Nothing’s Off the Table with Louis Ruggiero

"He shot me up with heroin for the first time" — and that single moment sent Lauren G. into a years-long battle with addiction that nearly cost her an arm, a foot, and her life.

In this raw, unfiltered episode of Nothing's Off The Table, Lauren G. (Philly / Kensington) opens up about the addiction story she's never fully told. From taking her first drink at 14, to a trauma bond that pulled her into opiates, to shooting heroin despite being terrified of needles — Lauren holds nothing back.

She walks us through the hardest chapters: multiple DUIs, stealing from her own mom, watching her sister break down crying through prison glass, blood infections that nearly took her left arm, cellulitis that nearly took her foot — and why even THAT wasn't enough to make her stop.

But this is also a story of hope. Lauren shares how a year in prison, Bucks County drug court, and finally hitting the point where "the pain gets great enough" led her to over 7 years of recovery — and a life beyond her wildest dreams. If you or someone you love is struggling, this conversation is for you.

🔔 Real stories. Raw comebacks. Nothing’s off the table.

I sit down with people who’ve faced it all: addiction, loss, redemption—and came out stronger. These are unfiltered conversations about resilience, recovery, and finding purpose again.

🎙️ Hosted by Louis Ruggiero
📱 Instagram: (https://www.instagram.com/nothingsoffpod)
📹 TikTok: (https://www.tiktok.com/@nothingsoffpod)
🔗 Linktree: (https://www.linktr.ee/nothingsoffthetable)
🧢 Buy a Nothing's Off The Table Hat: (https://nothings-off-the-table-with-louis-ruggiero.myshopify.com)

🤝 Proudly Sponsored by Right Choice Recovery
If you or someone you love is struggling with gambling, drugs, alcohol, or addiction, please reach out. Louis personally recommends Right Choice Recovery, a team that genuinely cares and treats every client like family. They provide compassionate, individualized support and can help connect people with the resources they need to begin their recovery journey.

Learn More:

🌎 Website: (https://rightchoicerecoverynj.com)
📱 Instagram: (https://www.instagram.com/rightchoicerecovery)
☎️ Contact: (732) 808-2725

🎙️ Connect with Our Guest
👉 Instagram:(https://www.instagram.com/laurgaff)
👉 TikTok:(https://www.tiktok.com/@lala.g730)

About the Show

Hosted by Louis Ruggiero, a restaurateur, entrepreneur, and advocate for recovery, Nothing’s Off The Table is where real people share their real stories. From battling addiction to overcoming life’s toughest challenges, Louis and his guests uncover the moments that spark change and fuel unstoppable comebacks. Expect raw honesty, deep insights, and stories that hit home.

Meet Louis
Louis Ruggiero turned his life around after years of struggling with addiction, gambling, and substance abuse. Now, he’s on a mission to amplify voices—from celebrities to everyday survivors—sharing their journeys of grit, growth, and healing.

#AddictionRecovery #WeDoRecover #NothingsOffTheTable #LouisRuggiero #RecoverOutLoud #ComebackStories #RecoveryIsPossible #MentalHealthAwareness #RecoveryCommunity #RightChoiceRecovery

Disclaimer: The stories and views shared on Nothing’s Off The Table are personal experiences and not a substitute for professional advice. Please consult qualified professionals for guidance on personal matters.

Copyright: © Nothing’s Off The Table with Louis Ruggiero. All rights reserved. Feel free to share or embed episodes with proper credit and a link to our official pages.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

He placed his first bet at 11 years old. By 21, he'd stolen wallets, done jail time, and burned through everything chasing the next bet on underage crypto casinos.

In this episode of Nothing's Off The Table, I sit down with Kurt F. — a former compulsive gambler now in recovery — to talk about the dark reality of youth gambling addiction in the age of sports betting apps, loot boxes, and 24/7 access casinos in your pocket. 

We get into: 

- How a kid gets hooked on gambling at 11 years old 

- Underage gambling through crypto casinos 

- Stealing to fund the addiction and the jail time that followed 

- Why losing can feel just as addictive as winning 

- The stigma of being a compulsive gambler vs. a drug addict or alcoholic 

- How loot boxes & video games are grooming the next generation of gamblers 

- What finally made him surrender — and how he got into recovery 

- His best advice for anyone still sick and suffering 

This is one of the most raw, honest conversations we've had about gambling addiction and recovery. If you or someone you love is struggling, this episode is for you. Kurt is now pursuing his master's to become a counselor and help other compulsive gamblers.

🔔 Real stories. Raw comebacks. Nothing’s off the table.

I sit down with people who’ve faced it all: addiction, loss, redemption—and came out stronger. These are unfiltered conversations about resilience, recovery, and finding purpose again.

