A Lineman's Fight Through Addiction and an Arc Flash

Daniel Spencer |  Reps and Double Time

Dr. Kevin Rindal | Vimocity

You tell yourself you won't drink tonight, then the shift ends. You stop at the liquor store, and the next morning you're asking yourself the same question: Why do I keep doing this? Daniel Spencer is a high voltage electrician, and he knows that cycle. He was living it. Then one night, he picked up the phone and told someone he needed help.

That call started an incredible transformation, but when an explosion on the job threatened to take everything from him, he was determined that this time would be different. If you recognize yourself in Daniel's story or someone you love, listen to where this conversation goes. He shares how he started, what helped keep him going, and what getting sober gave back to him.

This is the WorkReady Podcast.

Daniel Spencer, I'm so excited to have you on the Work Ready podcast. So take me back to that version of you that was 300 pounds, living on alcohol, and not the highlight reel of your transformation, but what did a normal day look like back then?

The normal day, it started with me waking up with a hangover, stepping in to the restroom, looking in front of that mirror and asking the same question over and over again: Why? Why did you drink so much that now you have this massive headache? Why did you eat so much last night that you have this, this massive heartburn?

Like, you're not happy with yourself, you're not happy with this continuous, you know, circle of self-abuse. Like, why do we continue to do this? I brush my teeth, I drive to work hungover, you know, most days probably still drunk Do the work, you know, think that I can sweat, sweat this poison out. You know, maybe stop and get like a burrito or something, you know, something grab and go really quick.

And then once the shift was over, I'd start that vicious cycle all over again. I'd go to the liquor store before I jumped on the freeway, man, you know, and I would drink all of whatever was bothering me away, the stress, the frustrations, you know, just the pressure, the pressure of life, you know?

I'd get home and, you know, I'd try and play the, the family man, right? I'd try and be the happy father, the loving husband, and, and eat dinner and have more drinks. And usually it ended with me passing out on the living room floor, uh, waking up, crawling to bed, and, and waking up with another hangover, man, and just doing it all over.

You know? It's just, it was hard. It was it was hard, but I mean, like, why? Why, why, why would I keep doing that, you know? How many years did that go on for? Um, most of... At that, at that level, probably like two years, right? The last two years, uh, before I, I decided to get sober were, were hard. I, uh, I was in a work accident in 2010 a- and I didn't go to see a counselor.

I didn't talk about my feelings. I didn't do any of that stuff. I just, I was scared to go back to work. I, I actually got electrocuted, um, a- and I, I drank through it, you know? I didn't talk to my wife about what my fears were. Um, but for me, substance abuse was always kind of just like, I, I would think, I, I would try and tell myself I was having fun or I was just trying to, you know, be a party guy.

A- and really it was probably just self-abuse from not feeling happy with myself, not feeling like I really served a purpose. Uh, you know, I would use I would use it as like a coping mechanism to just deal with pain that I, I really didn't have an outlet to, to, to work through, you know? It was... You know, I, I, so I-- growing up, I would always smoke weed.

I wanted... I, I was a pothead, and then once I got hired with the city, I got, you know, commercial license, uh, random drug tests. I couldn't smoke no more, so I just started drinking, you know? And, and that was it. And, and I started, uh, work in 2003, and I quit drinking, um, it was, man, uh, 2010, 2011. Yeah. And you're an electrician?

Uh, I'm a, uh, power lineman. I do underground power line work. Uh, so, uh, you know, I was- Oh ... a lot, a lot of the guys, you know, "See that pole up there? I fixed that. I built that. I built that." Like, all the work I do, it's all underground, so you don't really see it. So yeah, I, I mean, I work high voltage, but it's all underground.

And it's a demanding job. I mean, not only is it challenging to, um, go through that education and training, but it's also very dangerous at the same time. Yeah, it's very dangerous, physically demanding. You know, the hours are demanding. It, it, it doesn't just demand from us, you know, the, the guys that are out there doing the work, turning the wrenches, you know, flipping the switches, and, and doing the hot work.

It's demanding on our families, right? It's demanding on our way of life. It's, it's a very demanding job, um, but it's very re-rewarding too. Yeah. It's very lucrative, but like you said, that stress can pile up. And would you say that the story that you just told us about, um, your journey with alcohol, uh, ism and, and some of the lifestyle habits is, is that uncommon in, in the trades?

