The Payoff - Stories of Sobriety

Pete's back in the studio, one week after getting a defibrillator. That's the focus, as Mike Sousa returns to share what it like watching Pete go through the surgery after Pete put it off for years. Also covered is how addicts react to pain meds and the slippery slope that comes with any controlled substance prescription for an addict. Pete is very revealing on the dark feelings he had post operat...

Replay from the start of the Payoff: Pete sits down with fitness coach and friend Ali Perry to talk about mistakes in addiction, a life that could very well be a movie, her newest fitness venture and, of course, sobriety. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and...

Mike Gminski was the seventh pick in the NBA Draft in 1980, after an all-American career at Duke. He averaged almost 12 points a game over a 14-year NBA career, where he says alcohol abuse really wasn't an issue. But then life threw some haymakers at the G-Man and he used drinking and drugs to cope. On July 13, 2020, Gminski's son Noah and his ex-wife drove him to Florida, where former teammate Ja...

Amy Dresner is a journalist, an author, a former comedian, and most importantly 8.5 years sober. Her book "My Fair Junkie: A Memoir of Getting Dirty & Staying Clean" has been hailed by critics and readers alike and it gives people struggling with addiction hope. She's got another book on the way and a successful podcast called "Rehab Junkie" but she also has real-life problems in recovery that...

Pete actually shares his experience of what it was like, what happened, and what it's like now. The story is evergreen but the podcast is from a few months ago when Pete appeared on the Busy Living Sober Podcast. He covers finding out he had a heart issue and losing out on playing college football, after years of abusing drugs and alcohol as a teen. Then he takes us through a roller-coaster career...

Peter F and Pete Sousa ran the streets together until Peter F ended up in rehab at 17 and Peter S developed a heart problem at 18. Peter F stayed sober after that rehab and the darkness he acquired drinking and using turned into a bright light in sobriety, illuminating the road to happy destiny for a lot of guys who followed in his footsteps, including Pete S. Peter F made a special trip from Phoe...

Noa Shaw went from dealing coke in Studio 54 in his teens to the brink of more than 15 years in prison, after starting up the first weed delivery service in Los Angles. He cheated death several times and finally almost met the end when, as a drug dealer, he says he became his best customer. Today, almost 14 years sober he’s making a living amends to the world through giving hopeless people the lov...

Gerry Cooney was 28-3 as a heavyweight fighter and spent time ranked No. 1 in the world. But his biggest victory has come over alcohol, a battle which he still fights every day in the rooms of recovery, helping himself and others. Pete and Gerry cover it all, from the incredible hype surrounding his title fight against Larry Holmes to how addiction hampered his chances against Michael Spinks. “Gen...

Casey Scott's rise to fame in Salt Lake City was fast and furious, sorta like his life. He started in radio right out of college and moved into television after that, where he became a household name in Salt Lake. Then it all came to a crashing end, literally, when decades of partying caught up to Casey in an ugly DWI wreck. That was almost three years ago and the dude has been sober ever since. H...

In this 'Bonus Pod' Pete reconnects with Marissa Klien Kay, a college friend who had no idea just how far down the rabbit hole he went, before getting the gift of desperation and becoming sober. Marissa and her sister Jamie Sztoser are titans in the fashion industry but more than anything, they've built a brand around helping others and good energy. Take a walk down memory lane with a couple of Ri...

Courtney Friel spent six years working at FOX News Channel before becoming an anchor at KTLA in Los Angeles. But it's the more than 11 years of sobriety she likes to talk about the most. She's also very open about the 15 years before she got sober, including cocaine fueled college days and living fast in New York City while at FOX News. Her book “Tonight at 10: Kicking Booze and Breaking News” det...

Brady Kramer started skating at four years old and ended up becoming one of the most sought-after hockey prospects in the world. He was taken in the 7th round of the NHL Draft by the Montreal Canadians but his pro hockey career didn’t last very long. However, his battles with addiction and anxiety lasted for decades. But then a failed suicide attempt in 2011, was followed by the courage to change...

