Be Our Guest — Caleb Luton: A Story of Addiction, Deliverance, and Hope
Grant: Welcome everyone to Torah Today Ministries and our series called Be Our Guest. And I have a really special guest with me here today. And you know, Robin and I have three children — Joshua, Caleb, and Lindsay, our daughter. Well, this is Caleb. And so Caleb is the one who asked to record his story. And I said, well, how would you like to do it for the folks who watch on Torah Today Ministries? And he said he’d be happy to. So here you are, Caleb. It’s good to have you here. And I’m just going to tell everybody right up front that Caleb’s story is pretty amazing. But unfortunately, it’s not that uncommon today, because Caleb has struggled with opiate addiction for many years. And so, Caleb, I’m just going to turn it over to you and ask you to share a little bit about your childhood and how this happened. How did you stumble into addiction?
Caleb: Thank you for having me on. First of all — hi everybody. And my reason for coming on here isn’t to air out my dirty laundry, but to hopefully give hope to somebody who’s in a struggle, regardless of what addiction it may be — whether it’s drugs, alcohol, gambling, whatever. I think it applies to all. So I’m 39 years old. I was born April 4th, 1983, to loving parents. And I’m not just saying that because you’re sitting here, Dad — but I wasn’t abused, I wasn’t neglected, I wasn’t molested. I had a great childhood. Couldn’t ask for better parents, couldn’t ask for better extended family. Because I know a lot of your classic cases of addiction involve horrible childhoods — people dealing with things that they should never have to deal with, kids being abused. They talk about how we’re numbing ourselves from past trauma. But I didn’t have any of that. So all I can say is that growing up, I think I was a good kid. I wasn’t super rebellious. I might have been ornery. But I grew up going to church, learning truth, knowing right from wrong. So I don’t have any excuses for what caused my addiction. It’s a question I’ve asked myself a lot. What perpetuated this at a young age? All I can say is that I was curious, and it started with marijuana and drinking beer when I was probably 14, 15 — with my neighbor growing up.
He was kind of ornery too. Not to put any blame on my older brother, but you want to be like your older brother. And I know he had experimented with drinking and stuff, so I’m sure that played a small part. And the fact of the matter is — I liked it. I knew right from wrong, but I guess that enjoyment, that euphoria that I felt, trumped the consciousness I had. We were talking at dinner before this podcast, and I said one of the most dangerous things that can happen to a person is getting comfortable with screwing up and messing up. That horrible feeling you get when you do something wrong — that’s important, and you should listen to that. Especially when you’re a child. Because the more you ignore that bad emotion you feel when you know you’re guilty or you’re doing something wrong, that gets quieter and quieter and quieter — to where you expect it of yourself. You think other people expect you to screw up. And that horrible feeling you get doesn’t feel so horrible anymore. It just becomes common. And I’m a classic case of that.
Grant: You know, we hear in the news all the time about so many people dying from overdoses — opiates, fentanyl, and things like that. And that’s a world you became very familiar with. You’ve lost many friends, school chums, and acquaintances to addiction. Tell us a little bit about opiate addiction itself and how it works, and what your story is in regards to this horrible drug.
Caleb: For a majority of people, I think it’s very innocent. They were prescribed prescription drugs from a doctor — maybe for a car accident or an injury. And then I think there were many years in the late 90s and early 2000s where doctors were overprescribing. Maybe it was a naive thing. Either way, it was happening. And in the early 2000s, when I was in my younger 20s, was when I first started experimenting — probably 22, 23 — with Vicodins and Percocets. Small-dose opiates. And they were very, very easy to acquire. I remember I was working in a machine shop, and the first time I really started messing with them, there was a guy I worked with, and I’d get a couple of Vicodins. They just kind of give you some energy, kind of make you relax. And then your tolerance starts to build up and before you know it, you’re getting more of them, and then more. And then when you don’t have them, you don’t feel so well. At the beginning, I remember thinking it was kind of odd — these pain pills that I take three days in a row, the fourth day when I don’t have them, I’m sore. But it never occurred to me that that was the beginning of feeling withdrawal. But I would later know withdrawal. It became my life and what I felt the majority of most days. And that’s common for most addicts in opiate addiction.
