#176 – Episode 176 – Brian Cuban: The Addicted Lawyer

VeronicaValli

Brian Cuban is the younger brother of Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. He talks candidly about his battle with alcohol and cocaine addiction and how he overcame an eating disorder. His latest book, The Ambulance Chaser, is out now.

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about this episode

Brian Cuban is someone I’ve followed on the sobriety scene for years. I recently bought his latest book, The Ambulance Chaser, and since I started it I haven’t been able to put it down. Brian is extremely transparent and open about his history of addiction and eating disorders and I’m so excited to have him on the show today.

About Brian Cuban

Brian Cuban is an attorney, author, and mental health awareness and recovery advocate. He is the author of the best-selling book, The Addicted Lawyer, Tales of The Bar, Booze Blow & Redemption. His debut thriller novel, The Ambulance Chaser released in December as the #1 selling debut paperback thriller.

He has spoken at conferences, non-profit events, colleges, and universities across the United States and in Canada. He also writes extensively on these subjects. His columns have appeared on CNN.com, Foxnews.com, The Huffington Post, The New York Times, and in online and print newspapers around the world.

The Ambulance Chaser was born from a very dark recurring dream. Having already written two memoirs about his battles with addiction and an eating disorder, fiction felt like the natural next step.

The main character starts out seeming like your average lawyer but he becomes quite a complex character as his past starts showing up in the present.

As I got further in, one bit really stood out to me:

“Within seconds of inhaling, a tsunami of self love washes over me as dopamine receptors activate and cocaine-drenched neurons fire like a cerebral lightning storm. My eyes roll up and quiver shut.”

Only somebody who knows firsthand what cocaine is like could have written this.

Let’s rewind a bit.

Growing up, Brian classifies himself as having classic middle child syndrome. As the odd one out between his brothers who had all the attributes he associated with love and acceptance, Brian never felt good enough.

Add to that a complicated relationship with his mother and severe bullying at school for being heavy, Brian’s low self-esteem grew into a full-blown eating disorder.

Purging was the only thing that gave Brian a sense of control, but it was fleeting. And the cycle of bingeing and purging continued well into his 40s.

“My greatest struggle today is not necessarily being triggered by alcohol. It’s my relationship with food and exercise.” – Brian Cuban

By college, Brian’s drinking moved into alcohol use disorder territory. He went through law school as an alcoholic and shortly after graduating and moving to Dallas he tried cocaine for the first time.

All bets were off after that.

“I don’t believe in revisionist recovery, because the journey got me here having a wonderful conversation with you. But I’m not going to pretend that it didn’t impact my life in a terrible way.” – Brain Cuban

Three failed marriages, two trips to a psychiatric hospital, a DWI arrest, and a suicide attempt later, Brian found his way to a 12-step meeting.

Going to those meetings, plus continuing with counseling and therapy, allowed Brian to feel comfortable in his skin for the first time in his life.

“By sitting in that chair, for the first time in my life I was able to walk to the mirror, birthday-suit naked, look at myself and love myself without the aid of alcohol, or bingeing and purging or cocaine.”- Brian Cuban

If you’re looking for a great thriller, I highly recommend The Ambulance Chaser – it’s had me hooked from the start. As a bonus, you’ll be supporting a fantastic member of the recovery community.

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