Shadowing Practice: Flea on drugs - addiction recovery - inspiration - RHCP - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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You know, I started getting high when I was 11.
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And when I was about 15, I started shooting up.
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I did every drug in the book until I was about 30 when I stopped.
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I'm 57 now.
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For me, you know, luckily, believe it or not, like through all my absurd and ridiculous behavior as a drug abuser,
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I never got strung out.
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Like I was never a junkie.
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I always sort of had this something inside of me
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that wanted to do things that were really important that stopped me from getting strung out or really becoming a drug addict.
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I always, I skirted the line.
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I hurt myself immeasurably.
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It took me many years to recover.
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It was terrible.
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But I never got strung out.
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And maybe I just don't have that addictive gene, you know and I have many, many friends, very close friends who died.
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I have many of my closest friends who struggled forever with drugs.
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And I know for myself that when I stopped doing drugs, I wanted to feel everything.
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I wanted to feel my pain.
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And all my life I've suffered from really bad anxiety attacks
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and panic attacks and periods of immense insecurity and have a really hard time just loving myself for just being me.
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And, you know, it's a work in progress.
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But when I stopped doing drugs, I wanted to feel everything.
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I wanted to feel all the pain, all the suffering, all the anxiety
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because I knew that the only way that I was going to grow was to feel it.
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And I know that we all yearn to be as deep as we can be, to be as kind and compassionate and as good as we can be.
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And the only way to be that is to feel your pain and to sit there and let it wash over you.
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And like now, you know, I'm not a religious man.
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I'm not.
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And when I'm hurting, but I believe in God and I pray.
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And when I'm hurting and I feel terrible, I get on my knees and I say, Dear God, give me some more.
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You know, thank you.
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You know, I know nothing.
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Thank you.
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You know, help me.
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And I know that within my suffering, well, I will grow, you know.
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And for me, that was a huge thing to realize early on that I was going to deal with.
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And you know, you stop doing drugs, it's hard.
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Your nervous system's fucked up.
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Your whole social life revolves around going out and getting high and doing drugs.
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You have all these associations.
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All your serotonins and dopamines and shit are wired to be high.
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It's hard, you know.
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It's fucking hard to stop.
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It's hard to stop.
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It's hard to feel everything.
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But my only advice is to age gracefully is such a great aspiration to have.
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And luckily, around that age, I wanted to age gracefully.
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I wanted to be able to be an elderly person with a light on.
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I wanted to keep growing.
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I loved Duke Ellington.
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I wanted to like try to keep reinventing, to keep like a...
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Be a humble student all my life, you know?
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So, I don't know, I guess my advice is to try to love yourself and to...
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Drugs ultimately are pretty selfish, you know?
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It's all about you and your pain and your world that you want to cut everything else out.
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and I never thought like in doing my drugs I never
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thought I was trying to get rid of pain I always
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thought I was like this great explorer you know what I
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mean I was like I had one up on the squares
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I was like I saw the world as this hypocritical cruel
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mean place you know I didn't like rich people I didn't
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like these people I didn't you know I didn't trust anyone
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and I thought like I'm doing drugs
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and it was like woohoo you know I'm like I'm in this rarefied air now you know and And, but, like, it's really like,
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it's just an old and pathetic story.
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And the opportunity to be straight and to actually connect with people in true ways
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and to be willing to feel lonely and to be patient enough to have, like, a real actual honest communication, whether it means, like, going to get a taco
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and looking at the woman who gives it to you
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and smiling at her and her smiling back
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and you're actually sharing a beautiful moment like those are the little triumphs
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that for me make not being on drugs the greatest thing.
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So I don't know if that's a good answer or not.
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I'm no drug counselor.

Why This Video Is Perfect for English Speaking Practice

This raw, personal dialogue is a goldmine for english speaking practice. Its conversational tone—filled with pauses, colloquial phrases, and emotional depth—mimics real-life speech, making it ideal for shadowspeak (repeating aloud to match rhythm and intonation). The speaker’s vulnerability also helps learners connect with the content, making practice feel less like a drill and more like a meaningful conversation—key for IELTS speaking practice, where naturalness matters.

Breaking Down Natural Speech Patterns

Let’s unpack a few lines to see why they sound authentic:

  • “I skirted the line. I hurt myself immeasurably.” Short, punchy sentences mirror how we speak when sharing intense stories. The phrase “skirted the line” is a common idiom—learners can practice its casual flow.
  • “Your nervous system's fucked up. Your whole social life revolves around going out and getting high.” Contractions (“nervous system's”) and slang (“fucked up”) are staples of informal English. Notice how the speaker links ideas with “and,” creating a conversational rhythm.
  • “It's hard, you know. It's fucking hard to stop.” Repetition (“hard”) and filler words (“you know”) make speech sound unscripted. This is perfect for improving pronunciation—focus on stressing “fucking” to convey emotion.

A Simple Shadowing Routine to Improve

Try this learn english with videos exercise: 1. Watch the video once to grasp the story. 2. Pause after 5-10 seconds, then repeat the speaker’s words aloud, matching their speed, tone, and pauses. 3. Record yourself and compare—note where your intonation or rhythm differs. 4. Focus on tricky phrases like “age gracefully” or “let it wash over you” until they feel natural. This loop builds muscle memory for real-world speech, boosting both fluency and improve english pronunciation.

By practicing with this video, you’re not just learning words—you’re mastering the art of speaking like a native. Dive in, and let the speaker’s honesty guide your progress.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.