Or is this something that you see quite often? Um, it's, it happens quite often, you know? Maybe you might not see it or you might not know it. Maybe you're not living it, so you, you probably don't recognize the signs, but me, I've been through it, right? I've come out of it. So I can tell... I can see the signs in, in, in the guys, you know?

And there might be subtle hints, like you might have a pole partner and he's, he acts a certain way, and then something happens and his attitude's different, right? Or maybe he might miss a couple steps here and there. Uh, but it's definitely, I think it's prevalent, you know? Uh, but I think the more stories like this come out and the more we talk about these things, uh, I think the more we're getting help.

Yeah, and I appreciate you sharing this story. So you've, you've talked about, uh, the al- the alcoholism, but also, uh, the weight was probably something that was, you know, really tough on your body. Uh, you know, you're doing that physical work, and what was it like weighing 300 pounds and just not having your health working for you?

It was a struggle. You know, I-- for me, it was like maneuverability. You know, uh, sometimes when we work in these vaults they're, they're cramped, they're tight spots, and you have to contort yourself to maybe just like work down near the ground or in a different position. Even guys that work up on the poles, right?

Uh, you know, the weight is definitely a detriment, um, not just on, you know, being able to do the work, but just to do it, you know, for hours on end, you know? Your joints start to hurt. Um, your muscles start to ache more. I think it's, uh- It's pretty prevalent too, right? Like, not being-- having e- not having enough time to maybe access, you know, good, healthy, clean foods.

Like, you run from the yard to the job, and if you don't have time to prep some good, healthy meals, I mean, your only options are hitting the gas station or a drive-through. Um, so over time, you know, it, it, it takes an effect, right? Uh, when I first started in the trade, I started in late 2003, I wasn't even 200 pounds, you know.

I was like 195 pounds. And over the years of eating like that, drinking, uh, I t- man, it took less than five years for me to gain 100 pounds, you know? And it, and it, and you see it. Some guys, the, the, through your apprenticeship, you know, your, your hustle, your bustle, you're a go-getter, and you're constantly moving and, and you're, you're in good shape.

And then once you get that ticket, man, I just see guys blow up, you know. Get a little bit more comfortable, so. What was the turning point, Daniel? Like, what caused you to say, "Enough is enough. I, I want a different way of life"? It started with sobriety, honestly. It started with sobriety. Um, it was a Super Bowl party.

Super Bowl 45, uh, I spent the whole day at my brother's house. He had a Super Bowl party. We were drinking. We were eating. And I, uh, had the option to, you know, call my wife and tell her to come pick me up, but I didn't. I, I got in the car. I drove home. I know I was legally drunk. I got home and started having more drinks, right?

I didn't have to go to work the next day. And, and this is something that I haven't, it-- I've done lots of times, right? Like, I'm not saying it, like, with pride. Like, I say it with shame, honestly. Um, but the difference was this time I had my kids with me. You know, my kids were, they were babies. And, and I drove home with them, and, and I was sitting outside and having this drink, and it was like I just heard this-- I felt this voice.

I heard this voice, you know? It's like, if you don't change, um, your way of life is gonna get flipped upside down. Like, you're gonna lose some of the most precious things that you hold, right? Um, I, I... My, my family, my wife, like... I, I honestly thought, like, what if I would've gotten in a car crash and my kids would've got hurt?

Would I be able to live with myself? Um, and this is not just like this happened, you know, before. Like, there were signs. The signs were there. You know, my wife would tell me all the time, "Dan, you drink too much. It's causing a problem in our relationship. You don't talk to me. Um, you know, when I talk to you, it's like I'm talking to a blank wall."

So, I mean, it, it, it got to the point with me drinking to where my wife was gonna leave me before, you know? I'd quit for a little while and, you know, gain a little bit of trust back and then fall right back into it, man. But that-- It was that night, you know, Super Bowl XLV. I, I just felt so much shame and, and, and regret and pain.

Like, I didn't know what to do except for call. I had to call for help. Like, I called my brother just at his house. He didn't answer. I called my dad. He didn't answer. But at this time it was already like 10:30. It was, you know, it was late, late at night. And I made one more phone call to my uncle, um, who, who is a believer, right?

He's a believer. He's, he's a man of, of God. And I woke him up. He answered the phone, and I just remembered exactly what I said. Like, "Man, I have this problem. I don't know what to do." I'm crying on the phone and he's just like, "Do you work tomorrow?" I go, "No." And he goes, "Check yourself into a program." You know?