Grant: This addiction I know has cost you a lot. Can you share a little bit about the suffering that you’ve gone through? You’ve always been brutally honest with your mom and me about your addiction. You never tried to hide it. And because you’ve always been honest and open, I feel comfortable asking you to share with our viewers.
Caleb: This has taken over half of my life. I’m almost 40 years old. I started experimenting when I was 22. Close to half my life. And it’s cost me dearly. Legal fees, arrests, time in jail. I’ve lost many friends. I’ve been through rehabs, wrecked cars, lost a house, lost an apartment, lost everything, got it back, lost everything again, got it back again. Hurt people — hurt employers, friends of the family, Dad. I’ve never taken anything from anybody outside of this addiction. My credit rating on the street was A-plus. But within this addiction — I’ve taken things from family members. Ugly things I would never dream of doing outside of this. But when you’re at your lowest point — they talk about when you don’t have that chemical in your body, your brain literally goes into survival mode. And I can attest to that because your body is screaming for it. And we as addicts — we’re very resilient people, very creative. We will find a way to use when we’re in the middle of it. And the euphoria and the fun of it — which is very brief — it becomes using to get a buzz first, and then that goes away so fast. And then you’re just using to not be sick. And that has been the case for me for many, many years. My tolerance grew and grew. The money — you literally become a black hole and you just suck resources out of everything around you.
Like I said, this disease has decimated my generation. Between my wife and I, we could fill up a notebook with names of friends and acquaintances that we know have lost their lives to this. I myself overdosed in 2017. Paramedics came and literally told me when I came out of it — they had hit me with Narcan five times. I was sitting at a gas pump, blue. My lips were purple. Somebody — I don’t know to this day who it was, an angel maybe, I wish I could meet the person — they were pumping gas on the other side, looked over, saw me sitting in my front seat blue, called 911. They came, hit me with Narcan.
I remember waking up in the ambulance, and the paramedic was hovered over me, and they asked me, “Do you know where you’re at, what’s going on?” And I said, “Yeah, I think so.” And he said — I’ll never forget it — he said, “I wish I could have a video camera to show you what you looked like. We were this close to pronouncing you dead. We hit you five times with Narcan. We were about to call it quits, and we decided to hit you one more time.” And I came about.
And I’ll tell you — the insanity of this addiction is that at the time, I had called my sponsor. He came to meet me, his fiancée drove my car back because they wouldn’t let me drive. He and I went and talked for an hour or so. And I got back to his house later that evening and got in my car — and the drugs that I had used were still sitting on my seat. And most people would say, “No, you didn’t.” Yes, I did.
Grant: Same night.
Caleb: Same night. You would think having a near-death experience, hearing people talk about how life-changing that is — it just didn’t even faze me. It was just, “Oops.”
Grant: Logic means nothing at all.
Caleb: It’s insanity. It’s insanity.
Grant: Well, now you were sober and clean for a period of about five years. And I would ask you — do you ever have any urges or temptations? And you said you didn’t even think about it. Over five years, you were just perfectly normal — running a business, doing landscaping. Everything was great. But then about two years ago, what happened?
Caleb: I had gotten sober — I think in 2016 or 17 — with the help of a medication called Vivitrol, which is a monthly injection. It’s an opiate blocker. I did that for about a year. And that kind of shot me off to get my years of sobriety afterward. I was starting to enjoy life. I was a functioning member of society. Started my own landscaping business. Things were going great. I told you and Mom and other friends — I was even cocky about my sobriety. I said if someone showed me drugs, I would throw it right back at them because I had no desire whatsoever. I knew very well what it resulted in. And I felt very fortunate and grateful that I had come out of that and thought I had closed the door on that part of my life.
And two Christmases ago, I had an account close to where I live. I was doing snow removal over the winter and we got a horrible snowstorm on Christmas Eve — some of you from the Akron, Ohio area might remember. I was out there Christmas Eve ten, eleven hours shoveling snow. Then the next day on Christmas Day, ten, eleven hours again. And my back was just done. I had to call a distant family member to come help me because I couldn’t finish. No blame toward him whatsoever — he had no clue about my recent past. And he offered me a couple of Percocets. I thought at first — I said no. That was my common response any time I was offered or came in contact with it. But I thought to myself, after five, almost six years of sobriety, I’m a mature adult. I can handle a pain pill for my back. I know where it’s coming from. It’s not coming from the street. It’s a very small dose. And I thought it was absolutely innocent. There was no part of me trying to get a buzz. I just wanted relief for a sore back.
Grant: So you could finish your work.
Caleb: I went home that evening. Took it. Felt the relief in my back. Kind of sank into my couch. And the next day it switched my brain chemistry. I woke up the next day — there was nothing else I could think about. I had to get more. I was totally preoccupied with it. I called and got a couple more, and I believe the next day after that I was going and getting fentanyl.
Grant: They kicked you right back where you were.
Caleb: As if I’d never stopped. They call this disease cunning, baffling, and powerful. That’s a term you hear in AA or recovery. And that’s an understatement. I never in a million years would have thought taking two small pain pills after that many years of sobriety would throw me into a tailspin. And it absolutely did. I picked up as if I had never quit. My tolerance within a week was right back up to where it had been five years prior. And I was out ripping and running again — angry at myself, full of regret, remorse, sadness, despair. And that just got perpetually worse as the year went on. And I know this may not be for everybody who’s listening, but if it reaches one person as a warning of the dangers of this addiction — let my story be that warning. So you don’t have to go through this. Because I almost lost my life this past two years. And it was so innocent. I felt like I was almost hijacked. And I had to go out and experience a lot more pain. More brokenness. I thought I’d hit rock bottom before — and found out what rock bottom really was.
Grant: Well, then this is what brings us around to this podcast. Something happened about six weeks ago, in early November. How about you share?
Caleb: Yeah. I’ll back up a little bit to April — on my birthday this past year. I was helping a couple move up in Cleveland all day. It was April 4th, my birthday. Hadn’t eaten all day. Working with a lady and a couple other guys, just moving furniture. That evening coming back, they bought me a cake for my birthday. I had a piece of cake on the drive back, hadn’t eaten much all day. I got back and that evening I got a horrible stomach virus — horrible cramps. I went over to my cousin’s house. I remember being in the fetal position on his floor. He asked me if I needed to go to the hospital. But on top of the stomach issue, I was using — which was a daily thing. Whether it was the stomach issue, the use, or both — I was driving home that evening, high, getting these cramps, hunched over my wheel, and I wrecked my truck. Left my truck there. Cops came, I asked for a ride, they said they weren’t an Uber. I said I had a buddy close by — I’ll walk. And I started walking.
This was my grandpa’s truck that he had given me, because my other truck had been repossessed earlier in the year. So I’m walking home. I get these cramps again. I fall asleep on the side of the road. I wake up to another set of cops shining a light in my face — almost 11:00, maybe midnight. I get up, say, “Hey, I’ve got this horrible stomach cramp. I’m just walking home, my truck broke down.” And they let me go. And then it happened again. I fell asleep on the side of the road again. Woke up to a third set of cops. These ones actually took me home.
This was on a Tuesday or Wednesday. I get home and I sleep for three days — waking for brief moments, getting high, going back to sleep. I finally wake up Friday morning — three days after the wreck. The truck was gone. I lost my phone. I had no wallet. I was stranded. And God took everything out of my life. I couldn’t call anybody. I had no money. I had no car. And I told my wife — I said, I got to go to detox. I was horribly sick and stranded. And God literally took away every tool I had to go use. I couldn’t call anybody. I had no money to buy any. And I had no wheels to do it.
So I went to detox. Spent four or five days there. Got out, stayed clean for two days. And then a week to the day — when I finally started to feel a little better — I relapsed and used again. And the reason I share that story is because that’s when I lost all hope. I’d been out for another year and a half at that point and had attempted to get clean. And when you fall on your face — when I describe to people what you go through in a detox from heavy opiate use, it’s nothing less than evil. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. And I’ve done it a number of times. You want to crawl out of your skin. You’re throwing up. You’re cold, you’re hot. Take the worst flu you’ve ever had and multiply it times ten. That’s the best I can describe it. So when you go through that and then relapse after a week — I just gave up hope. I just gave up. I’ve accepted it. I said, I can’t get over this. I knew it would probably take my life at some point. I’ve told you, Dad — I knew at some point this would take my life. And I knew it would be painful to you and Mom and my wife and my family and my grandparents. But I thought, you know, at this point in my life I felt like a liability to others. I wasn’t contributing anything. I was just taking resources. I felt like a loser and a mess-up. And I figured — they’ll get over it. They’ll move on with their lives. And I’ll take this hurtling block that I felt like I was, and it would be removed, and you guys could all move on and be happy. And that’s really how I felt.
Grant: It wasn’t self-pity. It was just a fact of life to you at that point.
Caleb: Yeah. It was just the byproduct of my use and despair. My future was bleak and I had no hope. I’d always held on to a shred or a hair of hope. And at this point, it was removed. I had no hope. And I accepted that.
Grant: And then what happened?
Caleb: November 3rd — about six weeks ago — I got a call from Dad. At this point, it was just a matter of time. My wife was super concerned — for good reason. My mom, my uncle. I have to give credit to my uncle for coming down and talking to you and Mom. But Dad called me on November 3rd and asked me if I would please go back into detox. Because he and Mom and my wife and my uncle all knew I was going to die and were prepared for that call. And I couldn’t even argue with that, because I was prepared for it myself. I remember telling you, Dad — I said, I promise I’ll never go back through there. But I said, I’ll do it for Mom. And I’ll do it for Felicia. Because I love them and they’re worth it. I said I won’t go today, but I’ll go on Friday. And at that point I just said — God, if this is out of my hands, I don’t have the strength to do this. But if you’re real, then I’ll trust that you can do this. But I wasn’t expecting much. I’m not going to lie. So you picked me up that Friday morning. I went into detox not expecting much at all. And that’s when it started.
Grant: So yeah — you called and said, can you come pick me up, can I finish up at your house? So I picked you up, brought you here. And the room where we’re recording right now is the same room where you were sleeping — right over there.
Caleb: Not sleeping.
Grant: Or not sleeping. But something happened one night. Your mom and I were in bed in the middle of the night, and you came knocking on the bedroom door. Come in and tell us what happened.
Caleb: Once again, I’ll back up just a little. During my first or second night in detox — I can try to describe it in words, but you really can’t. It’s hell. It’s living hell. You’re sick. It’s a depressing place. It’s not comfortable. It’s like the dying hole. But I remember my second night in there. I was all alone, and I asked God, I said, “God, if you’re real — will you please remove this addiction from my life?” And it wasn’t the first time I had prayed this. But everything in my soul was like — if you have empathy, take me or take this addiction, but I can’t go on like this any longer. And it was probably the most genuine prayer I’ve ever prayed. Because up to this point, even though I was learning from you, Dad, and all your teachings at Beth Tikkun — I’ve always believed in God. But I’ve questioned his existence and asked him to reveal himself to me personally ever since I was a kid. And although I’m sure he has — when I look back at my life, things that have happened, what he’s brought me through and out of and protected me from — there’s no doubt that he exists. But he definitely made himself known after a week, when I came back here.
I had been out of detox for two days. I was there for four or five days. Came down here. A week to the day, it was a Friday. We had a beautiful Shabbat (שַׁבָּת) dinner. I was finally starting to feel good that evening. Nice dinner. Afterwards we had a nice talk with company. They left, and Dad had given me a good book. I came downstairs and was at peace. It was a beautiful night. And I remember talking to my cousin Daniel, and he had prayed for me over the phone — asking that this would be an amazing Shabbat for me and the family, that God would give me comfort. And I can’t help but think that’s what kicked all this off.
