Steppin' Out Radio

Dr. Harris Wilkes is the author of Women and Recovery-Finding Hope, published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and co-editor of Substance Abuse Recovery in College, published by Springer. She served for twelve years as the Director of the Center for the Study of Addiction and Recovery (CSAR) at Texas Tech University. Under her leadership, the CSAR gained national attention, appearing in the Wall Street Journal, on the NBC Today Show, CNN, and featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, and The New York Times. For six years, she was also Associate Dean of the College of Human Sciences at Texas Tech University.

After losing their 27-year-old son Adam to a secret opioid addiction, Jim and Jeanne Moser made it their mission to use their family's story to encourage others to talk more openly about the risks of prescription drug abuse, early and often. Jim and Jeanne Moser were unaware that their son was struggling with addiction until a state trooper knocked on their door to inform them Adam was found dead from an apparent fentanyl overdose. The couple channeled their grief into action and started Zero Left for the Medicine Cabinet – also known as ZeroLeft.

Actor Jeff Wincott (@jeffreywincott) has appeared in 30 movies, 150 appearances on television and the lead in the award winning TV series Night Heat. Currently, Jeff can be seen in the Netflix series The Lizzie Borden Chronicles and this summer as Detective Lucas in the HBO miniseries The Night Of starring John Turturro. He just made his directorial debut with the short film Behind Bars. It's a dramatic look at the pitfalls of addiction and has been officially selected for 3 film festivals. Up next, he is directing the indie feature film Changing Charlie which is currently on IndieGoGo.

Thing From Within delves into the root causes of temptation and reveals why diets, alone, don't work. To lose weight and keep it off, you've got to retrain your brain. The book, packed full of great information, also provides advice, exercises and questions to help the reader self-coach to control cravings and break the cycle of self-sabotage. Thin From Within includes innovative Self-Coaching tips, fresh ideas, informative and fun quizzes, along with a no-nonsense premise that not only makes sense, but gets to the nuts and bolts of lifelong weight mastery. Dr. Joe Luciani has been a practicing clinical psychologist for more than 35 years. He's the internationally best-selling author of the "Self-Coaching" series of books, published in ten languages.

More than a half century since his reign as the Justin Bieber of the "Camelot" era, reviewers unanimously agree that multi-talented entertainer Bobby Rydell (@BobbyRydell) has told one hell of a story with today's release of his compelling new autobiography, Teen Idol on the Rocks: A Tale of Second Chances. From his vivid childhood on the fabled mid-20th-century streets of South Philadelphia through his more recent battles with alcoholism, and his lifesaving double-transplant surgery (he shares a liver with an eight-year-old girl), Rydell "has unbelievable stories to tell, and he's sharing the good, the bad, and the fascinating," says Parade magazine. The Huffington Post adds: Teen Idol on the Rocks is "pure rock n' roll nostalgia with a big dose of personal memories that will tear your heart out. … another reason to embrace him even more!"

Dr. Jerome Adams is the 20th Surgeon General of the United States. As the Nation's Doctor, the Surgeon General's mission is to advance the health of the American people. He has created several initiatives to tackle our nation's most pressing health issues, including the opioid epidemic. But the issue is incredibly personal for Dr. Adams; his own brother suffers as an addict. Philip Adams is currently serving a prison sentence for burglary, while Dr. Adams works as the chief physician of the United States of America.

On a frigid February afternoon in 2005, Dr. Peter Grinspoon — a Harvard-trained medical doctor with a thriving practice — walked into his office to find a DEA agent and a Massachusetts state police officer waiting for him. Thanks to a tip from a sharp-eyed pharmacist, the officers had evidence Grinspoon had been writing Vicodin prescriptions for his own use in the name of a former nanny who had long since returned to New Zealand. They informed Grinspoon he would be charged with three felony counts of fraudulently obtaining a controlled substance. After years of writing bad prescriptions, sharing pills with patients, and raiding supply closets, Grinspoon had been caught, and his addiction exposed. The following morning, Grinspoon drove to police headquarters where he was booked and fingerprinted. How did a respected doctor who seemed to have it all — a successful practice, adoring patients, top academic credentials, two great children and a lovely wife — end up here?

Brian Bailys formed the new app-based recovery tool, Ascent. As a recovering addict himself, Bayliss says: "Through a series of lucky breaks (I don't believe in coincidences), I became part of a team that has the requisite experience and initial capital to pull off the development of this monumental undertaking, and as of late launch Ascent. The Ascent solution combines the power of a well-researched e-recovery tool with documented outcomes and the human touch of virtual peer recovery coaching."

Brandon's daughter was never an addict, that is to say, she was never addicted to, or abused, alcohol or drugs. But starting at very early age, his daughter was overly defiant and confrontational. She would fight Brandon and her mother on having to eat, to do chores, or to do her schoolwork. In her early teens she began to sneak out of the house or flatly not come home after school. Brandon would find her at bowling alleys or another hangouts. Her school performance was lackluster, and Brandon's relationship with her was deteriorating. Only after severe counseling, did Brandon learn his daughter suffered from behavioral disorders such as Attention Deficit Disorder and Opposition & Defiance Disorder. But Brandon would turn to a support group to help heal his own self.

Anne's addict son made her life a complete hell. His behavior was atrocious, both violent and belligerent. One day when her son was fourteen years-old, Anne was forced to call police as her son was so overly agitated she felt unsafe. The police suggested to Anne that her son be abusing drugs. Upon searching the teen's bedroom, the police found a Super Soaker water gun converted into a bong. This began a long battle between Anne and her son, who was descending into a horrible chasm of drug abuse; marijuana gave way to pills and opium. Anne's last straw came when learning her son was introducing his classmates to drug abuse.