Steppin' Out Radio

Justin attends Debtors Anonymous not because he has a debt problem, but because he won't spend. He would hoard his money out of fear that he might not be able to control his finances. His refusal to spend money often left him living without bare necessities. Justin spent years living in a 200 square-foot apartment with bad ventilation only because it was the least costly place to live he could find. But his fear might have been justified, as while on an overseas business trip he ran up a hotel phone bill of more than ten thousand dollars! While attending meetings in another recovery fellowship, friends suggested DA as a means to help him understand money and proper budgeting.

Trish is a personal trainer who earns good money per hour, but would not take on enough work to really have enough money to live the lifestyle she preferred. Credit cards would help make up the difference, maxing out the cards with thousands of dollars of debt. Spending gave Trish a high unlike any other. With her credit cards, she could have all the things she saw the affluent women have, like fashionable clothes and shoes. But those highs would also come with crashes into reality; it would take years to pay off those debts. Trish soon became ashamed when her younger siblings, who could manage their money, were offering to help her out. But Trish's "rock bottom" came when she realized the money she making was just not enough and that for the time being, she'd have to live on a $1.65 a day.

Dr. Robert R. Redfield MD is the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. He has been a public health leader actively engaged in clinical research and clinical care of chronic human viral infections and infectious diseases for more than 30 years. Dr. Redfield served as a member of the President's Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS from 2005 to 2009, and was appointed as Chair of the International Subcommittee from 2006 to 2009.

Sheila's anger started in childhood but manifested later in life through postpartum depression. When Sheila was first married, she decided to take on an unwelcome role as mother to her new stepson. She felt as if she needed to raise him, despite the boy having a perfectly fit mother already. But when Sheila gave birth to her own child, a daughter, she found herself exhibiting unrelenting rage in which she would scream and yell, break things in the home, and verbally abuse whoever in her family happened to be around. At one point her she relied on her three-year-old daughter to console her during outbursts.

Alan remembers having trouble controlling his feelings throughout childhood, but there was one moment in the fifth grade when nerves got the better of him; he couldn't read words of a play aloud. Relentless teasing lead Alan to grow angry. From that point forward, he would vow to never speak in front of crowd. But Alan knows now that much of that uncontrollable anger came from the influence of his father, who he know refers to as a "rage-a-holic" who often left Alan scared to express himself at home. A suicide attempt in early adulthood convinced Alan to seek help.

Tom's first drink was at age sixteen. At the time. he viewed getting drunk as a rite of passage. But now, Tom blames his father who to this day is still an active drinker. Because his dad drank so heavily, Tom grew up thinking being an alcoholic was both cool and a sign of maturity. In high school, Tom decided to attend a teenage keg party instead of his school's homecoming dance. But before the party, Tom and some friends started drinking beer and he found that he was the only member of his circle of friends who could drink heavily. Tom finished their beers and never made it to the keg party.

Charlie first started drinking at age 12 and got sober by nineteen. That first drink came in his mother's kitchen, when he swiped two swigs of vodka. Charlie thought it tastes horrible but within a coupe of weeks he was sneaking flasks into his bedroom. He wasn't a big drinker at first, but thought it was exciting and scary to keep the secret alcohol in his room. It took only a year for him to start supplying beer for local parties at which Charlie got very drunk. His intoxication lead him to seek other types of highs, often from illegal substances, because those were easier for a minor to obtain than alcohol.

BA Austin is the author of Smell the Raindrops: One Young Woman's Journey through Life, Love, and Recovery. It is her powerful fictional memoir about relationships and the challenges of being a Southern Belle baby-boomer born into significant wealth. Austin is an independent art history lecturer with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bowdoin College and a Master of Arts degree from the University of Memphis. She completed in-depth studies in Italy on Florentine Renaissance art. Ms. Austin has worked in the museum and academic fields for thirty years. She lives in southern California near her son, daughter, son-in-law, and three grandsons who are the joys of her life.

In 1999, Harold Owens was hired by the MusiCares Foundation, the charity arm of The Recording Academy (the GRAMMY Organization). As senior director of the MusiCares/MAP Fund, he is responsible for the implementation of all aspects of its addiction recovery programs including treatment services, case management and provider contracts. He is also a frequent moderator and panelist at a number of national music industry conferences that address the problems of addiction in the music and entertainment communities.

Heather Major joined the Independence Blue Cross Foundation in 2012. In her Foundation roles, Heather is responsible for grant administration and program redesign of the Foundation's core initiatives. Heather is responsible for guiding the strategic vision of the $90 million Foundation, and oversees $6 million in annual grant funding and commissioned research, as well as the Foundation's award-winning publications.