Sicker Than Others

Marissa's story is proof that recovery isn't a single moment—it's a lifetime of choosing to keep climbing. After years of addiction, living on the streets of San Francisco, countless attempts to get sober, and believing she still needed "one more weekend" before she was ready, Marissa finally reached the point every addict hopes to find: complete surrender. What followed w...

Nomi’s story begins thousands of miles away from recovery rooms and treatment centers. Born in India to a Jewish mother and a Hindu guru father, his childhood was marked by contradiction, chaos, abuse, and a constant feeling of not belonging anywhere. Growing up surrounded by religion only pushed him further away from God. By the time he was a kid, he was already searching for ways to escape himse...

Will’s story isn’t the version of alcoholism most people expect. He didn’t fit the stereotype. High-achieving, intelligent, outwardly functional, and capable of building a successful life, Will looked like someone who had it together. But underneath the ambition, the work ethic, and the performance was something much darker. Growing up on the East Coast in an achievement-driven family, Will learne...

Steve didn’t slowly drift into addiction—he was wired for it. Raised in the Valley in a traditional home, Steve’s early life was marked by violence, instability, and a constant need for intensity. From getting into fights as a kid to setting fires for the thrill of it, there was always something inside him chasing adrenaline - something that didn’t know how to sit still. And when life gave him str...

Morgan’s story doesn’t start at rock bottom—it blows straight through it. Growing up in South Florida, her life was marked early on by instability, confusion, and a constant search for something that felt like solid ground. What followed was a familiar but brutal path: drugs, chaos, and a steady descent into self-destruction. But even by recovery standards… Morgan pushed the limits. In one of the...

Welcome to Season 2 of Sicker Than Others! Heath’s story starts before he was even born. In this powerful episode of Sicker Than Others , Heath shares a life that was chaotic from the very beginning. Born into a world shaped by addiction, crime, and instability, Heath’s biological mother was navigating dangerous circumstances tied to drug trafficking and biker gangs in Newport Beach. At one point,...

Zac Jones’s life could have gone in any direction. Raised in a loving home, he still found himself pulled into a world of chaos—drugs, crime, and self-destruction. What began as thrill-seeking soon spiraled into full-blown addiction. With his future hanging by a thread, Zac hit rock bottom—only to rise with a strength and purpose that would change everything. In this powerful episode, we explore Z...

Some people get sober after they've lost everything. Bridget Lieberman got sober before she had the chance to. Growing up in Los Angeles with a complicated and often confusing upbringing, Bridget was already running on fumes by the time she hit 15. Her story could have gone the way so many others do—addiction deepening, consequences piling up, another young life slipping through the cracks. B...

For years, Sarah Jacobs was lost to the streets, trapped in a brutal cycle of heroin addiction, arrests, and heartbreak. She spent her days chasing a high and her nights in jail cells or treatment centers—each time vowing it would be the last, and each time falling again. She lost everything: her freedom, her dignity, and the most devastating of all—custody of her three children. But this is not a...

Pete used to be all smoke and mirrors—a fast-talking hustler with a gift for manipulation and a knack for disappearing just when things got real. He had no map, no mission, and no clue who he was without the drugs. Directionless, disconnected, and dangerously close to becoming another cautionary tale, Peter lived a life that was all hustle, no heart. But then something unexpected happened: he got...

Andrew Eaton never quite fit the mold. Raised by a mother immersed in the arts, he grew up in motion—always moving, always searching, never quite landing. Surrounded by beauty and creativity, he still felt like an outsider, like he’d missed the part where life made sense. So he went looking for belonging in the one place it would never last: heroin. What started as an escape quickly became a death...

Victor is a retired American music industry executive who has contributed to the sale of over 30 Million Albums, 9 Billion Streams, with 6 Grammy nominations and 2 wins. Victor has 33 years sober and is a staple in Los Angeles Recovery. Victor is very special to me, he’s one of the few people who kept me close when I couldn’t get 10 days sober. He never judged me, never made me feel less than, he...

Theren Raufmann is co-owner of Little Beach House, Venice. LBH is a men's sober living in Venice Beach with a strong emphasis on Community and Brotherhood.   Resources Beit T’Shuvah – Recovery, community, and treatment https://www.beittshuvah.org Support Beit T’Shuvah https://beittshuvah.org/support/donate/ Alcoholics Anonymous https://www.aa.org Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous (SLAA) https://...

Lady Ruby Rebel is a professional dominatrix with 11 years of sobriety. Ruby and Seb talk about the fentanyl epidemic in Southern California, which took the life of her child's father the week of recording, and the complex relationship between domination and sobriety.  Resources Beit T’Shuvah – Recovery, community, and treatment https://www.beittshuvah.org Support Beit T’Shuvah https://beitts...

Kevin Simms is a Therapist and Coach (LCSW, CADC-II, CSAT) and Founder of Kenshō Counseling, a counseling practice specializing in chemical dependency, sex and love addiction, and individual therapy.  Resources Beit T’Shuvah – Recovery, community, and treatment https://www.beittshuvah.org Support Beit T’Shuvah https://beittshuvah.org/support/donate/ Alcoholics Anonymous https://www.aa.org Sex and...

Jordan Woodrum is a Social Media Guru and owner of Bad Apple Media. Jordan was also involved in the short-lived but hyper-successful Graceland that pioneered the first Instagram/TikTok-driven Sober Living, showing the good, the bad, and the very much ugly.  Resources Beit T’Shuvah – Recovery, community, and treatment https://www.beittshuvah.org Support Beit T’Shuvah https://beittshuvah.org/support...

James Eady is a foundational member of West LA AA. Sober 11 years, this man is one of my favorite people ever to have existed. With a big heart and an amazing laugh James comes to terms with being directionless at the moment. One of my favorite episodes to date! A must listen.  Resources Beit T’Shuvah – Recovery, community, and treatment https://www.beittshuvah.org Support Beit T’Shuvah https://be...

Ok, so this one means A LOT. Bare with me - hold my tissue. Hannah is the first guest on Sicker Than Other's with whom I went through the house. Now working in Treatment, Hannah and I came in around the same time, we processed together and spent real, tangible time with each other during those intense first 9 months of getting sober.  She is my road dawg, my trudging buddy, and I couldn'...

Rabbi Igael "Iggy" Gurin-Malous is a renowned Talmud teacher, spiritual counselor, artist, and lecturer . He grew up between Belgium, Israel, and the United States in a traditional Jewish Orthodox home.  Sicker Than Others is a podcast on the ups and downs of recovery from Alcohol, Drugs, Sex, and Love addiction. Based in a residential treatment center in Los Angeles, each episode brings...

Ever been thrown out of a casino for stealing Chinese food? No, didn't think so.  Max "Projector" Hahn is a Los Angeles electronic music producer with an epic but humbling story of addiction, survival, relapse, and return.  Sicker Than Others is a podcast on the ups and downs of recovery from Alcohol, Drugs, Sex, and Love addiction. Based in a residential treatment center in Los Ang...

How far would you go to fill a prescription?  It’s never too late to turn your life around. Barbara entered rehab at 50 and, with a complete 180, turned her life around spectacularly. Barbara recently retired after 18 years of service and dedication to Beit T’Shuvah. Few people get to be called an OG, and Barbara is certainly one of them.  Sicker Than Others is a podcast on the ups and downs of re...

Hailee’s story is open-ended. From an early age, Hailee had the itch. Fast forward 40+ treatment centers, abusive relationships, detention centers, and the birth of her child, she is a seasoned veteran within the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous. Fresh from a relapse after years sober and with a lot on her plate, Hailee is doing the best she can at showing up. Keep going, Hailee, we love you.  Sicker...

Imagine being 14 and knowing it was time to get clean and sober. Josephine "Josie" Perez is a remarkable young woman and a fixture in Westside recovery. She is proof that it's never too early to get right. Sicker Than Others is a podcast on the ups and downs of recovery from Alcohol, Drugs, Sex, and Love addiction. Based in a residential treatment center in Los Angeles, each episode...

A story of resilience, hope and family values. Streetwear icon Lucky Luciano talks about going in and out of prison, treatment, half-way houses and the importance of picking up the mop and contributing to your community.  Sicker Than Others is a podcast on the up's and down's of recovery from Alcohol, Drugs, Sex and Love addiction. Based in a residential treatment center in Los Angeles,...

Some truly are sicker than others. Bradley's road to redemption became a runway to a life beyond his wildest dreams when he discovered a deep passion for helping people. Bradley understands that not everyone gets to get sober first, second or even the twentieth time around. This is a story of the power of never giving up . Bradley is now the Director of Clinical Services here at Beit T'S...