Rise Above with Kevin Lanning

In this special Q&A episode, Kevin Lanning from Rise Above with Kevin Lanning sits down with Louis Ruggiero from Nothing’s Off the Table with Louis Ruggiero for an honest, unscripted conversation answering the most common addiction and sobriety questions from both of our audiences.

These questions were pulled directly from comments and DMs across both podcasts — real questions from real people navigating addiction, early sobriety, relapse, recovery, and life after substances.

This episode is for:


Anyone struggling with addiction or alcoholism


People who are sober, newly sober, or thinking about getting sober


Those who’ve relapsed and want to come back


Parents, partners, and loved ones of addicts


Anyone looking for real, experience-based recovery insight

Topics covered include:


How we actually got sober and what finally worked


Cravings vs obsession — what changes over time


Relapse and how to come back without shame


Weed and sobriety


AA, spirituality, and other recovery paths


Dating, weddings, and social life while sober


Parenting, making amends, and rebuilding trust


Trauma, mental health, and emotional sobriety


Tough love vs enabling


What long-term recovery really looks like

No fluff. No preaching. Just two people in recovery answering the questions we get asked every day.

If you or someone you love is struggling, you’re not alone — and recovery is possible.

#AddictionRecovery #HowToGetSober #Sobriety #RecoveryQandA #Alcoholism #DrugAddiction #RelapseRecovery #EarlySobriety #MentalHealth #AARecovery #AddictionHelp #StayingSober #RecoveryCommunity #SoberLife

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For the first time, Kevin Lanning and Louis Ruggiero pull the curtain back.

After Hours with Kevin & LJ is a new mini-series created because you asked for it — a real, unfiltered, behind-the-scenes look at our lives, conversations, and perspectives when the cameras aren’t “on.”

This series isn’t about perfectly structured interviews or polished narratives.
It’s about real talk, recovery, friendship, growth, business, mistakes, and the moments that usually happen after the episode ends.

In this first episode, Kevin and Louis sit down without an agenda and share candid thoughts on:


Life behind the podcast


Recovery beyond the microphone


What listeners don’t usually get to hear


The personal side of building platforms, friendships, and purpose

This is raw. This is honest.
This is After Hours.

If you’ve ever wondered what happens when the show stops recording — this is it.

👇 Let us know in the comments what you want to see more of in this series.

#AfterHours #BehindTheScenes #RealTalk #PodcastLife #RecoveryJourney #SobrietyTalk #MentalHealth #LifeAfterAddiction #UnfilteredConversations #KevinLanning #LouisRuggiero

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Mike Shooty had it all on the outside — a successful career in high-level security, executive protection, and international risk mitigation. On the inside, he was quietly losing everything.

In this raw and unfiltered conversation, Mike opens up about growing up in a stable home, starting to drink at 14, binge drinking through college, and how alcohol slowly took control of his life. After multiple attempts at sobriety, he turned to OxyContin to stop drinking—only to find himself deeper in addiction.

Mike shares the terrifying reality of opioid withdrawal, hiding addiction in plain sight, losing his marriage, multiple DUIs, homelessness, and hitting a point so dark he nearly didn’t survive it. His story also dives into the shame of addiction, missing years of fatherhood, and the long road to rebuilding trust.

Now over 3 years sober, Mike is deeply involved in recovery—speaking publicly, helping other men navigate sobriety, divorce, legal trouble, and life after addiction.

This episode is about surrender, accountability, and what it really takes to change your life when everything has fallen apart.

If you or someone you love is struggling, this conversation could be the one that helps.

#AddictionRecovery #Alcoholism #OpiateAddiction #DUI #SobrietyJourney #ExecutiveBodyguard #FromAddictionToRecovery #RockBottom #RecoveryIsPossible #MentalHealthMatters #RiseAbove #SoberLife #RedemptionStory #OneDayAtATime

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Dave Marquess grew up in chaos—raised by addict parents, hustling for survival as a child, and spiraling into drugs by his early teens. By his twenties, Dave was deep in PCP, oxy, heroin, and cocaine, running the streets of Kensington, in and out of jail, and living in full-blown addiction and psychosis.

In this raw conversation, Dave opens up about:


Growing up with parents addicted to meth and heroin


Juvenile detention at 14 and fighting authority at every turn


Smoking PCP before school and getting expelled


Selling drugs, escort driving, and total moral collapse


Calling his own mother to learn how to shoot heroin


Experiencing brutal jail withdrawals that nearly killed him


The exact moment he said “I’m done”—and meant it

Today, Dave is nearly 10 years sober, living with purpose, creativity, and service. He’s the creator of the recovery-based card game Relapse or Recovery, designed to help people connect, reflect, and heal in sobriety.

This episode is for anyone who thinks they’re too far gone.
Dave proves that no matter how dark it gets—recovery is possible.

#AddictionRecovery #HeroinAddiction #Kensington #RecoveryIsPossible #JailToRecovery #OpiateEpidemic #SobrietyJourney #FromAddictionToRecovery #CleanAndSober #RecoveryPodcast #MentalHealthMatters #12StepRecovery #TraumaHealing #LifeAfterAddiction #RiseAbove #RecoveryStories #HopeAfterAddiction

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Crystal Ambroselli’s story is raw, heartbreaking, and ultimately life-saving.

Raised in a home shaped by alcoholism, chaos, and secrecy, Crystal was exposed to addiction at a young age. By 12, she was in treatment. By 15, she was a pregnant teen mom. By 17, she was smoking crack. At 19, she overdosed on fentanyl-laced cocaine and was clinically dead for 10 minutes.

This episode dives deep into:
• Growing up with an alcoholic father and generational trauma
• Teen pregnancy, betrayal, and family collapse
• Heavy drug use while raising a child
• A near-fatal overdose that should have ended her life
• Hitting bottom — mentally, emotionally, and spiritually
• Finally surrendering and building real recovery

Today, Crystal is 18 months sober, rebuilding trust with her family, and doing the hard work to become the healthy mother her daughter deserves.

This isn’t just a sobriety story — it’s about identity, survival, accountability, and choosing life when everything feels broken.

If you’re struggling, feel alone, or think it’s “not that bad yet”… this episode might save your life.

#RiseAbove #AddictionRecovery #OverdoseSurvivor #FentanylCrisis #TeenMom #CrackAddiction #SobrietyJourney #NearDeathExperience #MentalHealthAwareness #RecoveryIsPossible #OneDayAtATime #SoberLife #TraumaHealing #SurvivorStory

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