Episode 22 - Cicio

This week on Sober Champs, Pete and Aiden sit down with Cicio. Someone who takes us deep into his story of addiction, identity, and transformation.

Growing up in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood, Cicio always felt like he didn’t quite belong. He was funny, social, and surrounded by friends, but never truly comfortable in his own skin. What started as weed and keg parties in middle school quickly escalated into a dangerous mix of Xanax, benzos, opiates, and cocaine, all driven by a desire to escape the deep discomfort he carried inside.

This episode pulls no punches. Cicio talks about blacking out for days, gaslighting loved ones, and chasing that fleeting high with everything he had, even when it meant destroying everything around him. From selling pills and getting robbed to waking up in strange places with no memory and no money, his addiction took him to the edge more than once.

But the turning point came when the hustle stopped working. After burning bridges and hitting emotional rock bottom, Cicio found himself in rehab in Arizona. Not because he wanted to, but because there was nowhere left to run. That decision marked the start of a slow, uncomfortable, and deeply real recovery journey.

Now over two years sober, Cicio opens up about what healing really looks like. From learning how to feel feelings without numbing them to building back trust and rediscovering who he is, his story reminds us that recovery is not a straight line. It is work. It is honesty. And it is worth it.

This episode is for anyone who has lied to themselves or others just to keep using. Anyone who has felt broken and unlovable. And anyone who needs to hear that it is never too late to change.