Tawny Lara is a New York City-based writer, who specializes in sobriety and sex. She hosts the Recovery Rocks Podcast and her work examining the cross-section of sobriety and sex has been featured in Playboy, Men’s Health, and Huffington Post. But, as she puts it, more important than anything else she’s almost six years sober IG: @tawnymlara Twitter: @tawnymlara http://www.tawnylara.com/ Learn mor...

Elizabeth Chance goes by the name Bizz, but until about 15 years ago, all she was busy doing was getting drunk. Now, she's Busy Living Sober -literally. That's the name of her website, her podcast, and the title she uses doing work as a recovery coach. Her mission is to transform the stigma of addiction. So grateful we got to be a part of that. IG: @busylivingsober http://busylivingsober.com/ Lear...

Damian Holbrook's life reads like a drama he might review as a Senior Writer for TV Guide Magazine. But being a closeted gay guy while going to catholic high school in the '80s, as you cultivate an appetite for alcohol is probably something you can't make up. Forget about the part where bottoms out at a high school reunion, gets sober, and has his life and career both take flight. Time for over 25...

Dave is a rockstar. His career involves selling out arenas in some of the world’s biggest bands, winning a Grammy, and being nominated for an Emmy. Lucky for us, he’s a sober guy working a program, which makes him totally relatable. Dave grew up in Hollywood and ran with some of the biggest musicians ever. But before he was able to shine himself – he had to get sober. Buckle up for a wild ride int...

Courtney's transparency is textbook recovery and is probably one of the big reasons she's a walking miracle. Her story includes raw emotion and 14 years of sobriety after several brushes with the law and a broken soul brought her to her knees. Now she uses the pain she experienced in addiction to help other women in recovery. She's the real deal and she's also really cool. Learn more about your ad...

At one point, every morning Murph told himself he wasn’t going to drink and every night the bottles stacked up. He says that’s why he considerers the fact he doesn’t want to drink today a miracle. This guy was a great hoops player but he turned down playing for a major D-1 program because his life was already unmanageable at 19. We’ve got a real alcoholic on our hands, who wears life like a loose...

Frank's story seems like it was ripped from a Hollywood script and part of it actually takes us there. His battle through addiction begins as a college mascot and ends with him a criminal. He's also a very funny dude, who celebrates his more than 14 years of sobriety through being wildly comfortable in his own skin; a place most people in addiction can't even fathom. Learn more about your ad choic...

If you or someone you love is feeling hopeless because of addiction this is the podcast to listen to. In this episode, Pete sits down with Anna. She was on track to have an unreal life. She was living in Hawaii, with a wonderful husband and a child on the way. But she couldn't stop drinking, ever, no matter what. Rehab after rehab, meeting after meeting, nothing worked...until it did. Now she's th...

Kimchi was one of the youngest female commercial airline pilots ever. She eventually turned in her wings so she could get help with her alcoholism. Her message embodies the monster addiction can be, even for the brightest of young stars. Today, the Southern California native is flying high in sobriety and life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad...

Tim Brooks was one of the nation's top high school lacrosse recruits, from a great family, living in one of America's most affluent suburbs. But when he showed up on Good Morning America, it wasn't because he'd won a college lacrosse title, it was because he was likely headed to prison for being the No. 2 man in a drug ring who's takedown made national headlines. Seven years sober, Tim looks talks...

Pete and sits down with real estate mogul Gordon H to discuss driving through houses before sobriety and breaking through emotionally in recovery. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info...

Pete sits down with his brother Mike to discuss how alcohol relieved his obsession with fear and trying to outrun addiction by moving to Los Angeles, before desperation and the birth of his daughter moved him to get sober. Mike's 14 years sober and he's also pretty funny. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices S...

Pete sits down with fitness coach and friend Ali Perry to talk the past, mistakes, fitness, and sobriety. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .