The 1% in Recovery Successful Gamblers & Alcoholics Stopping Addiction

Text and Be Heard

March Madness combined with Happy Hour weekends can look harmless from the outside, but if you are in addiction recovery, they can be a perfect storm of triggers: wall to wall games, nonstop sports betting ads, and the social pressure of happy hour. We unpack why that rush gets labeled “fun,” even when it leads to the same ending for so many of us: lost money, wasted time, a foggy brain, and the feeling that life is happening somewhere else. 

We also get real about what early recovery actually feels like. Newcomers often show up depressed and stunned, thinking, “I am not this bad,” while their behavior tells a different story. I share a personal story about walking into my first gambling meeting during the Sweet 16 and still trying to bet around it, plus why the addicted mind rebels against the simple roadmap that works: meetings, honesty, structure, and support. 

Then we move from insight to action with practical relapse prevention. We talk about neuroplasticity and building healthy brain chemistry through natural dopamine and connection, why vague goals fail, and how to design a day that protects your sobriety. The core takeaway is simple: stop letting a score, a drink, or a bet decide your mood. Choose a plan, put it on your calendar, and show up for the life you say you want. If this helps, subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review.

Support the show

Recovery is Beautiful.   

Go Live Your Best Life!!

Facebook Group - Recovery Freedom Circle | Facebook

Your EQ is Your IQ
YouTube -    Life Is Wonderful   Hugo V

Recovery Freedom Circle
The System That Understands Recovery, Builds Character  and Helps People Have Better Relationships.
A Life Changing Solution, Saves You Time, 18 weeks
www.lifeiswonderful.love  


Instagram -  Lifeiswonderful.Love
TikTok -  Lifeiswonderful.Love
Pinterest -   Lifeiswonderful.Love
X -     LifeWonderLove
LinkedIn -   Hugo Vrsalovic    

LinkedIn -   The 1% in Recovery

Text and Be Heard

Sports betting doesn’t just change what you watch on Sunday, it can change what you save for the rest of your life. We talk with Kevin, an assistant professor of finance at Kansas, about new research on online sports betting legalization and how it impacts household savings, investing behavior, and long-term financial stability. 

Kevin and his co-authors use anonymized transaction account data from around 200,000 US households to track real money flows, including transfers to major sports betting apps and deposits into brokerage accounts like Vanguard, Fidelity, and ETrade. What they find is hard to ignore: adoption grows over time and is heavily concentrated among frequent bettors, and savings deposits fall in the aggregate even though only about 7% of households ever use a sportsbook. Among households with low savings and among heavy users, brokerage contributions drop dramatically, in some cases by more than 50%. 

We also get into the real-world drivers behind the numbers: relentless sports betting advertising, “free” promos, push notifications, the parlay obsession, and live betting that makes chasing losses faster and easier. Kevin shares how he approaches these conversations with college students and why the better target for change is smarter regulation, clearer boundaries, and better research access at the state level. 

If you care about financial health, gambling addiction risk, and where “entertainment” starts stealing from your future, hit play. Subscribe, share this with someone who bets, and leave us a review with your take on what fair guardrails should look like.

Kevin Pisciotta website: https://sites.google.com/udel.edu/kevin-pisciotta/home

LinkedIn: Kevin Pisciotta | LinkedIn

Paper: Online Sports Betting Is Draining Household Savings 

Support the show

Recovery is Beautiful.   

Go Live Your Best Life!!

Facebook Group - Recovery Freedom Circle | Facebook

Your EQ is Your IQ
YouTube -    Life Is Wonderful   Hugo V

Recovery Freedom Circle
The System That Understands Recovery, Builds Character  and Helps People Have Better Relationships.
A Life Changing Solution, Saves You Time, 18 weeks
www.lifeiswonderful.love  


Instagram -  Lifeiswonderful.Love
TikTok -  Lifeiswonderful.Love
Pinterest -   Lifeiswonderful.Love
X -     LifeWonderLove
LinkedIn -   Hugo Vrsalovic    

LinkedIn -   The 1% in Recovery

Text and Be Heard

Laughter is not a detour from recovery, it can be the shortest path back to it. We sit down with Greg from Tampa, co-host of the Sober Shenanigans podcast with Primo, to talk about why humor in recovery does more than lighten the mood. It breaks shame, softens resentment, and helps us stop taking ourselves so seriously, which is often the exact mindset that keeps addiction alive. 

We also get real about what it means to own your story completely. Greg shares how the Big Book, the steps, and honest conversation help clear out the baggage we carry for years, the legal trouble, the relationship damage, the secrets, and the “shadow life” that makes us feel split in two. We dig into active listening as a form of service and why hearing someone say “you’re not alone” can be the difference between staying stuck and walking into recovery. If you have ever thought your problem is too unique or too messy to share, this will meet you right where you are. 

Finally, we unpack the practical power of one day at a time, 24 hours. “No drinks today” is not just a slogan, it is a strategy that reduces pressure, stops future tripping, and makes you available for the moments that matter, especially with family. You’ll hear how consistency rebuilds trust, how recovery changes relationships, and why small daily actions can reshape your brain and your life over time. If this conversation helps you, subscribe, share it with someone who needs a boost, and leave a review so more people can find real addiction recovery support.

Connect with Sober Shenanigans

sobershenanigans | Instagram, Facebook | Linktree

Check out Sober Shenanigans podcast

YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@UChtNtRpx3H8w1cH6EdZkoZA 
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/p/Sober-Shenanigans-61574649471535/

Support the show

Recovery is Beautiful.   

Go Live Your Best Life!!

Facebook Group - Recovery Freedom Circle | Facebook

Your EQ is Your IQ
YouTube -    Life Is Wonderful   Hugo V

Recovery Freedom Circle
The System That Understands Recovery, Builds Character  and Helps People Have Better Relationships.
A Life Changing Solution, Saves You Time, 18 weeks
www.lifeiswonderful.love  


Instagram -  Lifeiswonderful.Love
TikTok -  Lifeiswonderful.Love
Pinterest -   Lifeiswonderful.Love
X -     LifeWonderLove
LinkedIn -   Hugo Vrsalovic    

LinkedIn -   The 1% in Recovery

Text and Be Heard

The bets got faster, the odds got louder, and suddenly gambling wasn’t a weekend thrill—it was everywhere. We pull back the curtain on how today’s betting economy evolved from casino floors to phones, why micro and live wagers supercharge harm, and what it really takes to break free when “just one more” becomes every day. Drawing from the history of compulsive gambling, we unpack the shift from clinical labels to lived experience, showing how variable rewards, frictionless payments, and round-the-clock markets hijack attention, drain bank accounts, and fuel anxiety that betting can’t soothe.

We also talk plainly about incentives. When gambling companies chase quarterly growth, they don’t sell moderation—they sell more bets. Prop markets multiply touchpoints, micro bets compress time, and a single game can host hundreds of decisions designed to keep you in play. We examine a notorious high-roller case to reveal how “player protection” slogans collapse under profit pressure and why fines often amount to rounding errors. Then we step into prediction markets—odds on elections, conflicts, even disasters—and why turning public life into a betting menu crosses ethical lines while normalizing action for vulnerable minds.

There is a way out. Recovery begins with a full stop, not a taper: block apps, close accounts, add friction to money, and lean on people who get it. From there, we rebuild a daily life that makes real neurochemistry—movement for endorphins, nature and hugs for oxytocin, progress for serotonin, purpose for sustainable dopamine. We share practical tools and character work that anchor focus, lower anxiety, and replace the rush with steady peace. If gambling has crept into every corner, consider this your invitation back to yourself. Listen, share with someone who needs it, and subscribe to get future conversations that put recovery, honesty, and joy at the center.

Support the show

Recovery is Beautiful.   

Go Live Your Best Life!!

Facebook Group - Recovery Freedom Circle | Facebook

Your EQ is Your IQ
YouTube -    Life Is Wonderful   Hugo V

Recovery Freedom Circle
The System That Understands Recovery, Builds Character  and Helps People Have Better Relationships.
A Life Changing Solution, Saves You Time, 18 weeks
www.lifeiswonderful.love  


Instagram -  Lifeiswonderful.Love
TikTok -  Lifeiswonderful.Love
Pinterest -   Lifeiswonderful.Love
X -     LifeWonderLove
LinkedIn -   Hugo Vrsalovic    

LinkedIn -   The 1% in Recovery

Text and Be Heard

Smoke, music, and a stadium full of stories—our Houston Rodeo broadcast turns championship barbecue into a roadmap for recovery. We break down why brisket, chicken, ribs, and dessert each mirror a vital piece of recovery living: the Steps as foundation, meetings as daily nourishment, traditions as structure, and fellowship as the sweet finish that keeps you coming back. If you’ve ever wondered how to make recovery feel real, tangible, and even joyful, this is your plate.

We start with brisket and fat — no sauce, just truth. The Twelve Steps are the core cut: patience, heat, and practice until the obsession lets go. From emotional inventories to amends and service, you can’t outthink wounds; you have to work them. Then we shift to chicken, a reminder that not all meetings feed you equally. We talk about finding rooms that lift you—Spanish Alcoholics, English Gamblers, topic nights, Big Book studies—so you leave feeling stronger, not stuck.

Ribs bring the structure. Traditions and Unity Steps protect the room: singleness of purpose, principles over personalities, and humility guided by a higher power. That framework keeps groups honest and safe, letting the truth fall off the bone. Finally, dessert is fellowship—the sweetness of texts, hugs, and check-ins that make recovery feel like family. From pie and cobbler to late-night calls across languages, we celebrate the connections that turn recoveryy into a rich, shared life.

Come for the rodeo, the music, and the world-class barbecue; stay for a vision of recovery that’s flavorful, grounded, and free. If you’re ready to build a foundation, find a meeting that feeds you, trust the traditions, and savor the fellowship, press play and join us. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review to help others find the show. Which “course” are you hungry for today?

Support the show

Recovery is Beautiful.   

Go Live Your Best Life!!

Facebook Group - Recovery Freedom Circle | Facebook

Your EQ is Your IQ
YouTube -    Life Is Wonderful   Hugo V

Recovery Freedom Circle
The System That Understands Recovery, Builds Character  and Helps People Have Better Relationships.
A Life Changing Solution, Saves You Time, 18 weeks
www.lifeiswonderful.love  


Instagram -  Lifeiswonderful.Love
TikTok -  Lifeiswonderful.Love
Pinterest -   Lifeiswonderful.Love
X -     LifeWonderLove
LinkedIn -   Hugo Vrsalovic    

LinkedIn -   The 1% in Recovery

Text and Be Heard

What if the two biggest roadblocks to recovery were hiding in plain sight? We unpack why “not knowing” can be a superpower when paired with curiosity, and how simple, repeatable actions become the backbone of lasting change. From the first shaky days to the moment life finally feels steady again, we share the habits, mindsets, and tools that keep progress real.

We explore meetings as a live lab where you borrow what works from people 30 days, six months, or three years ahead. We talk about building a personal learning plan with books, pamphlets, podcasts, audiobooks, and documentaries that deepen your grasp of forgiveness, love, higher power, and practical step work. You’ll hear how emotional intelligence grows from naming feelings to processing them out loud, and why a basic spiritual connection can steady you when motivation dips.

Then we zoom in on repetition: tiny daily reps that rewire your brain and outlast willpower. Think five minutes of reading, one message to a sober friend, a short prayer, a brisk walk, or a single meeting that keeps you connected. We warn about recovery atrophy when life gets better and offer a lean maintenance plan so you never lose touch with community, body, and spirit. You’ll also get a real-world coping example that shows how movement, connection, and creativity can shift a depressive spiral into traction.

If you’re ready to replace overwhelm with a 24-hour focus and the next right thing, this one is for you. Subscribe, share with someone who needs encouragement, and leave a quick review to help more people find the show. What one habit will you repeat today?

Support the show

Recovery is Beautiful.   

Go Live Your Best Life!!

Facebook Group - Recovery Freedom Circle | Facebook

Your EQ is Your IQ
YouTube -    Life Is Wonderful   Hugo V

Recovery Freedom Circle
The System That Understands Recovery, Builds Character  and Helps People Have Better Relationships.
A Life Changing Solution, Saves You Time, 18 weeks
www.lifeiswonderful.love  


Instagram -  Lifeiswonderful.Love
TikTok -  Lifeiswonderful.Love
Pinterest -   Lifeiswonderful.Love
X -     LifeWonderLove
LinkedIn -   Hugo Vrsalovic    

LinkedIn -   The 1% in Recovery

Text and Be Heard

What happens after dry January ends and the Super Bowl confetti settles? We dig into the emotional mechanics that fuel alcohol and gambling habits and show why white-knuckling a month of abstinence won’t create the freedom you actually want. You’ll hear a clear, practical shift: move from chasing quick highs to building a life powered by natural dopamine, honest routines, and character change that lasts.

We challenge the common myths—alcohol as a social must, betting as entertainment—and lay out what they really cost in money, sleep, energy, and self-respect. From there, we walk through spiritual principles like honesty, courage, and discipline as daily practices, not just ideals. You’ll learn how self-guided tools and step-based frameworks transform vague intentions into specific actions, and why support—therapy, coaching, faith mentors, and community—acts as the multiplier for growth. Instead of cycling from football to basketball to baseball bets, we offer a map for redirecting your attention toward health, relationships, purpose, and financial stability.

Along the way, we share personal insights on finding peace and replacing late-night bets with mornings that matter—gym sessions, focused work, real connection. The goal isn’t a perfect streak; it’s a steady heart and a free mind. If you’re ready to redefine your relationship with alcohol and gambling, anchor your days in routines that compound, and step toward deeper love, wealth, and spiritual connection, this conversation is your on-ramp. Subscribe, share with someone who needs it, and leave a review telling us the one habit you’ll rebuild this week.

Support the show

Recovery is Beautiful.   

Go Live Your Best Life!!

Facebook Group - Recovery Freedom Circle | Facebook

Your EQ is Your IQ
YouTube -    Life Is Wonderful   Hugo V

Recovery Freedom Circle
The System That Understands Recovery, Builds Character  and Helps People Have Better Relationships.
A Life Changing Solution, Saves You Time, 18 weeks
www.lifeiswonderful.love  


Instagram -  Lifeiswonderful.Love
TikTok -  Lifeiswonderful.Love
Pinterest -   Lifeiswonderful.Love
X -     LifeWonderLove
LinkedIn -   Hugo Vrsalovic    

LinkedIn -   The 1% in Recovery

Text and Be Heard

The party isn’t just wings and commercials anymore; it’s a precision engine that turns fandom into wagers and attention into revenue. We’re joined by James, a former industry insider turned prevention advocate, to unpack how Super Bowl prop bets, nonstop live wagering, and wall-to-wall ads create an environment where “harmless fun” morphs into compulsion. From coin flips and Gatorade colors to VIP perks and algorithmic nudges, we trace the incentives that keep you tapping the app and chasing the next bet.

We dig into the NCAA’s uneasy dance with gambling: leadership touting partnerships after high-profile integrity scares, escalating harassment of athletes after buzzer-beaters swing lines, and the uneven landscape of NIL money that leaves many players exposed. James lays out why campus proximity marketing, weak PSAs, and nostalgic branding aimed at younger audiences are a combustible mix. The heart of the concern is player safety and the social fallout: when props multiply, so do threats, rumors, and pressure to bend the game.

Under the hood, leagues own the data exhaust of every play—and they sell it. That data sharpens lines, powers micro-props, and makes winning consistently harder for the average bettor. The house uses your history, your patterns, and your bankroll to personalize offers and nudge bigger stakes. We break down the psychology that seals the loop: near misses, variable rewards, and the gambler’s “redemption” myth that one more bet can erase a loss. Recovery means healing the brain and rebuilding habits that generate natural dopamine—structure, movement, connection, purpose—while taking practical steps like deposit delays, notification control, and strict time budgets.

If you care about the game, your wallet, or your mental health, this conversation gives you a clear map of the system and the tools to push back. Subscribe, share with a friend who bets on Sundays, and leave a review to help more listeners find a smarter way through the hype.

Support the show

Recovery is Beautiful.   

Go Live Your Best Life!!

Facebook Group - Recovery Freedom Circle | Facebook

Your EQ is Your IQ
YouTube -    Life Is Wonderful   Hugo V

Recovery Freedom Circle
The System That Understands Recovery, Builds Character  and Helps People Have Better Relationships.
A Life Changing Solution, Saves You Time, 18 weeks
www.lifeiswonderful.love  


Instagram -  Lifeiswonderful.Love
TikTok -  Lifeiswonderful.Love
Pinterest -   Lifeiswonderful.Love
X -     LifeWonderLove
LinkedIn -   Hugo Vrsalovic    

LinkedIn -   The 1% in Recovery

Text and Be Heard

The phrase “expect a miracle” can sound like a platitude—until it becomes the lifeline that pulls you out of a bottle. We sit down with Michael, 34 years in Recovery, to trace a path that runs from Houston meeting rooms to international flights, heavy-drinking business dinners, and quiet moments of prayer that kept him grounded. He shares how the Twelve Steps brought him to a deeper faith, why the fifth step unlocked the real reason he drank, and how the tenth step helps him catch fear before it derails his day.

This story isn’t abstinence wrapped in willpower. It’s a playbook for surviving and thriving in cultures where alcohol is the default—corporate lunches, client events, and long-haul flights where drinks flow. Michael walks through practical sobriety tactics that work anywhere: keep a nonalcoholic drink in hand, check in with recovery peers before and after travel, and find a local meeting to anchor the week. He also opens up about learning powerlessness by painting water in watercolor—an unlikely practice that mirrors the humility and patience recovery demands.

Along the way we dig into the core tension many feel at the start: wrestling with the God-language in the program. A chance meeting with a priest who introduced himself as an alcoholic gave Michael the mustard-seed permission to move forward. From there, faith grew into a daily habit that reframed everything: fear sits beneath selfishness, dishonesty, and resentment, and love—lived through service and step work—is the antidote. Whether you’re a newcomer, a traveler, or a professional in a drinking-heavy industry, you’ll leave with simple tools and a fuller sense of what long-term recovery can look like.

If this conversation helped you, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs it, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. Your words help someone else expect their own miracle.

Support the show

Recovery is Beautiful.   

Go Live Your Best Life!!

Facebook Group - Recovery Freedom Circle | Facebook

Your EQ is Your IQ
YouTube -    Life Is Wonderful   Hugo V

Recovery Freedom Circle
The System That Understands Recovery, Builds Character  and Helps People Have Better Relationships.
A Life Changing Solution, Saves You Time, 18 weeks
www.lifeiswonderful.love  


Instagram -  Lifeiswonderful.Love
TikTok -  Lifeiswonderful.Love
Pinterest -   Lifeiswonderful.Love
X -     LifeWonderLove
LinkedIn -   Hugo Vrsalovic    

LinkedIn -   The 1% in Recovery

Text and Be Heard

Sports betting didn’t just get bigger; it got faster, simpler, and stickier. We dig into how “responsible gambling” became the industry’s soft sell while the real engine—microbetting, live props, and algorithmic nudges—pushes users toward rapid, compulsive loops. Our guest shares why he walked away from a sportsbook-backed media role and how the game changed once wagers moved from the window to the phone, from a weekend bet to constant yes or no clicks designed to escalate.

We get real about who’s most at risk: 18 to 24-year-olds with competitive fire, athletes who think their game IQ protects them, and families that unknowingly normalize “small” parlays. The warning is clear and actionable—delete the apps, avoid the group chats that make betting feel normal, and redirect that energy into training, study, and long-term investing that compounds rather than consumes. Along the way, we unpack the broader wellness bill: sleep erosion, worse food choices, hijacked attention, and a nervous system stuck on high alert. This isn’t only a money problem; it’s mental, emotional, and physiological.

We also challenge false comfort from league policies and integrity talk. Trimming limits on a few markets won’t fix a product built for speed and repetition. What moves the needle is early prevention, honest education in schools and gyms, and accessible support that isn’t steered by industry partnerships. If states collect treatment dollars, people should be able to use them—yet access stays hard while advertising stays easy. We argue for a public health approach that puts player protection and prevention first and offers clear alternatives that build wealth and well-being over time.

If this resonates, share it with someone who needs a straight answer about betting apps. Subscribe for more candid conversations on recovery, prevention, and performance—and leave a review to help others find the show.

Support the show

Recovery is Beautiful.   

Go Live Your Best Life!!

Facebook Group - Recovery Freedom Circle | Facebook

Your EQ is Your IQ
YouTube -    Life Is Wonderful   Hugo V

Recovery Freedom Circle
The System That Understands Recovery, Builds Character  and Helps People Have Better Relationships.
A Life Changing Solution, Saves You Time, 18 weeks
www.lifeiswonderful.love  


Instagram -  Lifeiswonderful.Love
TikTok -  Lifeiswonderful.Love
Pinterest -   Lifeiswonderful.Love
X -     LifeWonderLove
LinkedIn -   Hugo Vrsalovic    

LinkedIn -   The 1% in Recovery