Matty Willz of MIDDAYZ on Z1079 highlights local hero’s through brief interviews in an attempt to share their encouraging stories and positive works with the Cleveland area community.
No matter who you are or what you do, life, for everyone, gets tough sometimes. Different people find different ways to get through it, and sometimes we take missteps and make mistakes.
But it’s how you bounce back from those mistakes that defines you.
Meet Ronald Riccota, a 52-year-old man from the Cleveland/Lakewood area. Ronald struggled with drugs starting around the age of 30, but has now been sober for the last seven years. He remembers the pain he brought his mother when she noticed that he began using, and admits that the drugs turned him into a dishonest and selfish individual.
His biggest regret? Most likely fumbling away a multi-million dollar business that he owned because of his unsettling addiction to drugs.
But Ronald Riccota got himself cleaned up. His sobriety date from all drugs and alcohol is March 8, 2013. Today he owns another business and, more than that, has decided to use his experiences to help others going through some of those same drug issues.
He’s vowed to help people dealing with addiction by doing the ground work. He’s taken on the responsibility of assisting them to get cleaned up, and has even written about his experiences and life advice in a recent book titled Needle in My Arm: America’s Epidemic.
Ronald Riccota is a true representation of what a person can do when they really put their mind toward a positive change in the world. And the way the world is right now, I think we can all agree that that’s a pretty important thing that we all need.
Below is a Zoom interview between Matty Willz and Ronald Riccota discussing some of Ronald’s triumphs and tribulations.
To reach out to Ronald directly for a copy of his book please email carpethead1975@gmail.com.
