PLEASE CONTACT US

MEET SOBER TEAM FOUNDER STEPHEN MCLEOD

My name is Stephen McLed, I was raised in Greenwich CT by a loving family and a great deal of support from one of the best academic and athletic public school systems in the country. With all of the advantages a parent could wish for their child this didn’t prevent me from developing alcoholism at a very early age. I believe that I was born an alcoholic, 100% Scottish , alcoholism is a way of life for many of my ancestors. My parents couldn't understand why I was behaving in a manner that exemplified one of an incorrigible juvenile delinquent. I was a good athlete and had a lot of friends, it wasn't a question of peer pressure, I was usually the ring leader. At 16 the law caught up w/ me and I ended up in jail. I was given the option of rehab, I believe that I was one of the first and youngest kids in Greenwich High history to go to rehab. Today it is more common, but this was 1985. Rehab definitely was the exception especially as a sophomore in high school . Hazeldon is considered one of if not the best in the country. The last beer I ever drank to this day was one I swiped from the late Paul Newmans personal 6 pack. He was a frequent flier on my dads prop jet, I made sure that I got one last one in me at the Minn airport.

Rehab was a place of discovery for me. The actual recovery began back home. I followed all of the suggestions, w/ the tremendous support of my family, sponsor and support group as well as my football coach I was able to stay sober for many years. I went on to follow my dreams as an entrepreneur, get married etc. Over the years I was able to stay sober however I couldn't help but notice episodes of depression within me, both mild, episodic and even severe especially during times of stress. For the most part I put on a happy face but my brain told a different story. Around the same time as my dot-com going under as well as my marriage I was prescribed my first anti-depressant. It actually worked for a little while. I find it interesting that the depression questionnaire asks if you haven't been feeling like your normal self lately?

Bill W, the founder of alcoholics anonymous, knew first hand the danger of major depression. After years of sobriety but still suffering he became a major advocate of orthomolecular therapy. This is an alternative holistic treatment approach that advocates massive doses of Niacin (vitamin B3) . After finding relief he started to promote this to AA members and quite paradoxically created a major controversy within the obstinate minded group that he was the original founder for.

At this time (post 9-11) I started working and training as a high risk security agent. During training I tore my meniscus which required surgery. This is where I found a drug that worked a lot better then zoloft, it is called vicodin. This was perfect, not only did this help my chronic back pain it made me feel great. In simple terms I have a shortage of dopamine d2 receptors in my brain. Opiates were a perfect storm because they provided me with massive doses of nor epinephrine and dopamine which gave me temporary relief of my symptoms. The only major problem was that opiates are anathema for recovering folk especially pain killers which have led to many a heroin addiction.

The law caught up w/ me again this time over 20 years removed from my first jail stint. In 2006 I was training at various high speed government sponsored private military compounds throughout the country and working for a private investigation/executive protection agency primarily protecting an 8 billion dollar hedge fund . I was called into work on my birthday Sept 28 2006. There was a high risk situation at the firm, they were hemorrhaging millions which turned into billions of dollars at a historic pace and I was part of the lock down team. Due to the expeditious nature of the call I was speeding and was pulled over out of my jurisdiction w/ my service weapon on me. I know it sounds bizarre but its true. The individual who ultimately was responsible for the 6.6 billion high risk derivative loss ended up imploding the entire company but walked away w/ a 75 million dollar severance package while I got hauled off to jail w/ a high bond. Who ever said life was fair?

The criminal justice system is actually good at exposing those w/ the disease of addiction. This is what enabled me to get sober once again. My drug usage became accelerated after about 2 and a half years of supervised probation. I was involved in a care taking co-dependent relationship with a severe active alcoholic. In my attempt to rescue this individual I completely lost myself. At this particular time I became even more depressed than usual This is when my father made it clear that I better get to the doctor asap for another round of zoloft. My symptoms were obvious; depression and anxiety. A benzodiazipine named xanax is often prescribed for anxiety and depression. This is the drug that put the nail in the coffin as far as my disease is concerned. The problem w/ xanax is that it stimulates the same gaba receptors in the brain as alcohol. I haven't had a drink for almost 30 years but that doesn’t mean I didn't get completely drunk on xanax on what eventually became a daily basis. I put xanax on the very top of the drug list as far as ease of getting addicted.

In 2011 I ended up getting a DWI under the influence of Adavan. I cant exactly explain in words how horrible I felt however if there really is a hell then I was in it. For me there is a difference between feeling like dying and wanting to die. I was remanded to county jail for 6.5 months. Jail wasn't my wake up call after all even though I sought solace from a priest. My real wake up call came 4 years later. Since I wasn't changing I was only dry this led me to the abuse of marijuana and Adderall. This is the definition of insanity that they talk about in the second step. I have a soul sickness called alcoholism, only a spiritual solution can mitigate my symptoms. Why did I repudiate the program years earlier one might ask? It’s because I have a disease that tells me that I don't have one and it always trys creative ways to try to take me out. My sobriety date is Sept 2015. I have experienced jails, institutions, and being homeless and none of this was any fun. In the recovery world one must completely surrender to win. This is our source of strength as opposed to being a weakness. Today I firmly believe that big pharma is the problem not part of the solution

Home About Us FAQ Bio Contact Us

Home About Us FAQ Bio Contact Us Privacy Policy

Please Call 561-729-5304