Yeah. "You need help. You need help. You need to check yourself into a program." So I did. I went to Kaiser, um, 'cause that was who I had my health insurance from. And I, I got into their, um... It was a chemical dependency class, right? It wasn't, it wasn't AA. It was just a mix of everybody, you know, drinking, drugs, pills, speed, you know.

And I would go to classes. Uh, I went two days a week, you know, in the evenings for, for a few months Hey, Dr. Kevin here with a quick favor to ask. If you haven't already subscribed to the WorkReady Podcast, go ahead and hit subscribe right now on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you watch or listen to.

We drop new episodes every Tuesday, so you'll wanna make sure that you don't miss one. All right, let's get back into it

It takes a ton of courage, first of all, to even admit that you need help and that you're ready to make a change. W- what-- Can you describe that a little bit more? 'Cause I can guarantee you there are people listening to this who at some point in their life can relate to what you just described and didn't know where to go and, and how to take that first step.

Yeah. Um, for me, that was my rock bottom

Feeling that low, like I just, I, I, I was just tired of it, you know? I knew something needed to change, and I just... I don't know. I'm just so thankful that he answered, you know what I mean? 'Cause the s- the resources are there, right? The resources are there for me, for my employer, for any employer. There's, you know, AA you can go to or, or whatever, but I think the first thing is just having to admit to yourself like, "Yeah, this is, um, this is not sustainable."

Mm-hmm. It just has to be admitted openly. You know, I think that's the first step in AA. Like I said, I didn't go to AA, but I have the big... It's sitting right here, man. The big blue book, you know? And, um, I think the first step is admitting you have a problem. You know, you just have to admit. Submit. So admitting you have a problem is the first step, and then that gives you the courage to take action.

When you do take action, though, it's not an easy process. Can you describe what those first few days were like when you started to, like, work through your sobriety? Yeah, man. I think, um- It was just, uh It was hard for me to just break the habit. You know? Like, I'm a creature of habit. Like, even, like, now, my, my daily routine is set like on a schedule, you know?

And, and if I don't follow that schedule and, and s- keep those habits in line, like, I just, I feel lost, you know? So I think for me it was just not going to the store after, uh, after work. And y- I don't remember what day it was after I had that, um, that initial check-in, but it might've been, like, two days after when I had my 1:1 with, uh, the counselor at, at the classes there.

And I remember sitting in his office, and it was clutter everywhere, and he's just like, "You wanna quit drinking?" And I go, absolutely. I need to." And he goes, "You just need to say no." And I was- Easier said than done, right? Right, right. It was just like Barbara Bush or something, right? Uh, just say no. And he goes, "No, dude."

He goes, "Honestly, it, like, you wanna stay sober." And I was trying to rationalize, "What if I just, you know, don't drink Monday through Friday?" And he's like, "No, you can't handle it. Um, you need to just stay-- Not right now," you know? He goes, "How many times do you think about drinking?" I go, "When I get up, you know, while I'm at work, when I, when I leave work, when I'm at home."

He's like, "Every time you have that thought, you just need to tell yourself, 'Not right now.'" He goes, "And you're gonna tell yourself that probably a dozen times a day." He goes, "But at least once you get through that first day, you're gonna wake up and you're gonna say it again, 'Just not today. Not right now.'

You know, when you're at work and you're thinking about getting that drink, just tell yourself again, 'Not right now.'" So that was the new habit, right? Was just telling myself, "Not right now. Not right now." The days turned into weeks, the weeks into months, and the months, man, it's, you know, it, um, 15 and a half years.

You know, 15 and a half years sober. That's incredible, Daniel. Congratulations. And- Thank you ... I mean, it's, it's an ongoing process. Um, when did you find that you started to, like, accumulate enough wins on a daily basis to give you the confidence that that could actually be your new pattern?

I think it was like a, another slap in the face, man. It was another hit with reality. Uh, a-and it hit me in these meetings, right? Going to those meetings, uh, 'cause I was going-- I would go consistently. It was Tuesdays and Thursdays. I think it was like 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 or something like that. Um, and I would go to the meetings, and I wouldn't share anything.

Uh, some people would share. They'd put us in groups, and we had little group sessions, and then there was one guy there, I remember him. He was like, "I, I wake up with the shakes, and I have to have some drinks to calm myself down." And some of these people, like, they were just down and out, man, and, and I, I mean, my heart goes out to all these people.

