Nothing’s Off the Table with Louis Ruggiero

Louis Ruggiero welcomes Emma Gray, a Harvard graduate and sober lifestyle advocate who has been sober for nearly 11 years, for an honest conversation about drug addiction, mental health, and long-term sobriety. Now nearly 11 years sober, Emma has returned to Harvard to complete her degree, built a career in finance, and pursued a new chapter as a content creator and entrepreneur. Her journey offers powerful insights into overcoming drug addiction, rebuilding your life after addiction, maintaining long-term recovery, and finding happiness without alcohol or drugs. 🔔 Real stories. Raw comebacks. Nothing's off the table. Unfiltered conversations with people who've faced addiction, los...

Louis Ruggiero welcomes Alyx Effron, a recovering compulsive gambler, for a powerful conversation about gambling addiction, online blackjack addiction, sports betting addiction, and the devastating consequences of compulsive gambling. Through his experience, Alyx demonstrates how recovery from gambling addiction can make it possible to rebuild relationships, regain financial responsibility, and find purpose after devastating losses. 🔔 Real stories. Raw comebacks. Nothing's off the table. Unfiltered conversations with people who've faced addiction, loss, and rock bottom — and came back stronger. — This episode is sponsored by Algamus Recovery Center. If gambling is running your life — the lying, the chasing, the debt — you don't have...

Louis Ruggiero welcomes his longtime friend, best man, and recovery mentor, Dean Moses, to Nothing's Off the Table for a powerful conversation about heroin addiction, drug addiction recovery, opioid addiction, and the journey to lasting sobriety. Through their personal experiences, Louis and Dean discuss long-term addiction recovery, rebuilding trust, and finding peace after years of destructive behavior. Their conversation offers a powerful perspective on life after heroin addiction, the importance of asking for help, and how lasting change begins with honesty. 🔔 Real stories. Raw comebacks. Nothing's off the table. Unfiltered conversations with people who've faced addiction, loss, and rock bot...

In this episode of Nothing Is Off the Table, Louis Ruggiero welcomes Sharon Mabon, a retired police lieutenant, author, and recovering compulsive gambler, who opens up about her decades-long struggle with gambling addiction. After decades of struggling, Sharon finally committed to gambling addiction recovery in 2025 through counseling, faith, family support, and casino self-exclusion. Now, she uses her experience to advocate for gambling awareness and help others understand how to quit gambling addiction and rebuild their lives. 🔔 Real stories. Raw comebacks. Nothing's off the table. Unfiltered conversations with people who've faced addiction, loss, and rock bottom — and came back stronger. — This ep...

Louis Ruggiero welcomes Moshe Haimoff back to the podcast for an unfiltered conversation about gambling addiction, compulsive gambling, relapse, recovery, self-control, and what happens after gambling nearly destroys your life. This is a raw debate between 2 people who have experienced the consequences of gambling addiction firsthand, rebuilt their lives, and still disagree on what long-term gambling addiction recovery should actually look like. 🔔 Real stories. Raw comebacks. Nothing's off the table. Unfiltered conversations with people who've faced addiction, loss, and rock bottom — and came back stronger. — This episode is sponsored by Algamus Recovery Center. If gambling is running your life — the lying...

Louis Ruggiero welcomes David Millar for an honest conversation about addiction recovery, cocaine addiction, sobriety, and rebuilding a life after hitting rock bottom. David shares how his substance use escalated rapidly from teenage drinking and cocaine use into psychosis, psychiatric hospitals, homelessness, and sleeping beneath the Atlantic City boardwalk. Louis and David also discuss relapse prevention, life after addiction, rebuilding family relationships, running as a tool for personal growth, and why David believes people struggling with addiction must learn to accept the discomfort that comes with change. 🔔 Real stories. Raw comebacks. Nothing's off the table. Unfiltered conversations with people who...

Louis Ruggiero welcomes Will Hinman for a raw conversation about gambling addiction, drug addiction, alcohol addiction, relapse, and what it actually takes to build lasting addiction recovery. Will shares how gambling entered his life at a young age and eventually became part of his identity. Now helping others through lived experience, Will shares practical advice for anyone struggling with problem gambling, sports betting addiction, casino addiction, or gambling-related debt. 🔔 Real stories. Raw comebacks. Nothing's off the table. Unfiltered conversations with people who've faced addiction, loss, and rock bottom — and came back stronger. — This episode is sponsored by Algamus Recovery Center...

Louis Ruggiero welcomes former NBA player Chris Herren for an unfiltered conversation about addiction, recovery, sobriety, family, and life after basketball. Chris opens up about his early exposure to alcohol and drugs, becoming addicted to cocaine at 18, his descent into opioid addiction, and what it was really like battling addiction while playing professional basketball. From his experience with heroin addiction, cocaine, prescription opioids, and alcoholism to becoming a present father and husband, this is a powerful conversation about what sobriety, healing, and long-term recovery can actually look like. 🔔 Real stories. Raw comebacks. Nothing's off the table. Unfiltered conversations with peo...

Louis Ruggiero welcomes Zack Franck for a raw conversation about addiction recovery (5 years sober), heroin addiction, opioid addiction, overdose, relapse, treatment, faith, and rebuilding a life after years of substance abuse. Zack also reflects on repairing his relationship with his brother, becoming someone his family and friends could trust again, and discovering that the real rewards of life after addiction are often the simple things addiction once took away: being present, dependable, and available for the people you love. 🔔 Real stories. Raw comebacks. Nothing's off the table. Unfiltered conversations with people who've faced addiction, loss, and rock bottom — and came...

Louis Ruggiero welcomes Zack Franck for a raw conversation about addiction recovery, heroin addiction, opioid addiction, overdose, relapse, treatment, faith, and rebuilding a life after years of substance abuse. Zack also reflects on repairing his relationship with his brother, becoming someone his family and friends could trust again, and discovering that the real rewards of life after addiction are often the simple things addiction once took away: being present, dependable, and available for the people you love. 🔔 Real stories. Raw comebacks. Nothing's off the table. Unfiltered conversations with people who've faced addiction, loss, and rock bottom — and came back stron...

Louis Ruggiero welcomes Daniel Bullen for an unfiltered conversation about gambling addiction, compulsive gambling, and what it actually takes to rebuild your life after years of chasing the next win. Daniel explains how gambling entered his life as early as 8 or 9 years old and gradually became an obsession fueled by early wins, the belief that gambling could make him rich, and the constant need to chase losses.  The conversation also explores gambling relapse, rehab, therapy, recovery meetings, rebuilding trust with family, paying back debt, and learning why one big win could never solve the underlying problem. 🔔 Real stories. Raw come...

Louis Ruggiero welcomes Sophie Sumner for an honest conversation about her sobriety journey, alcohol addiction, recovery, self-worth, and the life she has built after reaching six years of continuous sobriety. For anyone interested in women in recovery, sobriety motivation, mental health and addiction, 12 step recovery, or a powerful addiction recovery story, Sophie’s experience offers an honest look at both the struggle and what can come after it. 🔔 Real stories. Raw comebacks. Nothing's off the table. Unfiltered conversations with people who've faced addiction, loss, and rock bottom — and came back stronger. — This episode is sponsored by Algamus Recovery Center. If gambli...

Louis Ruggiero welcomes Jimmy Abbate for a conversation about heroin addiction recovery, life after prison, and 25 years in recovery. Jimmy shares how childhood drinking escalated into heroin addiction, a jewelry store robbery, and 3 prison stays totaling 11 years before he began rebuilding life after addiction. But his sobriety journey involved more than putting down drugs and alcohol. Jimmy explains why he spent 16 years as a dry addict before returning to Alcoholics Anonymous, finding a sponsor, and working through 12 step recovery. Together, they discuss addiction and family, the behavior he still needed to change, and why asking for help became a...

Louis Ruggiero welcomes Joe Pizzimenti for an honest conversation about gambling addiction, sports betting addiction, and rebuilding a life in recovery. Joe shares how a winning bet at 15 developed into years of chasing losses, gambling debt, and secrecy before his last bet in December 2013. His gambling recovery story explores the connection between gambling and mental health, the impact on his marriage, and the support he found through gambling rehab and Gamblers Anonymous. 🔔 Real stories. Raw comebacks. Nothing's off the table. Unfiltered conversations with people who've faced addiction, loss, and rock bottom — and came back stronger. — This episode is sponsored by Alga...

Louis Ruggiero welcomes Anthony Scamardella for an honest conversation about his eight-year battle with Adderall addiction, the progression from a legitimate prescription to severe Adderall abuse, and what it actually took to rebuild his life after quitting. Anthony's addiction recovery story ultimately shows how recovery can become much more than staying away from a substance. It can mean rebuilding your identity and learning how to live without constantly needing to escape yourself. 🔔 Real stories. Raw comebacks. Nothing's off the table. Unfiltered conversations with people who've faced addiction, loss, and rock bottom — and came back stronger. — This episode is sponsored by Alga...

Louis Ruggiero welcomes Uri Edell for an open conversation about gambling addiction, sports betting addiction, and what it takes to finally choose recovery after decades of compulsive gambling. For anyone struggling with problem gambling, sports betting addiction, online casino addiction, or wondering how to stop gambling, Uri's story is a reminder that even after decades of addiction, recovery is possible when honesty replaces secrecy and you become willing to ask for help. 🔔 Real stories. Raw comebacks. Nothing's off the table. Unfiltered conversations with people who've faced addiction, loss, and rock bottom — and came back stronger. — This episode is sponsored by Alga...

Louis Ruggiero welcomes Craig Perra for a raw conversation about addiction recovery, sex addiction, porn addiction, behavioral addiction, trauma, shame, intimacy, and what it actually takes to rebuild your life after addiction. Craig explains how mindfulness, Internal Family Systems, parts work, purpose, and understanding human behavior changed his approach to recovering from addiction. 🔔 Real stories. Raw comebacks. Nothing's off the table. Unfiltered conversations with people who've faced addiction, loss, and rock bottom — and came back stronger. — This episode is sponsored by Algamus Recovery Center. If gambling is running your life — the lying, the chasing, the debt — you don't have to figure i...

Louis Ruggiero welcomes Madeline for a raw conversation about heroin addiction, opioid addiction, psychosis, recovery, and what it actually takes to rebuild a life after years of destructive drug use. Now more than 7 years sober, Madeline explains the work behind long-term sobriety and drug addiction recovery. She discusses 12-step recovery, sponsorship, meetings, prayer, meditation, making amends, helping other people, and learning to stop entering every situation focused on what she could take from it. 🔔 Real stories. Raw comebacks. Nothing’s off the table. I sit down with people who’ve faced it all: addiction, loss, redemption—and came out stronger...

Louis Ruggiero welcomes Raquel Herrera for an honest conversation about alcohol addiction, drug addiction, relapse, grief, faith, and what it really takes to build long-term sobriety. The conversation also explores the deeper behaviors behind addiction and alcoholism, including lying, manipulation, control, and isolation. Raquel explains how surrendering control, developing faith, helping other people, volunteering, and finding a personal addiction recovery path helped her finally maintain her sobriety. 🔔 Real stories. Raw comebacks. Nothing’s off the table. I sit down with people who’ve faced it all: addiction, loss, redemption—and came out stronger. These are unfiltered conversations about resilience, recovery...

Louis Ruggiero welcomes John Bonatesta to share his story of gambling addiction, how betting became part of his life at a young age, and how it eventually developed into severe compulsive gambling that affected his finances, relationships, and everyday life. For anyone searching for how to stop gambling, gambling addiction help, or hope for life after gambling addiction, John’s message is simple: stop hiding it, be open about what is happening, and reach out for help. 🔔 Real stories. Raw comebacks. Nothing’s off the table. I sit down with people who’ve faced it all: addiction, loss, redemption—and came ou...