Welcome to the Pit Stop
What is the Pit Stop?
The Pit Stop is an online Radio show aired every Wednesday Morning on GSHRadio.com at 10 am. It is one of many radio shows aired on this station and talks on the topic of addiction and living with it.
How the Pit Stop Came to be:
For those who are unaware of the “Pit Stop” radio show, allow me to enlighten you….Around this time last year, Gregory Henchar and his partner Victor Lopez; owners of GSHRaido.com and Rainbow411.com approached my partner in crime Vinnie Marconi about doing a radio show on living with addiction. There are a great many who may suffer from this deadly disease and can’t seem to find a way out. A show such as this was something that’s never been done before and they felt it was an important topic to cover. Vinnie contacted me to discuss the matter and wanted me to co-host the show with him. Given the fact that both Vinnie and I both in recovery, we decided it would be an amazing opportunity to reach out to others and show them that although living with addiction can be difficult at times, it’s NOT impossible. And so, on December 31, 2013, the Pit Stop was launched for the first time and thanks to our listeners and their support, we continue to try to carry the message of recovery to our listeners.
The Pit Stop is aired every Wednesday Morning at 10 am. You can log on to GSHRadioshow.com, click on “Listen Live” and listen anonymously or you can join us in the chat room and join in on the conversation. The show wasn’t created to “fix” people or cure them. It was created to try to help those who may be suffering from some kind of addiction, those who think they might be, or those who know someone who could be suffering. We do not discuss Programs of recovery in detail as there are a great many of them. We simply share our experience, strength and hope, give a lot of information and share how we got sober. Our sole purpose is to reach out to others. Only each individual can make the decision if they have a problem or not. We provide information.
About the hosts of the Pit Stop:
Both hosts of the Pit Stop are in the public eye, both are in recovery. They are entertainers who have chosen not to maintain their sense of anonymity when it comes to their addictions and recovery in the hopes that people will see that ANYONE can get clean and sober and live happy, productive lives.
VINNIE MARCONI; Male Illusionist; Mister Chill Chamber Emeritus, Mister St. Pete Pride 2012, Mister Gay Florida United States 2013 & Mister Gay Florida United States MI 2014 2nd Alt.
VINNIE MARCONI THE ADDICT: Before all of the above accomplishments were ever a thought in Vinnie’s head, Vinnie Marconi was a junky. For eight long years, Vinnie Marconi was addicted to speed . He began is journey with addiction in 1979. His drug of choice was Cocaine, but any kind of “upper” would do. His addiction led him to live out on the streets of Los Angeles and live a lifestyle few people could understand unless they’ve been there. Vinnie fed his addiction in isolation. He did not make his addiction obvious to others. He is what I guess you would call a “closet junky.” Closeted or not, his addiction caused much damage to not only him, but his family members as well. His mother suffered with his addiction as much as he did watching him suffer. On July 13, 1987 Vinnie found himself so very broken, he decided enough was enough and began his journey in sobriety. It was very fortunate that his mother got to see Vinnie living a clean and sober lifestyle before she passed.
Today Vinnie lives in Clearwater, Florida with his wife Lynn. He has been clean for twenty-seven years and continues to live life on life’s terms. Although his life is not always perfect, he continues to live a sober life and has discovered what it means to be Happy, Joyous and Free. Very much like anyone who suffers from addiction, Vinnie still thinks about it on occasion, but he has the tools that he needs to get through the thoughts and move forward.
He is very open about his addiction because he is well aware of how gripping the disease can be. His desire to help reach out to others has caused him not to maintain his own anonymity. He is very open about his addiction, the pain it caused and his journey to recovery.
AJ MENENDEZ;
Male Illusionist: Master Male Illusionist, Mister Boiling Point, Mister Rainbow House Emeritus, Mister Riot Emeritus, Mister Florida Ultimate Illusionist MI Emeritus, Mister St. Augustine Pride 2012. Former Mister Savannah Pride 2010, Mister Lake City Pride 2012.
AJ MENENDEZ; THE ALCOHOLIC / ADDICT; Unlike his partner in crime Vinnie Marconi, I was very open with his addiction. I partied like a rock star and made my addiction very apparent to everyone but me. My journey began in 1981 experimenting with drugs and alcohol and grew from there. I spent twenty-eight years living in denial. Like Vinnie Marconi, my drug of choice was Cocaine which I gave up with ease in 2006. It was the alcohol that defeated me. I was a binge drinker and a black out drunk which made it easier for me to live in denial and allow my addiction to progress. I turned into a walking tornado, destroying everything and everyone in my path. Alcohol turned me into the kind of person few people wanted to be around. The only thing that mattered to me, was that bottle, and when I drank, I turned into a monster. The destruction and pain I caused others was unbearable. Toward the end, I just about lost everything and everyone that meant anything to me.
In 2010, I got to see that monster people had been telling me about with my own eyes. My last drunk was video taped. That was July 17, 2010. On July 18th I began my long road to recovery. Today I am happier than I have ever been. I am no longer just “existing” in life, I am living it to the fullest extent. Like Vinnie, I choose not to maintain my anonymity. The way I see it, there was nothing anonymous about my addiction, why should I make my recovery anonymous? I want to share my own experience, strength and hope with others and try to show them that even the seemingly helpless people who suffer from this very deadly disease can recover and live full, happy lives.
TUNE IN TO THE PIT STOP EVERY WEDNESDAY MORNING AND HANG OUT WITH US. YOU CAN LISTEN ANONYMOUSLY OR YOU CAN JOIN US IN THE CHAT ROOM AND JOIN IN ON THE CONVERSATIONS. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS GO TO GSHRADIO.COM AND CLICK ON LISTEN LIVE.
Voice for Recovery, and Addiction 