Nothing’s Off the Table with Louis Ruggiero

Sal walked into his first Gamblers Anonymous meeting at 18 years old — in 1986. He answered 18 out of 20 questions "yes." He'd already been to jail. He'd already battled a serious cocaine addiction at 16. And he still spent decades in and out of the rooms before finally placing his last bet on August 29, 2018.

In this raw episode of Nothing's Off the Table, Sal opens up about the SHOCKING reality of long-term gambling addiction: how he relapsed after 4 solid years of recovery, why gambling addiction is an EMOTIONAL disease and not a financial one, and the "dimmer switch" effect that made everything in his life go dark the moment he picked up a bet again.

We also go deep on:- His last day gambling — and why the relapse that "wasn't a financial devastation" still destroyed everything that mattered- The 3 roadblocks every recovering gambler needs: no sports, turn over your finances, self-exclude- The 12 steps explained — give up, clean up, keep up — and why they actually work- The hard truth about veterans with 20, 30, even 50 years of abstinence... who have NO recovery- How shame keeps relapsers out of the rooms — and how to come back anyway- His best advice for anyone still sick and suffering right now

Today, Sal runs The Recovery Partners (gambling recovery coaching) and leads community engagement at Evive, the app helping thousands stop gambling for good.

If you or someone you love is struggling with gambling addiction, you are NOT alone. Reach out. It's an addiction of secrecy and isolation — telling one person you trust doubles your chances of getting help.

🔔 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/therecoverypartners)
👉 Youtube: (https://www.youtube.com/@UCOSpl2URdLKB7gbF8jRv1ew )
👉 Website: (www.therecoverypartners.com)

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

Garet grew up in Santa Monica with no education, no voice, and nowhere to put the anger. So he did what addicts do best — he silenced it with drugs and alcohol. What followed was a nightmare most people don't survive: shooting heroin, years living on the streets, and landing on a Level 4 prison yard, one of the most dangerous places in the California prison system.

In this raw, unfiltered episode of Nothing's Off the Table, Garet takes us through his last day using, his worst day behind bars, and the moment everything finally changed. Today, he's 13 years sober, a father, and living proof that no one is too far gone.

We talk about:
* Growing up in silence and how anger fuels addiction
* Life on the streets of Santa Monica
* Shooting dope — "the worst thing, but the best feeling"
* Surviving a Level 4 prison yard
* Making amends and rebuilding a life
* His #1 piece of advice for anyone still sick and suffering
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sam Favata was a professional baseball player with a promising career — until a devastating injury changed everything. What followed was a gambling addiction so severe it spiraled into a $32 million Ponzi scheme, more than $10 million in gambling debts, and 33 months in federal prison.

In this episode of Nothing's Off The Table, Sam opens up about his rise through pro baseball, the beaning injury that derailed his career, how sports betting with an infamous bookie escalated from a hobby to a compulsion, and how he used his own mortgage company to fund his addiction — defrauding over 200 investors before it all came crashing down. Then he shares what prison, recovery, and redemption really look like on the other side of rock bottom.

If you've ever wondered how gambling addiction actually destroys lives — or you're struggling with sports betting yourself — this episode is a must-watch.

🔔 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

🤝 Presented in Partnership with Lucy
Nothing's Off The Table is proud to partner with Lucy, makers of premium nicotine pouches. Use promo code LOUIS for 20% off your first order.

🌎 Website: (https://lucy.co)


💥 Promo Code: LOUIS — 20% off your first order

⚠️ Warning: This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical. 21+ only.

🎙️ Connect with Our Guest

👉 Instagram:
(https://www.instagram.com/sam.favata3)

👉 TikTok:
(https://www.tiktok.com/@sam.favata3)

👉 Website: (https://www.facebook.com/sam.favata44)

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

At 30 years old, Adriana was in a coma with liver failure and cirrhosis. Doctors read her last rites and her family signed a DNR. She survived — then went back to drinking anyway.

In this episode of Nothing Is Off the Table, Adriana shares her raw, unfiltered addiction recovery story: how alcoholism started at 15, drinking a handle of Tito's vodka a day, relearning how to walk and read after liver failure, the relapse that cost her her job, the moment her mom caught her drinking, and the two-and-a-half week blackout bender that finally sent her to rehab. Now sober, she opens up about alcohol withdrawal, life in recovery, rebuilding family relationships, dating in sobriety, and her best advice for anyone still struggling with alcohol addiction.

If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction or alcoholism, this conversation is proof that no one is too far gone.

🔔 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/theadgeofsobriety)
👉 TikTok:(https://www.tiktok.com/@Theadgeofsobriety)
👉 Website: (https://stan.store/TheAdgeofSobriety?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQPOTM2NjE5NzQzMzkyNDU5AAGn269XoYEJ8-XUFZI2bucMc5NWVunqUy2TG7oykwcpmX0vgog7Nao7q-agyo4_aem_j3IE-wctKVPUkJ6XkN3kCQ)

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

Cormac is an Irish-born fitness coach, model, and former Love Island USA cast member — and he's now nearly four years sober. In this raw, no-holds-barred episode of Nothing's Off, he sits down to share the full story behind the highlight reel.

We get into his last drink at his brother's wedding in Australia, just months after losing his father. His battle with cocaine, Adderall, and alcohol that dropped his weight to 162 lbs. The suicidal thoughts that started at 21 and the multiple rock bottoms that followed. And the moment he watched himself on national TV and realized he hated the person he'd become.

But this is also a story about coming back. Cormac opens up about going to rehab in 2020, the relapses in between, walking into the rooms again and again, and how recovery, fitness, and brutal honesty gave him a "ladder out of the dark hole." Today he runs an online coaching business and uses his platform to spread awareness around addiction, sobriety, depression, and men's mental health.

If you or someone you love is struggling, this conversation is for you. As Cormac says: everything is going to be okay — one minute, one hour, one day at a time.

Topics we cover:
* His last day drinking & drugging (4 years sober July 12th)
* Losing his father and the emotional spiral that followed
* Coke, Adderall, and the lifestyle that nearly killed him
* Multiple suicide attempts and the shame around them
* Why men don't talk about their feelings — and why that has to change
* His Love Island USA experience and the trauma behind it
* How fitness became a non-negotiable in his recovery
* Accountability, amends, and learning to like who he is
* His best advice for anyone still sick and suffering

🔔 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/iamcormacmurphy)
👉 TikTok: (https://www.tiktok.com/@iamcormacmurphy)
👉 Website: (https://beacons.ai/iamcormacmurphy?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQPOTM2NjE5NzQzMzkyNDU5AAGni6ohbn7QcNIqHSQXs5-3ybpoAwuwqPPW8Nuz11ss-RupCnxXeIRg594VBvI_aem_un2FA0a8XhytKxgW0rTP3Q)

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