December 23, 2025 – I was born a lower middle-class kid from the broken glass streets of a town in New Jersey. I loved watching Saturday morning cartoons and for many years Bugs Bunny was my childhood hero. Always had a line. He understood what the f**k was happening around him. He realized early on he was going to be dealing with some people who really didn’t have his best interest at heart. So he had to be one step ahead at all times and he found this process very draining and repetitive. He decided one day he needed to take something to calm down cause all this constant hopping around was making him crazy. So he started ingesting this fluid that for a certain amount of time brought him some solitude and relief. But like all things that bring relief there were side effects. He couldn’t go even a couple f**kin’ days without this potion. He kinda depended on it just to hop around his life. This depressed him to no end. I mean why can’t I just get through a day without this constant bullshit clouding up my every maneuver. Well one day he ran into this other rabbit and he said yea i couldn’t stop ingesting anything that would give me the allusion that my life was just fine in its current f**ked up form. But he kept alluding to fact that there were a whole bunch of rabbits with the same problem. And they would get together every now and then and discuss their obsession with self-destruction. And son-of-a-bitch this process started to work. It was like some fog had lifted off the shore and the rabbit could clearly see something that resembled a life. Not the one he had envisioned but what the f**k anything was better than where he came from. I mean he was just a rabbit from New Jersey. But now things were different. He felt differently. Other things seemed important all of a sudden. A priority switch had been flipped in his brain. And it was one that he felt he could hop through life with. I know sounds simple but for right now the rabbit was in one hundred percent.

ROBERT TEPPER

Q. If you are in recovery, what was your drug(s) of choice and when is your sobriety date?

A. Alcohol and cocaine. August 31, 1988

Q. Is there anything special in your sobriety toolkit that helps keep you sober?

A. Nothing one hasn’t heard before. Meetings and working with others.

Q. Do you think addiction is an illness, disease, a choice, or a wicked twist of fate?

A. Addiction in my opinion is a disease that is only relieved by a spiritual solution.

Q. Where are you from and where do you reside now?

A. I am from Bayonne, NJ. I reside in Valley Village, California now.

Q. What is one word you would use to describe yourself?

A. Concerned.

Q. Describe how you came to your “rock bottom” point.

A. It started with early teenage drinking. 12 or thirteen and continued into serious drug use until I was 38.

Q. If you ever retire, would you prefer to live by the ocean, lake, river, mountaintop, desert, or penthouse?

A. I am more of an urban dweller. I need a city vibe to survive.

Q. How do you measure success?

A. Success is the ability to live each day with some quality assurance of your mental capabilities.

Q. What is your biggest pet peeve?

A. My biggest pet peeve is how violent the world still is. It’s so fucking dumb.

Q. If you had an extra million dollars, which charity would you donate it to?

A. Right now the Sudan.

Q. Who has been the biggest influence throughout your life?

A. The Beatles.

Q. If you could give advice to your younger self what would it be?

A. Relax. It’s all way less important than it looks

Q. Who made you feel seen growing up?

A. My AA sponsor Liam who actually said you know you can do what’s best for you right now. Wow.

Q. Which living person do you most admire?

A. I’d have to go with any Buddhist monk who is sitting in a cave to get closer to the spirit. I could never do it.

Q. What major event or realization shaped who you are?

A. The English music invasion of the sixties changed my life forever.

Q. What do you love most about living sober?

A. The fact that if one wants to go on functioning there really is no other choice available.

Q. Which part of your treatment and recovery do you feel was the most interesting or unexpected?

A. The most interesting thing to me is that AA encourages self reflection but that doesn’t mean that others that surround your life buy into this concept. And this road leads to acceptance which we all know is a hell of a ride.

Q. What’s your concept of a Higher Power?

A. My concept of a higher power is anything that breaks me free of my mental gymnastics and is life affirming and the opposite of what ever mental prison I’m currently building.

Q. What is your Astrological sign?

A. Gemini.

Q. Who is your favorite celebrity in recovery?

A. I will have to defer right here. Celebrity in AA is also a pet peeve.

Q. What book(s) have you read more than once?

A. The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance. Not much of a repeat reader to be honest.

Q. What books are you reading now?

A. Ellena Ferrante four book series. I’m on book 2. The Story Of A New Name. Love it.

Q. If you were giving a dinner party for your 3 favorite authors, living or dead, who would they be?

A. My son Julian Tepper just a brilliant writer.

I guess Saul Bellow.

And Woody Allen.

Q. Which film have you watched the most?

A. Rounders.

Money Ball.

And Goodwill Hunting.

Q. Who is your favorite film director?

A. Kubrick. Early days.

Guy Ritchie.

Q. Are you binge watching any TV series?

A. The Beast Within.

Q. What is your favorite App?

A. Google Docs.

Q. Who is your favorite performer, living or dead?

A. Joni Mitchell.

Q. Who are your heroes in real life?

A. The Ukrainian people fighting for their very survival.

Q. What are some of the most memorable songs in your life?

A. Paperback Writer.

The Waiting.

Moonlight Mile.

Q. What is your favorite city?

A. New York City.

Q. What is your favorite cuisine?

A. Steak and a Yam.

Q. What is the best concert/performance/play you’ve ever attended?

A. James Taylor with Joni Mitchell coming out as a surprise guest.

Q. What are five things you always carry with you?

A. Phone.

Wallet.

Keys.

A towel.

Sun block.

Q. What is the best and or worse piece of advice someone has given you?

A. Do not worry we don’t need a contract between us. Just keep working and it will all be fine.

It’s not about the money. F**k it ain’t.

Q. What is the best piece of advice you’ve given someone else?

A. That would have to be sometimes you have to be careful as a sober person. Because you’re just one or two bad decisions away from ruining your life.

Q. What is your most treasured possession?

A. Guitars and lots of them.

Q. What do you value most in a friendship?

A. Just respect and kindness.

Q. What do you consider your greatest achievement?

A. Bringing up my children. Pretty dedicated to that.

Q. What is your favorite compliment to receive, and why?

A. I hate compliments. Rather hear complaints.

Q. What is your biggest fear?

A. The obvious. Dying. Something happening to my kids or their kids.

Q. Where do you go when you’re seeking solitude?

A. To a tennis court to hit a little yellow ball in the best way possible.

Q. If you could wake up tomorrow having gained any one quality or ability, what would it be?

A. I would love to wake up and feel physically superior. I mean crazy sick athletic and in control of my body.

Q. What would constitute a “perfect” day for you?

A. Any day where I’m not down or complaining a lot. A creative day is always noteworthy.

Q. What is your biggest regret?

A. My biggest regret was not realizing that my individual attributes were always right there in front of me. It’s hard for me to see that a lot of times.

Q. What is the greatest risk you’ve ever taken?

A. Leaving New York City and coming out to California to pursue my f**ked-up dream.

Q. Which living person do you most despise?

A. The Donald and his buddy Putin.

Q. What is something you’ve learned about yourself in the last six months?

A. I’m actually able to lose weight if I really want to.

Q. What do you love most about yourself?

A. I think I’m capable but barely of being light-hearted sometimes.

Q. What is your greatest extravagance?

A. Music equipment.

Q. When did you realize you were a grown-up?

A. When I was doing everything in my power to give my kids a decent life.

Q. How important are your pets to you?

A. Like them a lot. From a distance.

Q. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

A. Are you f**kin’ kidding me.