The Hardcore Heroin Addict – Shane Enholm
Why this one hits different
His brother became a cop. He robbed 29 banks. On Soft White Underbelly, Shane Enholm tells Mark Laita how heroin took over his life, and how he finally got sober.
What's on the table
Shane goes back to his childhood and his family, life on the streets and the bank robberies he committed to feed his addiction. He talks about why prison felt safer than the outside, using heroin while locked up, living with hepatitis C and serious liver disease, and how street drugs changed as heroin gave way to fentanyl. He closes with regrets, missed chances and the lessons he took from getting sober. Use the chapter list to jump to any part.
About Soft White Underbelly
Photographer Mark Laita's interview series is known for its white backdrop and unfiltered first-person stories from people who've lived through addiction, crime and life on the margins.
Why it's worth your time
It's rare to hear someone describe both sides of addiction this plainly: what it felt like from the inside, and what it cost. His comparison of the heroin era with today's fentanyl supply is a sobering one.
Quick answers
- When did this interview come out?
- September 21, 2026.
- How many banks did Shane Enholm rob?
- He says 29, to fund his addiction.
More in Prison & Street, or all interviews from Soft White Underbelly.
Chapters
Episode notes from Soft White Underbelly
Soft White Underbelly interview and portrait of Shane Enholm, a recovered heroin addict in Los Angeles.
00:00 Bank Robber Who Felt Safer in Prison
00:25 Childhood, Family & Life on the Streets
03:12 Hepatitis C & Serious Liver Disease
06:36 My Brother Became a Cop, I Became a Bank Robber
12:58 How I Became a Bank Robber
20:23 Robbing 29 Banks to Feed a Drug Addiction
22:58 Prison, Foster Care & a Turning Point
25:07 Heroin Addiction Inside Prison
27:03 Heroin vs. Fentanyl: How Drugs Have Changed
32:19 What Heroin Addiction Really Felt Like
37:38 Regrets, Addiction & Missed Opportunities
39:05 Getting Sober & Lessons From a Life of Addiction
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