I came downstairs, sat on that couch about 20 feet away, and was reading my book. And the best way I can describe it — I felt just like a warmth. My head to my feet — just like almost a light came over my body. It sounds crazy. If someone else told me this, I’d probably think, I don’t know. But I’m telling you the truth, because it’s what happened. I was reading my book, and I flipped the page and I felt this warmness over me. I kind of sat up and snickered to myself, and I said — I said it out loud — “Might as well just come on in and have a seat. Let’s have a talk.” Because I felt God’s presence around me. And I knew he was in the room. I said, “I know you’re here. Let’s have a talk, because I’ve been wanting to have this talk for a long time.”
And that’s when — at that point the night, I can’t lie — from that point on, my memories go a little spotty. Because God literally took me out of the equation. You can probably describe what I went through more than I can, Dad. Because I remember coming up to your room and knocking on the door and saying something just happened and I needed to talk to somebody about it. I woke Mom and Dad up. We were sitting on the bed and I was trying to put into words what I had just experienced. The best I can describe is — I went through a physical detox, and then went through a spiritual detox afterward. Because I was going on seven, eight days of not a drug, not an alcohol, nothing in my body. So this wasn’t due to any side effects of something. But what happened to me was crazier than any drug I’ve ever taken in my 39 years. And I’ve taken a lot. God literally took me on a trip. And I don’t know what else happened for the next couple of hours. Because I was on this beautiful trip that he took me on, and I will never be able to describe it to anybody else.
Grant: I remember you shared that he took you back to the time you were born — even before you were born — and kind of showed you your entire life.
Caleb: I went back in time. I went forward in time. I went up. I went down. He—
Grant: He showed you that he was with you every single second of your life.
Caleb: And there’s just — I can’t put it into words. God works in subtle ways, but at this point in my life — I’m a stubborn person, I’m thick-headed. I think it took something like this for him to really reveal himself. He answered my prayer. And he absolutely revealed himself to me. And I’ll never question his existence again.
Grant: Well, something I can add here is that your sister has an apartment just down the hallway, and she got up in the middle of the night for some reason. There’s a restroom right there. And she happened to look in and she saw you. And the next morning she asked us — as did Felicia, your wife — “Was she over here last night?” We said, no, she wasn’t here. And she said, “Well, who was Caleb hugging?” And we said, “What?” She said, “I saw Caleb standing there. He had his arms wrapped around someone and they had their arms wrapped around him.”
Caleb: I have no recollection of that. And — yeah. And I believe her.
Grant: And there was no one else down here with you. But needless to say, there is a powerful deliverance. And you’ve been free for six weeks now — which isn’t a long time. But there’s definitely a spiritual depth that has opened up in you that your mom and I have seen, and others who know and love you. And Caleb — we’ve talked about this many times. God takes us through pain not because he wants to inflict pain, but because he wants to birth something great. And out of this, you have a vision for starting something new. What is it? Tell us what you really feel burdened to start.
Caleb: Yeah. I know so many people trapped in this addiction, and the success rate for people who get clean and stay clean is so minimal. I don’t know why I’m allowed to be delivered from this while others are still in it. There’s no magic pill for it. I’m sure it’s the prayers of you and Mom and others in the family that have caused this. It’s not my own doing. This is a God thing. Because I had given up all hope, and he literally plucked me out of this. And I’ll never not feel grateful for it.
But I have a heart for people dealing with this. And I see how daunting a task it is when you’re in the middle of it. Because if someone ends up at a detox center, usually they’re on their last leg. All other options have been exhausted. And unfortunately, that’s when you’re asked to do the hardest thing you’ve ever done in your life — and go through something that would make most people, even the toughest people, tap out. You’re asking people to go through this at the weakest part of their life. And it really takes a grit that few have. And for me, it was God that had to help me, because I couldn’t do it on my own. I proved that in April.
But yeah — I have this beautiful dream of a detox center that caters to the needs of addicts more than I think current detox centers do. I’m sure there are some out there, if you have a lot of money, that give you comfort, food, and nourishment. But we’re giving bare minimum, at least here in Akron — and I’m sure it’s the same in Cleveland or Canton or most cities in this country. And the fact is the way we’re addressing this addiction is, in my words, unacceptable. When we look at this tidal wave of drugs coming across our border, affecting our youth and my generation — if we ever want to turn this tide, we have to address this differently. Because it’s just not confronting the problem.
I just had a vision of a place where people could come and feel welcome. Where we really take these people in and make them feel comfortable. Give them nutrition, give them food, give them a comfortable bed. Cater to the needs that addicts have. Because we kind of treat people with addiction as the dregs of society, or as criminals. But I’ll tell you right now — I know a hundred people in this imprisonment. And they’re all good people. Good people making bad choices. I don’t know a bad person in this world — I know good people who are trapped. And I can’t think of any better way to show love than to have a place where these people can get the help they need. Because I feel so fortunate to have it myself.
Grant: Well, one of the things I have to add here is that you’ve mentioned Felicia, your wife. And she is an angel. She’s been with you through this. You’ve been married eight, going on nine years now. And she’s been through this with you every step of the way. What a woman of valor she is. She has stood by you with dignity and composure. And she’s a real testimony to all of us. And your mom, too — she’s been amazing.
But you know, Caleb — when you were born, before you were born — with you and your brother and your sister, your mom and I dedicated each of you to the Lord. We said, “Father, you know this soul belongs to you. We’re just stewards of it for a short time. And we just pray that you would use this child, to grow up into the man or the woman you want them to be. Whatever it takes.” And the path God had for you is not one any of us — or you — would have chosen. But I know God’s got great things for you. And they will use your passion for those who are imprisoned in addiction, and your passion to help set them free and to minister to them.
So I invite all of you to pray for Caleb — for whatever the future holds for him. But I’m pretty sure all of you know someone who is imprisoned in this addiction. And as Caleb said, these are good people. But they are in over their heads. And it’s going to take our help. And above all, it’s going to require God’s intervention to restore their souls. So I hope that this interview with Caleb will help spur all of us on to pray and to minister to these people — to love them, to reach out to them, and to do what’s necessary to help them get free. So, Caleb — final word before we sign off.
Caleb: Just thank you for having me on. I know this podcast isn’t for everybody. But if there’s one person out there who’s in a struggle, regardless of what it is — just don’t give up hope. Pray, because God does answer prayers. I’m a testament to that. Reach out to me. I don’t have any credentials as far as counseling or whatever, but I won’t judge you. I’ll be an ear. I’ll walk with you hand in hand. I can’t do it for you, but I can encourage you through it. I’ll be your friend. So if this reaches one person and helps one person, then it did its purpose. That’s my prayer.
Grant: Any emails people send in that are for you, I’ll make sure they get to you. Then you can take it from there.
Caleb: Thank you for having me.
Grant: Oh, thanks, Caleb, for sharing your heart with us. This has been a blessing, and it’ll be a blessing to all who’ve heard it. So thank you for joining us. And until next time — I wish you shalom (שָׁלוֹם). May God bless you.
This episode of Be Our Guest features a conversation between Grant Luton and his son Caleb Luton about Caleb’s nearly two-decade struggle with opiate addiction, his near-fatal overdose in 2017, his relapses, his surrender, and the sovereign deliverance he experienced during a Shabbat night in November 2024 at his parents’ home. Caleb shares this story not to expose himself but to offer hope to anyone trapped in addiction — and to serve as a warning about the cunning, baffling, and powerful nature of opiate dependence.
Caleb carries a vision for a faith-based detox ministry that would offer addicts the physical comfort, nourishment, and dignified care rarely available in standard facilities. Anyone wishing to reach Caleb with their own story, prayer request, or encouragement may contact Torah Today Ministries and the message will be forwarded to him.
Pray for Caleb — for continued deliverance, for deepening faith, and for the vision God has placed on his heart to minister to those imprisoned in addiction. Pray for his wife Felicia and their family for strength, healing, and joy after years of hardship.
Pray for the countless people — many of them good people simply trapped — who are fighting this addiction in silence in your own community.
The poison of opiates and fentanyl has enslaved millions of people across the globe. It is a scourge that has taken the lives of many thousands of people. In this interview, Caleb Luton (Grant & Robin’s youngest son) shares his 20-year struggle with opioids and how God graciously delivered him from the clutches of this horrible addiction.
If you would like to contact Caleb directly, you can email him at calebluton@gmail.com