But then I would, I would look at my life and be like, "Man, like, you have so much going for you." Like, I have a young, beautiful family. I have a career like miles ahead of how, you know, I could even envision, but I was just being a weak punk. You know, I used a little bit stronger words back then to myself, but I was just like, "Damn, you're just being a punk, man."

Like, you know, um, don't be a punk. Uh, um, but not to say that it was that easy, right? Because I had to have something to fill that void, to, to fill that, that need of, I don't know, like busyness, I guess. You know, boredom, something to, to break that boredom 'cause I would-- I mean, sometimes I'd just drink 'cause I was bored, but, you know, I would get into like hiking.

Um, you know, I got into like Try to like do gunsmithing and stuff like that. Like I was trying to find all these habits, man, just to try and fill that boredom. And, and, um, that combined with not still feeling happy about the way I looked, uh, it, that's when, you know, I was just like, "Well, maybe I should just try and, and work out."

And, and really that inspiration came from one of my best friends who, uh, he had lost over, over 100 pounds. And I asked him, "Dude, what did you do?" He's like, "That's so crazy." Uh, he pointed me to the direction that he went to. I went, and I put in that work, and man, that, it was, that was a whole game changer right there, you know?

That was, um, a whole nother level of self-control I think that, that got me to the point that, where, where I am now. So yeah, explain that connection between sobriety and the weight loss. And it sounds like habit formation, it was replacing the habit of drinking with positive habits. But did you also find that, um, losing weight was part of that process as well?

So maybe one of the habits was exercising on a more regular basis. It was changing your, your eating habits. How did all that come together? Um, it, it, at first, when I quit drinking, I, I felt different, you know, for sure. Uh, the weight started just coming off naturally. I didn't join the gym right after I had quit drinking or nothing like that.

Like, this was a few years. Uh, I quit drinking in 2011. I joined the gym, um, about eight years ago. So I don't know, what's that, like four or five years? I, I'm trying to do the quick math right now, but there's, there's like a, a few years gap there, you know? And, uh, right after I quit drinking though, I tried to change my eating habits.

Like, I was doing these fad diets, you know, like, I don't, I don't know if you heard, like, the Special K where you eat like cereal for breakfast, cereal for lunch, and then, yeah, you just have whatever you want the rest of the day. It worked for a little bit. I'd go home and gorge on food because I'm starving all day.

Um, I lost about 40 pounds naturally. Uh, then I gained some weight back. Um, but I still, like I said, I wasn't happy. Uh, but definitely having that habit of Uh, having self-control, I think having that self-control was a huge part of it. And when I joined this gym, they said, "This is the way you're gonna eat.

You're gonna come to the workouts." And, you know, I had already built a certain level, level of self-discipline, so adopting this, this new lifestyle of eating a certain way, it just was, it was, it was a little bit e- I mean, I wouldn't say it was easy, right? That definitely having a, a 100-pound transformation is not easy, but, um, just being consistent, right?

Like I would consistently, like I said, with the s- with the habits of waking up hungover, working through, working through that self-inflicted pain, like yeah, a little discomfort with some food and, and some workouts and some soreness, like I can, I can get through that, no problem What is, going back to your sobriety, what was the hardest part about getting sober that nobody really talks about?

Man, um, I think maybe one of the hardest parts, I mean, at first after admitting the problem, uh, would, would be convincing myself that I didn't need it. You know? I went through so many, so many years of, of thinking that that was part of my identity, you know, part of who I was from growing up, you know? Um, you know, I'm, I'm Mexican.

My last name might not seem like it, but, you know, I'm Mexican. I grew up from, from a strong Mexican background, and, and alcohol and, and drinking was, it was a part of celebration, right? It was a part of, um, mourning, you know? Um, so it was always there. Uh, some people can handle it more, and some people can't.

Man, I couldn't handle it, uh I think the hardest part was, was just convincing myself, yeah, that I didn't need it, you know? But I think that's probably it. What are the benefits that you experienced when you look back on it, the impact that it had on your family, your quality of life, your, your work? Um, definitely changes your mindset.

You know? It, it changes your level of thinking, critical thinking

It, it, you're sharp. You know? You're sharp. You think sharp. You can respond quicker with, with the level of influence, man. That's, that's crazy. I quit drinking, and then a year later, my brother quit drinking Which is amazing, you know? Like my older brother, he, he quit drinking a year after I did. Um, saved money, you know, definitely saved a lot of money.