🎙️ Hosted by Louis Ruggiero
📱 Instagram: (https://www.instagram.com/nothingsoffpod)
📹 TikTok: (https://www.tiktok.com/@nothingsoffpod)
🔗 Linktree: (https://www.linktr.ee/nothingsoffthetable)
🧢 Buy a Nothing's Off The Table Hat: (https://nothings-off-the-table-with-louis-ruggiero.myshopify.com)

🤝 Proudly Sponsored by Right Choice Recovery
If you or someone you love is struggling with gambling, drugs, alcohol, or addiction, please reach out. Louis personally recommends Right Choice Recovery, a team that genuinely cares and treats every client like family. They provide compassionate, individualized support and can help connect people with the resources they need to begin their recovery journey.

Learn More:

🌎 Website: (https://rightchoicerecoverynj.com)
📱 Instagram: (https://www.instagram.com/rightchoicerecovery)
☎️ Contact: (732) 808-2725

🎙️ Connect with Our Guest
👉 Instagram: (https://www.instagram.com/ParentsStandingTogether)
👉 Website: (https://parentsstandingtogether.org)

About the Show

Hosted by Louis Ruggiero, a restaurateur, entrepreneur, and advocate for recovery, Nothing’s Off The Table is where real people share their real stories. From battling addiction to overcoming life’s toughest challenges, Louis and his guests uncover the moments that spark change and fuel unstoppable comebacks. Expect raw honesty, deep insights, and stories that hit home.

Meet Louis
Louis Ruggiero turned his life around after years of struggling with addiction, gambling, and substance abuse. Now, he’s on a mission to amplify voices—from celebrities to everyday survivors—sharing their journeys of grit, growth, and healing.

#AddictionRecovery #WeDoRecover #NothingsOffTheTable #LouisRuggiero #RecoverOutLoud #ComebackStories #RecoveryIsPossible #MentalHealthAwareness #RecoveryCommunity #RightChoiceRecovery

Disclaimer: The stories and views shared on Nothing’s Off The Table are personal experiences and not a substitute for professional advice. Please consult qualified professionals for guidance on personal matters.

Copyright: © Nothing’s Off The Table with Louis Ruggiero. All rights reserved. Feel free to share or embed episodes with proper credit and a link to our official pages.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For 16 years, Jessie thought she was the exception — that she was too smart to overdose, that the heroin, the chaos, and the dangerous people would never actually catch up to her. Then one overdose changed everything.

In this raw, no-filter episode of Nothing's Off The Table, Jessie opens up about the full arc of her addiction and recovery: getting hooked, losing herself to heroin, a violent relationship in a Marina del Rey apartment that looked perfect from the outside, nearly dying from a septic infection during COVID, leading police on a chase in her blacked-out Hellcat, house arrest, and the moment she finally surrendered and got sober in 2022.

We get into the stuff most recovery conversations avoid — why she refuses to "reset her clock" after a relapse, the shame that keeps so many people from coming back, what tough love from her parents actually felt like from the inside, and how she rebuilt her entire life from nothing. Today Jessie runs a sober living home, works in the treatment field, and launched her own clothing line, Broken Bandit.

If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, this one is full of hope, honesty, and proof that the doors that open in recovery are bigger than any fear that's keeping you out there.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lamar Odom sits down for one of the most raw, honest conversations we've ever had on Nothing's Off The Table.

Two-time NBA champion. Sixth Man of the Year. Played alongside Kobe Bryant. Married into the most famous family on earth. And then — 12 strokes, 6 heart attacks, and a coma that nearly ended it all at the Bunny Ranch in 2015.

In this unforgettable episode, Lamar opens up about growing up around addiction, losing his mother and his infant son, the spotlight of the Lakers and the Kardashians, the truth about his marriage to Khloé, the night he overdosed, waking up unable to walk or talk, and the long road back to recovery. He shares why he's clean today, the plant medicine helping him heal, his thoughts on the gambling crisis in sports, and the message of hope he wants every struggling addict to hear.

This is a story about how far addiction can take you — and proof that it doesn't have to end there. Recovery is possible. Change is possible. If he made it out, so can you.

🔔 Real stories. Raw comebacks. Nothing’s off the table.

I sit down with people who’ve faced it all: addiction, loss, redemption—and came out stronger. These are unfiltered conversations about resilience, recovery, and finding purpose again.

🎙️ Hosted by Louis Ruggiero
📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nothingsoffpod
📹 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nothingsoffpod
🔗 Linktree: https://www.linktr.ee/nothingsoffthetable
🧢 Buy a Nothing's Off The Table Hat: https://nothings-off-the-table-with-louis-ruggiero.myshopify.com

🤝 Proudly Sponsored by Right Choice Recovery
If you or someone you love is struggling with gambling, drugs, alcohol, or addiction, please reach out. Louis personally recommends Right Choice Recovery, a team that genuinely cares and treats every client like family. They provide compassionate, individualized support and can help connect people with the resources they need to begin their recovery journey.

