ADDICTION: Why you use alcohol to silence the noise (with Rick Coluccio) #28
Wed Jan 07 2026
"I had a couple of drinks and the noise stopped... and that is how alcoholics are born."
We often think of addiction as the guy under the bridge, but what about the successful leader who drinks to "unwind" every single night? Rick Coluccio is a former music producer turned Recruitment Leader (Host of Recruiting EQ) who lived the "rockstar" lifestyle until his liver almost failed at 19.
In this episode, Rick peels back the layers on "High-Functioning" addiction. He explores how we swap one vice for another (alcohol for work, food, or sex) not to have fun, but to soothe an internal scream that we refuse to hear.
In this episode, expect to learn:
The "Soothing" Trap: Why addiction isn't about the substance; it's about using external things to manage internal emotions.
The Generational Curse: Growing up in a house of normalized depression and how to break the cycle.
Swapping Vices: How you can be "sober" but move your addiction to sex, food, or work.
Corporate Masks: Why the higher you climb in leadership, the more fake the people around you become.
Don't just listen. Do the work. Download the Good Men App to track your progress: http://lnkz.app/dpvk
Connect with Rick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-coluccio-7356266/
Connect with Ian: https://www.instagram.com/w_illo_/
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"I had a couple of drinks and the noise stopped... and that is how alcoholics are born." We often think of addiction as the guy under the bridge, but what about the successful leader who drinks to "unwind" every single night? Rick Coluccio is a former music producer turned Recruitment Leader (Host of Recruiting EQ) who lived the "rockstar" lifestyle until his liver almost failed at 19. In this episode, Rick peels back the layers on "High-Functioning" addiction. He explores how we swap one vice for another (alcohol for work, food, or sex) not to have fun, but to soothe an internal scream that we refuse to hear. In this episode, expect to learn: The "Soothing" Trap: Why addiction isn't about the substance; it's about using external things to manage internal emotions. The Generational Curse: Growing up in a house of normalized depression and how to break the cycle. Swapping Vices: How you can be "sober" but move your addiction to sex, food, or work. Corporate Masks: Why the higher you climb in leadership, the more fake the people around you become. Don't just listen. Do the work. Download the Good Men App to track your progress: http://lnkz.app/dpvk Connect with Rick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-coluccio-7356266/ Connect with Ian: https://www.instagram.com/w_illo_/