Steppin' Out Radio

Arnie today owns a help line for those seeking an end to their addiction to gambling. He thinks online gambling is the newest form of crack cocaine, as it affects people across racial, social and economic lines. But it wasn't long ago that Arnie himself was a slave to his need to make bets. His first bit of "action" was, like many kids on city streets, flipping baseball cards. But in his teens he took his first trip to a racetrack, where he turned a few nickles into a big jackpot. From then on, he was sure he'd become a millionaire quickly.

John is part of a special group of folks in recovery who like to refer to themselves as "Double Winners." The title acknowledges that no only are they addicts, but their addictions were affected by the addictions of others. John is both a recovering alcoholic, and seeks support from Al-Anon, the fellowship aimed at helping family members of alcoholics. His family suffered divorce when he was young, and growing up John never felt a part of any group. But alcohol made him feel connected to peers. But even in his younger years, he began having late-stage alcoholism symptoms; liver failure, limb numbness, etc.

Andrew is another member of the "Double Winners" – people who achieved sobriety through both Alcoholics Anonymous and Al-Anon. He comes from a divorce family, and was shuffled between both parents who made their dislike for one another very apparent to the children. Andrew notes his father is a psychiatrist. He blames that for his inability to feel comfortable among peers, unless he was drinking. By his own account, he was a "buzzing, emotional mess." At age 15, Andrew's drinking had lead drug use, dropping out of school, getting kicked out the house and getting in trouble with the law.

LaRoco is celebrating four years sobriety at the age of 31. She recalls a great childhood, growing up in Brooklyn, N.Y., and can't remember ever being a "problem child." But in college, LaRoco says she began to get "loopy." She rarely ever drank as a teenager and a true fear of drugs. But after graduating college, life for her started to become difficult both in trying to find work and attempting to find love. A weird expedition around the world exposed LaRoco to drugs, alcohol and the escape it appear to provide. While she could agree it was a poor decision, she also felt she was willing to be destroyed by the substance abuse.

Like many who now identify as an alcoholic, Dean insists he grew up in a "normal" family in the New Jersey suburbs. His first drinks came in his early teens, sneaking drinks from the parents liquor cabinet. But one day, while working as a dishwasher in a local restaurant, Dean stole a case of wine which he kept hidden in his bedroom closet. He would sneak out and hike far into the woods in order to drink. By 19, Dean became a daily drinker and by 21 Dean drank himself into a two-and-half month-long blackout.

Tim is recovering from addiction to sex. He can look back at his family and see the genesis of his addiction, noticing his father (who had alcohol and rage issues) was notorious for having extra-marital affairs. Tim's mother had "poor boundaries" with regard to how she dressed around him as a young child. Following his parents' divorce, his mother would insist on being sexually explicit with him while he was a teenager. Tim would find his hormones in overdrive, even leaving high school classes to self-pleasure in the high school boy's restroom.

Dan admits to being a sex addict. He would seek sex from prostitutes in New York City four nights a week. He never had to worry about money, as Dan could hold down a job and keep enough money to spend on sex workers. Looking back, he could see he existed mostly in an altered state; Dan got a high from seeking out a prostitute that would fit his fancy. And he was married. One day he wondered if he could go without buying sex, and though he tried, he could not.

Pat was a food addict in recovery when she began drinking. She spent most of her life overweight and having a severe addiction to food. She learned to use food to feel comfort whenever she felt rejected or guilty. Pat ate until she was sick for the better part of 20 years, withdrawing from the world and gaining well over a hundred pounds. After seeking bariatric surgery, Pat lost the weight but would later learn she never resolved the reasons why she ate. Through the course of normal celebrations, Pat would drink alcohol; but a post-gastric bypass patient, alcohol's affects would hit her much faster and harder than a normal person or even a regular alcoholic. The alcohol, at first, gave her the same comfort and high as the food did before.

Frank grew up in Ireland, where he learned to drink. But his drinking grew out of control after moving to New York. He was free of his parents, who were still in Europe. Frank began a life of partying and drinking for days at a time. His partying was so excessive he found himself near penniless. Still, Frank would find friends who help him out, so he could still drink as much as his heart desired. Finally he attempted sobriety, through a twelve-step meeting. But Frank relapsed one day following a funeral in which everybody else was imbibing in alcohol. It begat more than six years straight of "party living." But his drinking changed his personality. He was soon no longer the happy, fun drunk, but a man who outwardly was depressed and mean.

Lauren had a taste of beer at age six or seven at a July 4th party with family and a friends. She admits to being a curious girl, and even at that young age the alcohol felt good. But by age 14, Lauren would become a regular drinker. She was in Middle School and alcohol consumed her life. She chose to drink, she says, because the alcohol would help her feel more comfortable with herself. She gained a reputation as a party girl, in which she relished. Finishing high school, she got a job as a bartender, where nobody minded her drinking (and getting drunk) on the job. In her sober moments, she had dreams of being an actress which she now knows she derailed by her using of alcohol.