I Was a Teacher—and a Raging Alcoholic | How I Lost Everything

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Matt grew up in a loving home in Westchester, NY—but alcohol and cocaine nearly destroyed everything he built. From blackouts and bartending in Florida to getting strip-searched at Gun Club Jail, Matt reached his breaking point. What followed was a powerful journey through recovery, multiple relapses, deep therapy, and ultimately transformation. In this raw interview, Matt opens up about: His battle with addiction while teaching kids and coaching baseball The death of his father and how unprocessed grief fueled his drinking Sleeping in restaurant booths and narrowly escaping DUI arrests Starting over from zero and founding a protein snack company now in over 2,000 stores The power of the 12-step program, journaling, and unwavering honesty This is the story of how one man went from jail to Whole Foods—and built a purpose-driven life out of the wreckage of addiction. Check out Matt’s snack company: IG: @froprosnacks 🎧 Like, subscribe, and leave a review to help spread stories of hope. #SobrietyJourney #AddictionRecovery #Entrepreneurship #ProgressSnacks #FromJailToSuccess #AA #Alcoholism #Inspiration #WellnessJourney #riseabovepodcast 00:00 Growing Up in Westchester, NY 02:10 Childhood Adventures and Early Interests 03:40 School, Sports, and Music 05:00 College Life and Studying Abroad 09:00 Fraternity, Travel, and Early Substance Use 12:30 Transition to Teaching and Double Life 15:30 Escalating Consequences and Substance Abuse 19:00 Hitting Bottom: Arrests and Isolation 21:30 Starting Recovery and Early Meetings 24:00 Unresolved Grief and Coping with Loss 27:00 Treatment, Therapy, and Personal Growth 31:30 Building a New Life After Rock Bottom 34:00 Starting Over: Odd Jobs and Finding Purpose 37:00 Launching the Snack Bar Business 41:00 FroPro's Growth and Learning Business 45:00 Balancing Service, Sobriety, and Life 49:00 Dealing with Self-Doubt and Finding Meaning 52:00 Continuous Self-Work and Staying Humble 54:30 FroPro Success and Community Shoutouts 56:00 Gratitude for Support and Reflections 🔔 Join Rise Above with Kevin Lanning to watch more content on Triumph, adversity, resilience, and inspiration: https://www.youtube.com/@Riseabovewithkevin?sub_confirmation=1 ✅ Stay Connected To Us. 👉Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riseabovewithkevin/ 👉 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rawithk 👉 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/riseabovewithk ✅ For Business Inquiries: [email protected] ================================ ✅ About Rise Above with Kevin Lanning: Rise Above: Stories of Resilience with Kevin Lanning Welcome to Rise Above with Kevin Lanning, where resilience finds its voice. Join Kevin Lanning, a former Google Executive in sobriety, as he brings you powerful stories of individuals who have navigated life's greatest challenges and emerged victorious. About Kevin: Kevin Lanning personifies resilience. From overcoming addiction to conquering childhood trauma, his journey mirrors the triumph of the human spirit. Now, he's dedicated to sharing stories that uplift, educate, and ignite the spark within you. Join us on this journey to rise above adversity and thrive. For Collaboration and Business inquiries, please use the contact information below: 📩 Email: [email protected] 🔔 Hit that subscribe button for more exclusive, insightful, and inspiring videos: https://www.youtube.com/@Riseabovepodcastofficial?sub_confirmation=1 ================================= #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #corecore #motivation #addictionrecovery #inspiration #selflove #selfhelp #loveyourself Disclaimer: We do not accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred by you acting or not acting as a result of watching any of our publications. You acknowledge that you use the information we provide at your own risk. Do your research. Copyright Notice: This video and our YouTube channel contain dialogue, music, and images that are the property of Rise Above with Kevin Lanning. You are authorized to share the video link and channel and embed this video in your website or others as long as a link back to our YouTube channel is provided. © Rise Above with Kevin Lanning