Rehab Scams Exposed: Addiction Industry Secrets w/ Ronnie Costa

The addiction world sells hope — but if you or someone you love has ever searched “rehab near me,” you know how overwhelming it can be trying to figure out what’s real, what works, and who truly has your best interest in mind.

On this episode of The Gaslit Truth Podcast, I sit down with Ronnie Costa, recovery coach and chemical dependency counselor, to talk about addiction, recovery, and the parts of the treatment industry many people never hear about.

I want to be transparent: I do not personally align with the standard addiction models that suggest there is only one path to recovery. People are complex, and healing cannot be reduced to a one-size-fits-all formula.

Ronnie’s story is exactly why this conversation matters.

Growing up in Providence’s crime-heavy wise guy culture, Ronnie learned early that money, status, and survival shaped his world. That path eventually led to opioid addiction, starting with OxyContin and later heroin — along with arrests, chaos, and moments where he almost lost everything.

But the most powerful part of his story is not just that he recovered. It’s that the path that worked for him was not a traditional model.

In this episode we jump into the DARK side of rehab people don’t talk about — body brokering, referral incentives, insurance-driven systems, and the questions families need to ask before trusting a treatment program. ADDICTION is a BILLION DOLLAR industry.

Ronnie shares what helped him rebuild: accountability, community, sober living, support, and creating a life worth staying sober for.

Behind every addiction story is a person. Healing happens when we stop forcing people into a system that doesn’t fit and start finding what actually works.