The Gangster's Guide to Sobriety With Former Gangster and Actor Richie Stephens

On The Verywell Mind Podcast, Amy Morin, LCSW, shares the “Friday Fix”—a short episode featuring a quick, actionable tip or exercise to help you manage a specific mental health issue or concern.

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About Richie Stephens

Richie Stephens is an Irish gangster turned actor living in Los Angeles. He frequently plays villains in TV and movies, including "Days of Our Lives," "Criminal Minds," "MacGyver," and "Blue Bloods."

Richie is also the author of "The Gangster’s Guide to Sobriety," where he shares how 12-step groups helped him recover after decades of drug and alcohol abuse. He’s a frequent speaker in recovery groups and actively helps the homeless at The Midnight Mission and The Center in Hollywood.

Why Richie Stephens Is Mentally Strong

Richie makes it clear that he got into recovery because someone helped him do so, and it saved his life. Now, he shares his story because he hopes to help other struggling people find their way out of addiction.

He shares some wild stories about what his life was like when he was a gangster, but he doesn’t glorify the things he did. Instead, he acknowledges that he made mistakes and has lots of regrets about his past. His willingness to share his story and support struggling others shows mental strength.

What You’ll Hear on the Show

• Richie’s life as an Irish gangster
• His struggles with drugs and alcohol
• What made him want to get sober
• How someone encouraged him to go to a 12-step meeting
• His experience with 12-step groups
• How working through the 12 steps changed his life
• The importance of having a sponsor
• The lies he told himself that allowed his addiction to continue
• How he learned to manage cravings
• His thoughts on the notion of a ‘higher power’ and its relationship to recovery
• How getting into recovery shifted his beliefs about being a victim and helped him take personal responsibility
• Richie's response to concerns about 12-step meetings
• What to do if you’re unsure about 12-step meetings

What You’ll Learn About Mental Health and Mental Strength

• Substance use disorders are not a moral issue or a sign of weakness but often result from various factors like biology, past experiences, mental health, and culture.
• Getting help is a sign of strength, not weakness.
• Community support plays a crucial role in recovery.

Quotes From Richie

• "The reason I got sober is that somebody helped me. I didn't get sober on my own."
• "The weird thing about being an addict is that if you're in the middle of it, you think you're making the decisions. But after you get sober and you get a little bit of hindsight, you realize that you're powerless over it."
• "If you're in a place where you're trying to stop drinking and getting high, your life obviously isn't going well."
• "When you're an addict or an alcoholic, there's a lot of denial that can go with it. Like if you meet somebody who has cancer and you tell them they have cancer, they're not gonna go, ‘no, I don't have cancer.’ But if you tell an addict they’re an addict, a lot of times they go, ‘I'm not an addict.’"

More About the Podcast

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Editor's Note: This transcript is not subject to our standard editorial process and may contain inaccuracies and grammatical errors. For media or public speaking inquiries, contact Amy here.

Related Episodes

• [Link to Episode 1]
• [Link to Episode 2]
• [Link to Episode 3]