Uh, s- my skin started to clear up, like The benefits of it, like, it's, um, my relationship with my wife got better, honestly, you know? Like I, I hold a lot of pride knowing that, like, my son has never seen me drink, you know? He was a-- He was two years old when I quit. He's 17 now. Just trying to be a influence, you know, a good influence, a positive role model.

I think that's important, you know? I think it's important. But I, I think, yeah, the biggest thing is probably knowing, like, people watch you, you know? They, they wanna see what you're gonna do, and I feel like, uh, it's a good comeback story, and, you know, ho-hopefully it can inspire some change in some more people.

So Daniel, you go through this trans-transformation with sobriety. You start to exercise. You lose weight. You're on a awesome trajectory, and then take us back to when you experienced, uh, your second workplace injury. Yeah. Um, man, it was like, uh- It was like time stopped, you know? It was like life, life stopped.

It was, it was right, it was... Let me see. April, the end of April 2021. So COVID was still kind of happening, right, especially in the hospitals. Everything stopped, it seemed like, man. Like I was, I was on a solid, solid roll You know, getting fit, uh, rolling through, you know, the craziness of COVID and, and my family had gotten stronger through that time, through COVID, right?

'Cause we had, like, time off from work and it was, it was, it was different time, you know? So my family unit got stronger, and we made a mistake at work, and I, uh, I essentially I blew, I blew myself up. You know, we were in a underground vault. I blew myself up. I spent 10 days at the hospital in the burn, in the burn unit, two skin graft surgeries.

It was a lot of time alone. Uh, like I said, COVID was strong at the hospital, so I had one visitor a day and a lot of self-reflection, a lot of self-doubt

A lot, a lot of downtime, you know? It was like It was hard, you know? It was hard. Uh, but we got through that too, you know? I, I would try to look-- I look back on it. Man, there's not a day goes by where I don't think about that, you know? Like, you probably can't see it on the camera, but, like, the shape of my lips are different, you know?

Like, the, my skin is colored different now, and, um, I think about that all the time, you know? But I wouldn't change it. You know, it definitely shaped who I am today, what I do, how I think, what I say

Ja. And that was an electric flashover incident and, I mean, severe burns. What is it like to go through that? Uh, you said you wouldn't change anything, but what, uh, what part of that process, um, had meaning to it and redemptive qualities?

So, I mean, we could take a, a little bit st-- a, a couple steps back, you know, exactly how it happened. Um- Yeah, let's do ... we were doing some undergr-- Yeah, we were doing some underground switching. Uh, it's the, the component that we were working, it's actually like a solid blade disconnect. I guess you could call it a link box.

Uh, there's four position. Each position has three phases, right? Boom, boom, boom, boom. Uh, we take these leads and we put them on the same phase, and those leads go to a single pole oil switch at the top of the vault. Uh, you know, we, we use our meters to make sure that we're clear of grounds, uh, proper voltage.

We put our leads on the same phase and, uh, you know, we have the guy up top close the switch, current flows through the leads. We open up solid blade dis-- uh, the solid blade disconnect, uh, break in load through the oil switch, and then, uh, we have him open up the switch, pull the leads off, we move to the next phase, right?

A phase A phase, B phase B phase. Uh, well, the hole that we were working, it usually so-- I mean, this is pretty good Visualization, right? You have your upper position to upper position, lower position, lower position. We're supposed to work on the same level. A phase, B phase, C phase. Uh, but the vault we were working in was really tight, really cramped.

One guy had to be on the ladder to work up here, and two ladders wasn't gonna work. The hole was too small. So I said, "I'm gonna stand on the floor. I'll work this lower position, and you can stand on the ladder, work the upper position." We both went to A phase. First operation went fine. We didn't communicate.

We didn't, you know... We weren't really checking each other the way we should have. We weren't moving to the next phase at the same time. Uh, not gonna point blame, say it was his fault, it was my fault. It was our fault. Uh, we were on opposite phases. We put our leads on opposite phases. I told him to close the switch, close the switch, and it blew up right in front of my face.

You know, I was holding this lead 11 inches from my face. It was 4,800 volt cross phase. Uh, the circuit breaker we were working on failed. Um, so what was supposed to last a fraction of a second, uh, burned for about, uh, um, anywhere from two to four seconds, right? 120 cycles to 240 cycles, depending on who you're asking or what data they looked at.

