Steppin' Out Radio

Dr. Rodu is a Professor of Medicine and holds an endowed chair in tobacco harm reduction research at the University of Louisville James Graham Brown Cancer Center. For two decades, he has been in the forefront of research and policy development regarding tobacco harm reduction, which informs smokers who are unable or unwilling to quit about vastly safer tobacco products such as smokeless tobacco and e-cigarettes. Rodu is the author of For Smokers Only: How Smokeless Tobacco Can Save Your Life, available at Amazon and as an audio book at Audible.

During the 1990s, Suzy Favor Hamilton was the darling of American track and field. An all-American beauty, a national and international champion, a spokesperson for numerous major companies, and a happily married wife, she was the model for an active, healthy, and wholesome life. But her perfect facade masked a dark truth: bipolar disorder that drove her obsession to perform and win. And when her career ended in spectacular fashion after "falling" at the 2000 Sydney games, and she no longer had that outlet, the demons came flooding in. For years, Suzy wrestled with her condition, as well as the guilt-stricken memories of her brother Dan, who had similar symptoms and took his own life, as well as the loss of her best friend to cancer, conflicted feelings about motherhood and her marriage, and lingering shame about her athletic career. After a misdiagnosis and a recommendation for medication that only exacerbated her mania and made her hypersexual, Suzy's life took a shocking turn.

Justin Luke Riley serves as president and CEO of Young People in Recovery (YPR). YPR is a national grassroots organization focused on peer-to-peer services for young people in, or seeking, recovery from substance use disorder. YPR aims to improve access to treatment educational resources, employment opportunities and housing that sustains young people in their recovery. With over 100 chapters nationwide, YPR empowers young people to get involved in their communities by providing them with the tools and support that will allow them to take charge of their futures. Riley is 28 years-old and has been in long-term recovery from a substance use disorder since 2007. He graduated cum laude from the Honors & Leadership Program at the University of Colorado at Denver in 2013 and is currently seeking his Executive MBA at the University Colorado. He is a former organizational development consultant and a youth and community engagement pastor in Denver; former secretary of the board of Faces & Voices of Recovery in Washington, DC; and past president of the board of Advocates for Recovery in Denver.

Alan would wake up late and show up for work late, all because he was high on cocaine the night before. He worked at a deli restaurant, and would stay at his job each day as long as it would take him to earn enough money to buy his cocaine for the night from his dealer. That's how each day for him played out. Alan's first time using drugs came in college, when he first tried marijuana. From that point it wasn't long before he tried cocaine. On that day, he swears he morphed into the handsome and suave man he always wished he was. It was a feeling he would spend more than two decades chasing.

Roberto was born in Peru and claims his family was full of drinkers. Alcohol was around at all times, at every activity. He often felt distanced from his family as a child because he was the lone boy in a house full of sisters. His family had him placed in a special school in which he was the lone Peruvian; his classmates were all foreign-born Caucasians with blonde hair and blue eyes. He would look at himself in the mirror and think something was wrong about the way he looked, having typical, darker latino features. Roberto's father died when he was still a child, and to cope with pain and anger, he took his first drink.

Giovanni distinctly remembers why he started drinking. The day he took his first drink, he felt good. All his inhibitions, insecurities and precognition disappeared. In his own words, Giovanni needed the alcohol to "get rid of a feeling, or to get a feeling." But after a time, alcohol would no longer fill that void. Giovanni turned to hard drugs instead. His own sister was a cocaine dealer, and upon his first use, he felt a magic connection with it. While using drugs, he could have a fun and exciting life. He says the honeymoon with cocaine ended soon, however, and life became unbearable.

Aaron was raised in a very upscale Jewish neighborhood, with parents who provided a loving home as best they could – they tried to hide pain by buying whatever their children wanted. But home wasn't a happy place for Aaron or his two sisters. His parents sent him to boarding school, where he learned he could find all alcohol he could get. But upon using drugs and alcohol at school, he got expelled. Aaron's drug use continued into adulthood, where one night he blacked out on a trip to Atlantic City where he removed all his clothes and streaked at a casino.

Seventy-year-old Jim stopped smoking cigarettes about 8 years ago after trying to quit "about 2,000 times." He began smoking at age 19 while serving in Vietnam during the war, developing a strong habit and continuing smoking for the next 43 years. His was a nearly 2-3 pack-a-day habit. Jim tried everything in his quest to quit; pharmaceuticals, hypnosis, and even e-cigarettes. He tried the devices for six full months before concluding it just wasn't working for him. Jim desperately wanted to try something else to help him quit for good. Jim's discovery of Swedish Snus however provided some hope of controlling his addiction to nicotine. While he still uses alternate forms of nicotine, he no longer is smoking. Smoking cessation expert Dr. Brad Rodu joins the conversation with advice and analysis.

Eric Langshur has been committed to health and well-being innovation for over fifteen years and today is an author, sought-after public speaker, entrepreneur and investor. Eric has dedicated his career to modeling a values-based leadership that leans on caring for people by investing in developing their potential. He cultivates an industry-wide move toward organizations that nurture individuals while unleashing the power of innovation though Abundant Venture Partners, a purpose-based firm focused on investing in and building companies that improve the human condition.

Bret Boone's (@theboone29) home run explosion from 19 in 2000 to 37 in 2001 led to speculation of steroid abuse. Boone was fingered as a steroids user in Jose Canseco's book "Juiced". Canseco said in a 2001 spring training game that he was stunned at Boone's physique, and the two chatted about what Boone was taking. However, Boone has since denied taking steroids, and said that the conversation never took place. He even pointed out that he never played against Canseco during the 2001 spring training.