

A guest recounts hitting rock bottom after getting fired, moving to Hawaii, and going through severe opioid withdrawal. He describes experiencing homelessness, suicidal ideation, and a spiritual turning point that led him to join the French Foreign Legion in 2019. The guest details showing up at the Legion’s gate with no money, detoxing from drugs beforehand, and beginning the immersive French-language training process.

Key takeaways

• The guest describes not realizing he was addicted to opioids until withdrawal hit, experiencing five to six days without sleep and severe physical discomfort he describes as ‘hell’
• The guest recounts contemplating suicide while homeless in Hawaii, but says thinking about his mother and sister’s perspective pulled him out of that mindset and led to his decision to join the French Foreign Legion
• The guest explains that joining the French Foreign Legion requires physically showing up at one of two gates with no prior contact, and recruits must surrender their passports and undergo immediate physical testing and full French language immersion

Episode details: published August 10, 2025 · 23.9K views · 11:21 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Stories told by Mike Ritland’s podcast guests are the guests’ own accounts, attributed to them — not independently verified. Commentary is Ritland’s, presented as his analysis.

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