Uh, let me tell you, man, uh, two seconds with that type of energy in your face, it's, it seems like forever, you know? It, it's... Those temperatures get, you know, as hot as the surface of the sun, you know, into tens of thousands of degrees. It, it vaporized the copper bus in there. It melted the porcelain that the switch was, you know, made out of.

And I had a face shield on. I had hard hat with a face shield, safety glasses And these are all, I'm just describing all this because these are questions that people ask, right? What was I wearing? I had a undershirt, a FR undershirt, a, a FR hoodie, some coveralls, uh Rubber gloves with, with leather protectors, leather keepers.

Uh, we're standing on rubber blankets and, uh, I just suffered d- third-degree burns to the face. The only part of my face that didn't get burned was where my safety glasses were. But my forehead got burned, um, my ears, my nose, my lips. Uh, I had a pretty massive burn here. I had a full beard. Um, so I think that saved some of my face.

I had a burn here on my shoulder. Uh, get transported to the hospital, uh, Grossman Burn Center in West Valley, Los Angeles. And, um, they say, you know, "You're gonna have to have one skin graft surgery, maybe two. We don't know how long you're gonna be here. You know, we'll, we'll observe you and, and take a look and, you know, we're gonna go into surgery soon."

Uh, so I had, uh, one skin graft surgery about a couple of days after that, and then a few days of healing, second skin graft surgery. The days were spent Like I said, self-reflecting, uh, continuous. It was every three hours they'd come into my room and give me a breathing treatment from all the smoke inhalation and stuff.

Uh, did the hyperbaric chamber twice a day And then I got discharged on day 11, came home with, you know, my face full of this second skin. And as my skin would start to heal, this, this fake skin, you know, bandage skin would peel off. I'd have to cut it with scissors and put ointment two, three times a day.

I had to be out of the sun for a whole year. They said, "Keep your sun-- your face out of the sun for a whole year," which was miserable. Uh, you know, I, I love being out in the sun. People call me like a lizard. Um, and, but during that time, you know, I was off work for five months, you know? So that in itself was kind of a blessing.

That's why I said there's things I wouldn't change. I wouldn't change it, 'cause being at home for five months was It, it just, it built, built this, this new bond between me and my wife and, and now I'm-- I get to s- like, see my kids to school every morning and pick them up or make them breakfast. You know, like, Dad's here every day, all day.

Like, I loved it, man. At the same time, I was scared. I was scared because I knew I had to go back to work. I knew I was gonna have to put, put the gloves back on and, and, you know, get back in the tools and do what I do. Like, I, I have no fallback, man. You know, I have no college degree or nothing. Like, I grew up in this trade.

I was scared. Man, I was scared

But I, I knew like I have to do it, you know? And like I said before, when I had got burned, uh, I got electrocuted when I was an apprentice, uh, and I dealt with that with the bottle. And this time I would come home and I'd have nightmares, you know, from the second accident. I had nightmares, man. I, I, I'd be asleep and then I'd just have that explosion and I'd wake up and Just thinking about it now, dude, like still I feel it in my chest, you know?

I'd, I couldn't wake, I couldn't go back to sleep. Like, I'd go in my garage and work out, you know? I would do that to relieve the stress or get, get past that anxiety. And after about four months, I finally decided, like, I can't, I can't deal with it up here. Um, I called our EAP, our employees assistance program, and I s- I said, "You know, I need to talk to somebody.

I need some help. This is what happened. This is what I'm going through. This is what I'm struggling with." And, uh, they set me up with a counselor, and, um, it was just a whole another, uh It was a whole nother experience, man. You know, this is something I had never done before. Talked about my feelings, talked about why I was scared, and, um, but it helped, you know, it definitely helped working through what I did wrong, what we did wrong, and then what essentially went right afterwards, you know?

Tools and, and, uh, what would you call them? Like, scenarios or, you know, tools to, to tell myself or, or things to, to get me through that anxiety that's gonna build up or the fear of having to go back to work, you know? Like, uh, and then once we worked past that, you know, she was like, "Is there, you know, what else do you wanna deal with?

Is there any oth-other things that you've been holding in, you know?" I'm like, "Well, yeah, I, I got some things, you know, let's go through it." So, um, we're working through that, you know, learning how to communicate better, um, just be open, be vulnerable. It, it definitely helped. Definitely helped. Um, yeah. Man, thanks for sh-sharing that story.

It's so incredible, and I can't even imagine what that would be like to experience that. Uh, just thinking, you know, a couple seconds of that heat exposure and then, you know, thinking about your journey and getting through that. What gave you the strength to not fall back to some of those previous habits?

