In this episode of The Karamo Show, host Karamo revisits Cole, a former guest who previously struggled with meth addiction, to provide an update on his recovery journey. Cole reveals that he completed approximately three weeks of rehab, attended NA meetings, and discovered he is the father of a newborn son, which has become a motivating factor in his sobriety. He discusses setting new personal goals, including pursuing a career as a car‑audio installer and seeking mentorship. Carrie, Cole’s mother, shares how she established boundaries after years of enabling, describes the transformation of her home from a drug den to a safer space, and reports her own commitment to twice‑weekly NA meetings. Throughout the conversation, Karamo offers encouragement, highlights the importance of taking recovery one day at a time, and promises to connect the family with additional resources to support their ongoing healing and relationship rebuilding.
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Thanks for joining us, friends. You may remember a guest from my show named Cole. Cole and his mother, Carrie, came to have a hard but candid conversation with my son, Jason, and I about Cole's struggle with drug addiction. Let's take a look at their last appearance on my show.
My son had overdosed, and that was the first time I realized that it wasn't just weed. I don't even lock my house anymore. You know, my thief lives in my house. I don't understand why he does this.
Why do you make excuses for him when I ask you how you're feeling?
I'm not the person I was before.
So who are you now?
I'm a whole different Cole.
Okay, what about your new girlfriend?
Well, you're not gonna talk about her.
If a meth head doesn't want this girl, why do you?
'Cause she always yells? Yeah.
Am I yelling out of fear or out of anger? Or am I terrified that my son is gonna become another statistic and be dead in my garage?
I'm not gonna be another junkie in your garage.
You didn't have the ability to say no to meth.
So?
Why don't you wanna go to treatment?
I feel like I don't need it. I can smoke weed.
Why do you think you don't need it?
I don't want you to die, Cole. You have no control. You can't say no.
I have control.
11 to 24, you have been using. What in your mind, and I'm asking you directly, makes you think think that you don't need rehab?
Because I don't do the stuff no more, and my girlfriend just supports me all the way through it.
I was in a cycle for 5 years. That's— that almost took away my life, bro. Like, I would hate to see or hear anything about you like that. Seriously, me too. It's a personal choice that he has to make, and unfortunately, he doesn't want to make that choice yet. The only thing you ever need to say to him is, we can talk when you're ready to get You need to turn to your son and say, "Son, we can keep talking." We can keep talking. When?
When you're ready to get help.
Let's check in to see how things have been going since the last time he was on my show. So everyone, welcome Cole back to my show. Cole, I gotta tell you, you will forever be in my mind because the day you were on my show, obviously that was a big day for me and my son talking about my own son's addiction. And when you had said to me on that show that you didn't think you needed rehab, I prayed about you so much. So I'm really excited to hear what's going on in your life right now. So what's happening since the last time I saw you?
A lot has been happening. I was in rehab for about 30 days.
Oh my gosh, thank God.
30 days.
Oh, you went to rehab?
Yeah.
No, we gonna give you your flowers, thank you. I'm so happy for you.
Oh my gosh, I'm so happy for you.
They gave me a lot of resources.
Your whole energy has changed. I know. It's amazing. You're so bright. Oh my gosh, you're smiling. I did not see you smile once on that show. Good job, brother. I'm so happy for you. So tell me, why did you change your mind?
I felt it was just time, and I gotta thank you too, so, and my mom. Yeah. You guys really inspired me to go, and I feel like it changed my whole perception on life.
So how long were you in rehab for?
Almost 3 weeks.
Good job. That's great. Well, the thing that is important for me is that 3 weeks, or whether you go for 3 weeks or 3 months, you've started the journey to understanding that your mental health, your emotional health, and your sobriety are important. And so sometimes people can be like, well, you weren't in there as long as what they think you need to be in there. For me, the fact that you even took that step and you even went down that journey, I applaud you. I'm so happy for you. My producer told me something happened yesterday. What was it?
So I got DNA results back and I found out that it's my son.
So when we were on the show, wow, hold on. So this is big because when he was on the show, he told us basically that there could be a possibility that he might have a child out there, was one of the reasons was like, do you want to get sober for your child? So this is your child? So congratulations, you're a dad. Welcome to the dad club.
Yeah. 24 and a dad.
Welcome to the sober club and the dad club. How do you feel being a dad now?
I feel so excited. It's like, it's another step on the way to sober too. Yeah. It's gonna help me out.
Yeah, yeah. It's good. The thing that I love about you finding out that you're a dad now is that you made the decision to be sober before you had the child. Because sometimes people will use a child as a reason to try to get sober, but you're not actually dealing with the issue. You're not actually dealing with your own mental health and the things that made you to wanna use in the first place. So the fact that you made that decision before your child, you have a really great shot. I believe in you so much that you and your child are gonna have a healthy future together.
