Shawn Ryan Nearly Died Running a Coke Network in Colombia

About this video

Ritland’s guest recounts his multi-year struggle with opiate, benzodiazepine, and cocaine addiction that began after a hernia surgery in 2006. The guest describes progression from prescription painkillers to building a cocaine distribution network in Colombia, multiple overdoses, evading Colombian federal police or cartel members, and a suicide attempt in his garage before seeking help. He attributes his eventual recovery to support from family, mental health professionals, and advocates in the veteran community, describing a three-and-a-half-year process to regain control.

Key takeaways

• The guest’s addiction began with prescribed hydrocodone after surgery and escalated over years to include multiple opiates, benzodiazepines, cocaine, and heavy alcohol use while working overseas
• He describes building a cocaine distribution network in Medellín by befriending street-level contacts and using calculated risks to meet suppliers, driven partly by addiction to adrenaline
• Recovery involved multiple relapses, a near-fatal suicide attempt, and approximately three and a half years of mental health treatment and support from family and veteran service advocates

Episode details: published December 7, 2025 · 797.7K views · 29:15 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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