I mean, you'd come so far, um, and obviously the counseling helped, but what were some of the other things that really gave you that strength? Um, man, I think going back to my sobriety, right? Why did I get sober? Um, essentially it was, I mean, it, it started off for myself at first, and then, I mean, soon after that you realize it's bigger than you.

This is for your family. Uh, this is for, for my wife, for my kids. And definitely, um, with that accident, I said no to a lot of drugs, you know? Um, in the hospital they were giving me pills, and I, I didn't know. It wasn't until like day three that I started actually asking, "What are these?" And they told me what it was, and I said, "I don't want these."

Uh, 'cause I already knew I would abuse it. If I didn't need them, I knew I would abuse it. I've done it before with other prescription pills or, or, you know, pain meds. And they're like, "Well, aren't you in pain?" I said, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm in pain. Um, give me some Tylenol." Uh, so they gave me Tylenol and, and You know, after those surgeries, you know, I, yeah, I took those prescription pills, but not for more than I needed, you know?

And I already knew it in the back of my head, like it was starting to trickle in, man, like, ask for them, just take some more. Um, but that was definitely like just not an option for me anymore. You know, I, I had already put in so much work towards my sobriety. Uh, I didn't wanna feel like I was gonna let my family down, you know?

Um, just taking one, uh, one addiction to, to a next, you know? And it's, it's so easy, man. It's so easy. I mean, you can just tell your doctor you have a back problem or some back pain, and they give you some meds. They don't wanna treat, you know, the root issue. They just wanna stop the pain, and it's... I mean, yeah, I could've lied very easily, but I think just having That, that guilt.

You know, I didn't wanna have that guilt again. You know? I, I didn't wanna displease God. Now that I look ab- look back at it, like, that night that I got sober, I mean, that was the authentic voice of God, I believe was, was telling me, "You need to change." You know? And, and just being true to Him, being true to myself now, uh, definitely helped.

I, I knew that I could do it. You know, I knew I could do it without the pills

Daniel, what stands out to me with your story is there are three distinct moments that you admitted that you needed help and you took action. Y- first you call your uncle, then you go to the, the treatment facility to get help, and then you call the EAP when you're at that low spot. What would you say to somebody who maybe is feeling those same feelings of like, "I need help," but they've never actually done that before.

They've never actually reached out. They've never, um, sought help. Um, there's a lot more strength in asking for help than to thinking you have to just deal with it, man, honestly. And once you get past that, you, you realize how much strength you actually have within yourself You know One of the, the other hardest parts, I mean, you had asked me what was like the, one of those struggles with sobriety, it was actually admitting it to, to my family, you know?

Telling my dad I have a drinking problem, telling my brother I have a drinking problem. Like, just being, just being honest, right? Like, it was so hard to get to that point, but once I did, like, man, I tell you what, brother, there's-- You just feel light, dude. Like, just going back to that initial conversation when I told my dad, like, I can just feel the weight coming off me again, you know?

Um, there's strength in it. There's strength in admitting your weakness, as, as crazy as that might sound But not only that, like, you don't really realize how many other people that you know, uh, could use your story as their turnaround, you know? Which is crazy to me still. Daniel, one of the coolest things about you, it-- and I've enjoyed following you on social media, is just the impact that you're having on other people's lives.

Like, you took all these life experiences and, um, you started to help other people in their journey. Can you describe what you do now through Reps In Double Time? Yeah. Um, so I started Reps In Double Time as kind of just, uh, a way to highlight some weightlifting and, uh, show some of the power line work from the underground side.

Uh, reps being, you know, reps in the gym and, and double time has noth- n- it's just, you know, we all wanna get paid the double time rate, you know, in, in the power line trade. Like, you wanna make that double time for sure. Um, so that's where it started off, you know? I, I never really got into sharing any of this story until that accident, you know?

Uh, you, you said, like... Until that accident, you know? Like, that changed the whole trajectory of, of this, of my Instagram page, of, of being on podcasts like this, sharing my story, being vulnerable, you know? Uh, having those, those, that stuff on my face, man, like, there's no hiding it, you know? I, I shared it. I shared some of those initial photos on my Instagram page and Uh, a couple of other pages reposted it, they shared it.

