By Matt V.
Mike Lossico is currently the family counselor for Talbot House, but his journey getting there has had lots of twists and turns.
Losicco describes his childhood as average. He grew up in the Bronx with his parents and his sister. He went to St. Martin of Tours grammar school and Christopher Columbus High School. Losicco received his diploma in 1969 when he was 17 years old. He was still living at home with his family at the time.
He said that after graduating not a lot changed for him. When he was in school he already had a job, so managing a full time job was no problem. He said the only thing that changed for him was that he became more independent and had total responsibility for himself.
Losicco claims that his biggest influence in getting into drugs was to overcome his shyness with girls. He didn’t start doing drugs until he was 11 and became addicted to heroin at 13.
When he was 32 he entered detox for the first time. When he left he came to The Family. His reasons for coming were a combination of having no place else to go and some convincing from his counselor at the detox.
Losicco’s first impression of his new home was that it was “strange, lonely, but hopeful.” He said the hardest struggle he went through was the physical withdrawal. He did not make it the first time and ran away after five months.
He then returned but after three years, he was asked to leave because he was caught smoking and lying. His main help getting through the physical withdrawal was the fellowship of the people. After that it got easier. “When withdrawal stopped, I started to think clearer; it didn’t last long though, because I was still lying and manipulating.”
Overall Losicco acknowledged the help of one person in particular, Betty Argiros. “If it wasn’t for her I probably would have left, gotten high, and killed myself. She demanded more than I thought I was capable of giving. She had faith and trust in my abilities long before I did.”
After leaving, he asked to work at the school during the summer of 1998. He had been working construction and said, “I’d rather be in this environment than in the construction field. This place is now, and will always be, very, very special for me, and comfortable. It still feels like home.”
Mike met his wife Roxi here, and they served as family leaders for Family Two for several years. In 2005 they moved to Scranton to head up Betton House, and returned to the school last summer.
My Farewell to The Family Times