Yeah, I do too.
Yeah, good job. My producers told me that you have some new goals for your future. Which are those?
Yeah, I wanna be a car audio installer, like install amplifiers, radios, subwoofers, like make custom boxes and everything.
Yes.
But first I gotta find like mentorship first, get like more experience, just do all that type of stuff.
Listen, uh—
That's what I'm really into.
You know, we're here to support you in any way we can. So I wanna know, because you also talked about on that show that you were dating a girl, your mother was upset about that because of the fact that the woman you were dating, or dating, used meth. And so it was like, you were saying like, well, I'm sober, but she was still using. Are you still with her? Are you single now?
Nah, she's gone. She's gone.
She was like beginning to turn, you're like, thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. She's gone. She gone. The drug's gone.
Oh, thank you, Jesus. All right now. All right. So now your mom, Carrie, is here with us. Everyone, welcome Cole's mother to the show. Carrie, come on down. All right, so Carrie. I don't know if you could hear, I don't know if you heard anything I was saying. When y'all left the show, your son was heavy on my heart, going home praying for this young man. I'm so happy to hear this update. Were you able to set those boundaries with Cole that we talked about?
I did, I did. And it was so scary at first, but he did good. He made the decision on his own. I didn't ask him anything about it. I asked him which road to take to drop him off.
Good job.
That was all I asked him.
Good job. And I know that he was sitting in your garage constantly and hanging out, sitting on that chair or something like that. How's that going?
The hot tub's empty, the sectional's gone.
The sectional's gone? The sectional's gone.
The sectional's gone. There's no more of a drug den.
Okay, good, 'cause you sent my producers this picture right here. This is the couch he used to sit on all the time.
It was so exciting.
Yeah. How do you feel when Cole decided to go to rehab?
Cautiously optimistic, but hopeful. I think the worst part was when you would tell people, they'd be like, well, I hope it sticks. Well, how about you just be grateful that he's there today?
Amen.
That's how I'm like, he's there right now. If it lasts, it lasts. If it doesn't, hopefully he learned something from it. But today he's in rehab. That's how I looked at it.
Good job. Well, you know what? I love that sentiment that you're using to protect your son in the public, but I'll give you that as well because I know that you said optimistically, optimistically cautious. And you know, I get it. You're a parent. You always wanna make sure your son is on the right path, but also you were living in the trauma with him. You were living while he was in his most addictive state. So I wanted you to know that you should do what you give that advice to give to other people of like letting it go. Like every day is a journey for an addict and every day is gonna have to be a journey for you as a family member of an addict. So you have to just say today, I believe him. I would say for you to throw out the language of cautiously optimistic and just say, my son is sober today. And then tomorrow we're gonna take it, we're gonna take it one day at a time. The same way he has to take it one day at a time, so do you. And that's what people forget.
Some days one day is even too much. Some days it's an hour.
Thank you. And that's what it has to be. It has to be an hour. You know what I mean? Cole, we talked transparently about it that you were sort of checked out of what she was saying. Have you gotten to a place where y'all are starting to work a little bit better or do you need some more resources on that?
Probably a little more resources.
Okay, that's honest. Mom, are you going to your meetings as well?
Oh yeah, I go twice a week.
Good job.
And I love them.
Listen.
I go to NA meetings as well.
Good job, oh. I'm just happy for y'all.
I recommend everybody go to addiction.
Yeah.
Cole, I'm really happy for you. Seriously, you took a big step for yourself. And now for your child as well. Thank you. I'm proud of you. And I don't want anyone to ever take away this step from you because you should be really, really proud of yourself. Like we just said, it's one day at a time and I'm proud of where you're at today. And I have faith, full faith in you that tomorrow's gonna be just as bright. So good luck.
Thank you so much, Karamo. Oh, it's so exciting.
Yes.
Yes, please tell your son that he was the inspiration to Cole as well.
Good, good, good.
Something good came out of your son's addiction.
Yes, good, good, good. Oh my gosh, my son is gonna be so happy to hear that. All right, listen, well, I do love you both and I'm so happy to hear this. And please, I'm gonna talk, have my producers talk to you. We're gonna figure out what you need so we can start to help to mend this relationship as well. I'm gonna send you some resources, okay?
Thank you so much.
Yeah, you're welcome. All right everyone, this is what the Karamo Show is all about. Planting seeds to make a difference. Make meaningful and lasting change. It doesn't happen overnight, but with the work, when you talk, you then grow. Hold on, where you going? I'll tell you where you're going. Right here to subscribe and right here to watch more. Period.