I got questions. I answered every single one of them, you know. Some people would, you know, they're making fun of me. Uh, but essentially I knew that the story was gonna help, you know? Even if it was just with the work accident, uh, maybe somebody wouldn't make the same mistake. And it was... You know, I got into coaching, I got into online coaching, um, because once I used the gym as like part of my therapy, I, my body transformation just got bigger and, uh, people were asking me the whole time, even before, like, "Dude, what did you do?

How did you make your transformation?" And I got to the point where I was like, man, I just, I w- I can help guys out, I just don't know how. So I hired a, a online fitness coach, you know, to show me how to You know, guide people in through what I've been in. He said, "Dude, you know, share your process, dude. Share your story.

Share your weaknesses, share your faults, and share what got you through it," you know? He's like, "Just don't sugarcoat it. Don't, don't lie. Just, just be you, man," you know? Which was hard because there's no way I was gonna tell anybody what my fears and my problems were, and, and now here we are. Um, but like I said, there's so much strength in admitting your weakness.

Like, you know, uh, there's days... I, I think I mentioned this before we started recording, but there's days I don't wanna do it, man. I, I don't wanna... I wanna take a day off. I don't wanna post anything. I don't wanna look on social media just because of, you know, there's so many problems with it, you know, that you deal with here, up here.

Uh, uh, people say I'm an influencer, I guess so. You know, I don't like using that term, but I mean, honestly, I am. I do. You are. Um, but then those days where I feel like I don't wanna do it, man, I get a message, you know, like, "Man, I, I really, I dig, I dig what you're, what you're putting out there," or, "I really like what you said."

And, um, it's like, okay, that's... Thank, thank you again, Lord, for that reaffirmation, you know? Um, when I was off, uh, from work off my accident, my uncle, the same one that I called that night when I was pleading for help, uh, he wanted to go have some breakfast, and honestly, he didn't wanna go have breakfast. He just wanted to tell me, um, about, about the mercy and love of Jesus Christ, man.

He goes, "You know why you're still here?" And I go, "Well," you know, I give him the technical terms. "The circuit breaker finally opened on the high side because, you know, the amperage and blah, blah, blah." And he's like, "No. Uh, God kept you alive for a reason, and he, you know, you're still alive for a, a purpose."

And at that point, I really didn't know what it was, you know? And, um, and I, I, I honestly believe this is part of it, you know? This is part of it. Sharing my story, sharing what I've been through, and, and now being a believer in Him, um, sharing His grace and His mercy, man. You know, if it wasn't for His grace and His mercy, I wouldn't be here.

I wouldn't have gone through these things. Uh, but if you wanna get sober, you know, there's, there's programs. If, if you wanna lose weight, there's programs. There's, there's different ways of eating. You know, you just gotta commit, man. That's it. Commit to it. Stick with it. Daniel, for the person listening to this driving home after a long day, maybe they're carrying more than they have told anyone, and if they remember three things from this conversation, what should they be?

Forgive yourself. Fix whatever's healing you. Remember the Serenity Prayer, right? Um, the Serenity Prayer, it says, uh, "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the, and the wisdom or the knowledge to know the difference." Uh, if you can fix it, fix it.

If you can't, then you have to let it go. You know?

I think that was three. I hope that was three. Yeah. Daniel, where can people connect with you and learn more about the work you do through Reps and Double Time? Definitely my Instagram. Uh, my Instagram is exactly the way it's spelled out, @repsanddoubletime. Um, my full name, you can type it in, Daniel Spencer.

Uh, uh, I'm gonna be the nerdy-looking dude with the glasses and the big smile, you know? Uh, I, I answer all my DMs, and, you know, um, that's probably the, the best one. Send me a message. Doesn't matter what it is. If you wanna figure out how to get into the trade or, um, you know, you just, you wanna figure out how to get into some coaching, some whatever, you know, you just wanna throw me a, some shaka, you know, some good vibes, man, you know, I'm all about it.

Daniel, I've so appreciated this conversation. Thank you for sh- walking us through your entire journey, um, the ups and the downs, and you're just such an inspiration to so many people, and thanks for putting that online so that we can follow you and, and walk with you in that. And I can vouch for you. Uh, we connected through DM on Instagram, and you got right back to me, and that's what led to us being able to have this conversation.

So, thanks for taking the time. And for those listening who have not yet subscribed to the Work Ready Podcast, make sure you do that because it just ensures that you're gonna get the new episode into your feed so that you don't miss an episode. We drop those every Tuesday. So until next time, take care of yourself, take care of your people, and stay work ready.