# “If I Drink Again, I’m Choosing Suicide” | 4 DUIs, Illegal Alligators & 8 Years Sober

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/nothing-s-off-the-table-with-louis-ruggiero-7335205/if-i-drink-again-i-m-choosing-suicide-4-duis-illegal-alligators-8-years-sober
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/nothing-s-off-the-table-with-louis-ruggiero-7335205/if-i-drink-again-i-m-choosing-suicide-4-duis-illegal-alligators-8-years-sober.md
Podcast: [Nothing’s Off the Table with Louis Ruggiero](https://stenobird.com/podcast/nothing-s-off-the-table-with-louis-ruggiero-7335205)
Published: 2026-03-31T04:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/AKTBA1580133171.mp3?updated=1774799373
Audio file: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/AKTBA1580133171.mp3?updated=1774799373
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/nothing-s-off-the-table-with-louis-ruggiero-7335205/episodes/if-i-drink-again-i-m-choosing-suicide-4-duis-illegal-alligators-8-years-sober
Duration seconds: 2432

## Resource

“I had this vivid image… a beautiful blonde woman with two kids, and I killed them. Something hit me and said: if you continue to live like this, you are going to kill yourself, kill somebody else, or wind up in jail for the rest of your life.” In this episode of Nothing’s Off The Table, I sit down with Steven McCall, a man whose life was a series of bizarre headlines and near-death misses before he finally found the floor. From growing up in New Orleans to the high-stakes "Van Wilder" party scene of college, Steven lived a double life that involved illegal alligators, Bourbon Street benders, and a escalating addiction to alcohol, weed, and cocaine. Steven opens up about: * The Alligator Arrests: Keeping a 150-gallon ecosystem—including 7-foot alligators—in a college apartment and being caught by Wildlife & Fisheries twice. * 8 Years of College, 0 Classes: The "creature of habit" lifestyle of Jameson shots and Miller Lites that kept him escaping reality. * The Final DUI: Waking up asleep behind the wheel on I-10 in a bathing suit, slurring to cops that he was "coming home from work." * The Hospital Epiphany: Realizing at 30 years old, living at his mom's house with 4 DUIs, that his next drink would be a suicide mission. * Healing the Trauma: Facing the 14-year-old grief of losing his father through a powerful, snot-and-tears therapeutic breakthrough at Banyan. Today, Steven is 8 years sober and works for Banyan Treatment Centers—the very place that gave him a scholarship when he had no insurance and no hope. His story is a raw reminder that no matter how many "isms" you're battling or how many times you've relapsed, you aren't unique in your pain—and you aren't alone in your recovery. 🔔 Real stories. Raw comebacks. Nothing’s off the table. I sit down with people who’ve…

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/nothing-s-off-the-table-with-louis-ruggiero-7335205/episodes/if-i-drink-again-i-m-choosing-suicide-4-duis-illegal-alligators-8-years-sober/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/nothing-s-off-the-table-with-louis-ruggiero-7335205/if-i-drink-again-i-m-choosing-suicide-4-duis-illegal-alligators-8-years-sober.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.