Learn More:

Website: (https://rightchoicerecoverynj.com)
📱 Instagram: (https://www.instagram.com/rightchoicerecovery)
☎️ Contact: (732) 808-2725

🎙️ Connect with Our Guest
👉 Instagram:(https://www.instagram.com/lamarodom)

About the Show

Hosted by Louis Ruggiero, a restaurateur, entrepreneur, and advocate for recovery, Nothing’s Off The Table is where real people share their real stories. From battling addiction to overcoming life’s toughest challenges, Louis and his guests uncover the moments that spark change and fuel unstoppable comebacks. Expect raw honesty, deep insights, and stories that hit home.

Meet Louis
Louis Ruggiero turned his life around after years of struggling with addiction, gambling, and substance abuse. Now, he’s on a mission to amplify voices—from celebrities to everyday survivors—sharing their journeys of grit, growth, and healing.

#AddictionRecovery #WeDoRecover #NothingsOffTheTable #LouisRuggiero #RecoverOutLoud #ComebackStories #RecoveryIsPossible #MentalHealthAwareness #RecoveryCommunity #RightChoiceRecovery

Disclaimer: The stories and views shared on Nothing’s Off The Table are personal experiences and not a substitute for professional advice. Please consult qualified professionals for guidance on personal matters.

Copyright: © Nothing’s Off The Table with Louis Ruggiero. All rights reserved. Feel free to share or embed episodes with proper credit and a link to our official pages.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A 0.47 blood alcohol content. Five rehabs. Three kids coming home from school to find their mother passed out. In this episode of Nothing's Off The Table, Anne— a mom from Michigan, now 7 years sober — shares the raw, unfiltered story of how alcoholism nearly killed her, and the single moment that finally broke through.

She takes us from a childhood with an alcoholic father, through a progression that ended with her drinking vodka and mouthwash just to stop the tremors, to the day a CPS worker looked her in the eyes and said she'd place all three of her children in separate homes. That was the moment she surrendered. This is a story about how bad it can get — and proof that recovery is possible at any age.

🔎 What We Cover In This Episode
- Growing up with an alcoholic father — and how she used "it's in my genes" as an excuse for years
- The terrifying progression: beer to wine to vodka to drinking mouthwash to survive
- A 0.47 BAC hospitalization and the doctor telling her husband she shouldn't be alive
- The day her 14-year-old daughter read a letter about what the drinking did to her
- The CPS visit that became her rock-bottom — and her surrender on the side of the road
- Finding the rooms of AA, "Big Mike," and why she says those rooms saved her life
- Making amends to her high school sweetheart husband and rebuilding her family
- Her advice for anyone still suffering: just keep coming back

🔔 Real stories. Raw comebacks. Nothing’s off the table.

I sit down with people who’ve faced it all: addiction, loss, redemption—and came out stronger. These are unfiltered conversations about resilience, recovery, and finding purpose again.

🎙️ Hosted by Louis Ruggiero
📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nothingsoffpod
📹 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nothingsoffpod
🔗 Linktree: https://www.linktr.ee/nothingsoffthetable
🧢 Buy a Nothing's Off The Table Hat: https://nothings-off-the-table-with-louis-ruggiero.myshopify.com

🤝 Proudly Sponsored by Right Choice Recovery
If you or someone you love is struggling with gambling, drugs, alcohol, or addiction, please reach out. Louis personally recommends Right Choice Recovery, a team that genuinely cares and treats every client like family. They provide compassionate, individualized support and can help connect people with the resources they need to begin their recovery journey.

Learn More:
Website: (https://rightchoicerecoverynj.com)
📱 Instagram: (https://www.instagram.com/rightchoicerecovery)
☎️ Contact: (732) 808-2725

🎙️ Connect with Our Guest
👉 Instagram:
👉 TikTok:
👉 Website:

About the Show

Hosted by Louis Ruggiero, a restaurateur, entrepreneur, and advocate for recovery, Nothing’s Off The Table is where real people share their real stories. From battling addiction to overcoming life’s toughest challenges, Louis and his guests uncover the moments that spark change and fuel unstoppable comebacks. Expect raw honesty, deep insights, and stories that hit home.

Meet Louis
Louis Ruggiero turned his life around after years of struggling with addiction, gambling, and substance abuse. Now, he’s on a mission to amplify voices—from celebrities to everyday survivors—sharing their journeys of grit, growth, and healing.

#AddictionRecovery #WeDoRecover #NothingsOffTheTable #LouisRuggiero #RecoverOutLoud #ComebackStories #RecoveryIsPossible #MentalHealthAwareness #RecoveryCommunity #RightChoiceRecovery

Disclaimer: The stories and views shared on Nothing’s Off The Table are personal experiences and not a substitute for professional advice. Please consult qualified professionals for guidance on personal matters.

Copyright: © Nothing’s Off The Table with Louis Ruggiero. All rights reserved. Feel free to share or embed episodes with proper credit and a link to our official pages.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices