Nothing's Off The Table with Louis Ruggiero

"My Last Drink Was the Saddest Drink” | From Heroin at 17 to 18 Years Sober

https://youtu.be/KAK3Ove4EEo

1 day ago | [YT] | 3

Nothing's Off The Table with Louis Ruggiero

"I Was a D1 Recruit... Opiates & Crack Ruined It All" | Alton's Story of Recovery and Redemption

https://youtu.be/5HeH7zbcEtQ

At one point, he was one of the top high school football recruits in the country, ranked alongside future NFL stars, with Division 1 offers and a clear path to greatness. From the outside, his life looked unstoppable.

Behind the scenes, addiction was quietly taking hold.

What started as experimentation turned into a full-blown descent into opioid addiction, crack cocaine, drug-induced psychosis, jail time, and moments where death felt inevitable. His identity, his dreams, and his future were stripped away — leaving him isolated, broken, and convinced there was no way out.

In this powerful episode of Nothing’s Off the Table, we sit down for an unfiltered, deeply emotional conversation about what addiction really looks like when no one is watching.

This episode dives into:
* The pressure of being a highly recruited athlete
* How addiction slowly hijacks the mind before destroying the life
* Losing football, purpose, and self-worth
* Experiencing psychosis, incarceration, and total hopelessness
* A moment of surrender and faith that changed everything
* What real, long-term recovery actually requires

This is not a highlight reel. This is the truth about addiction — the chaos, the fear, the shame — and the hope that still exists even at rock bottom.

Today, he is living proof that recovery is possible, that your past does not define you, and that no matter how far gone you feel, your story is not over.

If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, mental health, or feels completely hopeless right now, this episode could be the wake-up call that changes everything.

1 week ago | [YT] | 8

Nothing's Off The Table with Louis Ruggiero

“Gambling Didn’t Ruin My Money — It Ruined My Soul” | Adam's Gambling Recovery Story

https://youtu.be/wiH7A_p5WCI

Gambling didn’t just cost Adam Lyons money — it nearly cost him his life.

In this raw, unfiltered episode of Nothing’s Off the Table, Adam Lyons opens up about compulsive gambling, crushing debt, lying to everyone he loved, declaring bankruptcy in his 20s, and reaching a point where he simply didn’t want to live this life anymore.

Adam worked inside casinos. He drove hours just to gamble. He maxed out credit cards, borrowed from strangers, and lived in a nonstop mental prison where every thought revolved around the next bet.

“Nothing took my soul like gambling debt.”

Then came the moment that changed everything.

On February 8th, Adam walked into his first Gamblers Anonymous meeting — and by 7:15 PM, he had fully surrendered.

This conversation dives deep into:
* Compulsive gambling and why it’s different than any other addiction
* The lies, shame, and isolation no one talks about
* Bankruptcy, debt, and the illusion of “starting fresh”
* Why legalized sports betting is exploding — and who it’s hurting
* The moment Adam knew he was finally ready to stop
* How recovery, community, and surrender gave him his life back

This is the side of gambling you will never see in a sportsbook commercial.
If you’re struggling — or love someone who is — this episode could be the one that makes you realize you’re not broken, you’re not alone, and recovery is possible.

4 weeks ago | [YT] | 4

Nothing's Off The Table with Louis Ruggiero

“I Was Ready to Die Before I Quit Drinking” | Elizabeth’s Recovery Story

https://youtu.be/6ual_fS7EMg

Elizabeth never drank in the morning. She never drank at work. And for years, she convinced herself she didn’t have a problem. Until the truth became impossible to ignore.

“I was ready to take my own life because quitting drinking felt worse.”

In this raw and deeply honest episode of Nothing’s Off the Table, Elizabeth opens up about her eight-year battle with alcohol addiction—how perfectionism, anxiety, and untreated OCD fueled her drinking, and how she quietly unraveled while appearing “high-functioning” on the outside.

Elizabeth shares:
How alcohol instantly became her solution in college
The exhaustion, emptiness, and isolation at the end of her drinking
Why being “dry” without recovery was worse than drinking
Walking into her first AA meeting and realizing she wasn’t alone
Her struggles with God, control, and surrender
Rebuilding relationships, identity, and purpose in sobriety
Why fear kept her sick—and courage saved her life

This episode is for:
Anyone questioning their relationship with alcohol
Anyone afraid to ask for help
Anyone who feels “too far gone” to recover
Anyone who needs proof that recovery is possible

Elizabeth’s story is living proof that addiction doesn’t discriminate—and neither does healing. If you’re struggling, you are not weak. You are not broken. And you are not alone.

1 month ago | [YT] | 4

Nothing's Off The Table with Louis Ruggiero

From Her0in at 17 to 15 Years Sober | Johnny’s Redemption Story

https://youtu.be/SprXQGtsKAQ

Johnny didn’t just party — he was headed straight for the grave.

By his late teens, Johnny was deep into Xanax, OxyContin, heroin, alcohol, arrests, and jail — surrounded by addiction on all sides and watching friends overdose and die. At just 20 years old, he made a decision that saved his life.

In this raw episode of Nothing’s Off the Table, Johnny shares:

Growing up around addiction
Selling drugs as a teenager
Using Xanax and Oxy daily
Nearly injecting heroin
Watching friends overdose
Going to jail before 21
Six months of inpatient rehab
Staying sober for 15 YEARS
Building a company, a family, and a life worth protecting

This episode isn’t motivational fluff.
It’s the reality of addiction — and the discipline required to stay sober when life gets harder, not easier.

If you’re struggling, or love someone who is, this episode could save a life.

#nothingsoffthetable

1 month ago | [YT] | 2

Nothing's Off The Table with Louis Ruggiero

He Overdosed in His Childhood Bedroom | Dan Brody on Addiction, Recovery & Sobriety

https://youtu.be/sn14YDtd0cg

At 32 years old, Dan Brody was doing 10–15 oxy pills a day, hiding a full-blown addiction behind a successful career, relationships, and the illusion of having it all together. Then everything collapsed.

Dan overdosed in his childhood bedroom. His mother found him barely breathing. Narcan saved his life.

That moment became the line in the sand.

In this raw, emotional, and brutally honest episode of Nothing’s Off the Table, Dan walks through:

• Growing up with a “good” life — and still becoming addicted
• Losing his identity after sports ended
• Party culture, opioids, Xanax, isolation, and denial
• A broken engagement and walking out of rehab too early
• The overdose that nearly killed him
• The moment he realized it was either rehab… or death
• What finally made sobriety stick• Building a life he’s proud of — one day at a time

Today, Dan is over 4.5 years sober and serves as SVP of Membership at The Maze, an alcohol-free private members club in NYC backed by world-class hospitality talent — proving that sobriety isn’t small, boring, or limiting… it’s expansive.

This episode isn’t just about addiction. It’s about identity, fear, ego, redemption, and what happens when you stop running.

If you’re struggling — or love someone who is — this conversation could save a life.

1 month ago | [YT] | 8

Nothing's Off The Table with Louis Ruggiero

"I Spent Our Wedding Money Gambling" | Mordi’s Gambling Recovery Journey

https://youtu.be/_Vln5TsMYTw

Mordi didn’t just gamble — he destroyed his life in silence.

In this raw episode of Nothing’s Off the Table, Mordi shares how a single scratch-off turned into a full-blown obsession: sports betting, secret bookies, and a constant need for “one more” — until he drained $150,000 of wedding money meant to build a future with his new wife.

What makes this conversation hit so hard isn’t just the money. It’s the mental prison gambling creates — the way it hijacks your thoughts, rewires your priorities, and convinces you you’re “in control” while everything around you quietly collapses. Mordi opens up about how addiction didn’t just take his bankroll… it took his presence, his relationships, his peace, and his ability to live in the moment.

Inside this episode, Mordi and I talk about:

* How gambling starts “small” — and why it escalates faster than most people realize

* The hidden stigma around compulsive gambling that keeps people suffering in silence

* The lies, manipulation, and isolation that come with protecting the addiction

* The obsession: waking up thinking about bets, chasing losses, and never feeling settled

* How gambling damages marriage and family — even when nobody “knows” what’s happening

* The moment the weight became unbearable, including thoughts of suicide

* What finally broke the cycle, and why asking for help is not weakness — it’s strength

Mordi shares the turning point that changed everything: walking into Gamblers Anonymous on October 1, 2014, realizing he wasn’t alone, and meeting people who spoke the exact thoughts he had been terrified to admit out loud. From there, he began rebuilding a life he truly believed was out of reach — one day at a time.

This is the side of gambling you will never see in a sportsbook ad. No bonus bet. No “odds boost.” No smiling influencer. Just the truth: the anxiety, the obsession, the shame, the damage… and the hope that recovery is possible.

If you’re struggling — or if someone you love is — please hear this: you’re not alone, and you don’t have to do this by yourself. This episode could be the moment things start to change.

If you need help: reach out to me directly. And if you’re ready to take a first step, consider finding a local or online Gamblers Anonymous meeting and simply showing up.

1 month ago | [YT] | 3

Nothing's Off The Table with Louis Ruggiero

She Lost Everything to Addiction | Until ONE Moment Changed Riley Forever

https://youtu.be/_R2npA8OtkU

In this powerful episode of Nothing’s Off the Table, LJ sits down with Riley, one of the fastest-growing sober creators on TikTok and Instagram- a young woman who went from blackouts, arrests, interventions, and losing everything… to building a new life through recovery.

Riley opens up about:
Growing up in Louisville feeling “different”
Blackouts starting at age 14
Getting suspended, arrested, kicked out of college, and losing control
The moment her parents found her missing
How treatment, sponsorship, and the 12 steps finally changed her life
Getting sober young — and why it’s NOT something to fear
The spiritual shift that saved her
The ripple effect recovery had on her entire family

This episode is raw, emotional, unfiltered, and full of hope for anyone battling addiction or wondering where to start. If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, you’re not alone. Riley and LJ break down exactly what it feels like to hit bottom… and how to rebuild from absolutely nothing.

2 months ago | [YT] | 5

Nothing's Off The Table with Louis Ruggiero

He Survived Her0in, Meth Psychosis & Homeland Security | Mike Zallie’s Redemption Story

https://youtu.be/ML8b0uBv7bw

This is one of the most intense, emotional, and unbelievable interviews ever on Nothing’s Off the Table.

Mike Zallie grew up in a loving Philly family… until the day his world shattered. At just 24 years old, he discovered his sister after she died by suicide — a moment that broke him and sent him into a 20-year spiral of addiction, crime, psychosis, and near death.

In this raw conversation, Mike goes deep into:

13 years addicted to opiates and alcohol
Shooting heroin, overdosing, and losing everything
A 7-year meth run that led to full psychosis
Being hunted by Homeland Security after being misidentified as Antifa
Breaking into skyscrapers, hallucinating aliens, living on rooftops
Daily suicidal thoughts and the moment he finally broke down
How recovery, love, community, and art brought him back to life
His mission today helping addicts in Kensington and beyond

Today, Mike Zallie is 13 months sober, creating powerful art, rebuilding his family, speaking truth, and helping people who feel like there’s no way out.

This episode will shock you, break your heart, and inspire the hell out of you.
If you know someone struggling — send this to them.

2 months ago | [YT] | 4

Nothing's Off The Table with Louis Ruggiero

50 Roxy’s a Day to Running Treatment Centers | Tzvi’s Full Redemption Story

https://youtu.be/g3JMc-6nnPE

This episode is insane in the best way.

Tzvi’s story doesn’t just check the boxes of addiction — it shatters them. The lying, the hustling, the chaos in Miami… the oxy pipeline in Israel… the wave-runner disaster… the 50-roxys-a-day habit… the shrooms + Norbit overdose spiral… and then the moment that finally broke him wide open.

Today he’s a husband, a father, and the owner/operator of multiple treatment centers — the rare kind that actually put people before profit. And he’s over 12 years sober.

In this raw conversation, we talk about:
* Growing up fatherless and using lying as a first drug
* Smoking heroin while convincing his wife it was “hash”
* Flushing 1,000 pills down a Hard Rock hotel toilet
* Detoxing on a rabbi’s floor
* The psychic change that rebuilt his entire life
* Why NYC is drowning in addiction with barely any real help
* How treatment (done right) can save lives in a way meetings alone can’t

If you’re struggling, if you’re lying to everyone around you, if the consequences don’t scare you anymore… this episode is your wake-up call.

2 months ago | [YT] | 5