Season 7, Episode 8
Vinnie
Age: 28
Location: Hartford, Connecticut
Addiction: Crack
What’s memorable: How he gets money for crack by stealing and selling auto parts, his poor put-upon enabling mother, his dog Max as primary companion in the place of the family he wants so badly. It’s a very sad story. He’s so lonely, so desperate, so addicted, and completely aware of all of that and truly hates himself for it.
UPDATE: As of the followup that aired July 10, 2016, Vinnie is still clean doing great!
Official Synopsis: When Vinnie was a boy, his father abused him physically and verbally, leaving his mother feeling helpless. He developed a love for fast-paced sports, including BMX, motocross, and car racing, but his need for speed turned into an addiction to crack cocaine. Now, Vinnie lives in his car with his dog and smokes up to $1,000 worth of crack a week. Vinnie’s mother tries to make up for not protecting him when he was younger by giving him money and a place to stay. But Vinnie needs more than that–he needs an intervention.
Original Air Date: January 2010
Interventionist: Candy
does anyone know how to contact Vinnie?
I have actually the same question, how to contact him???????? And, how is he, is he still alive?
He’s alive still living in Connecticut. with a daughter who he’s raising now. I’ve been sober 2 years in February and my last time out there I met vinnie (we dated) and it was the saddest, most self destructive time. He was selling and doing cocaine daily. I couldn’t tell you how he is today but in 2012 he ( AND I) were living a nightmare. While dating him I also contracted the herpes virus. He still possess those same talents he did on the show and was fun to be around but almost 2 years later it still hurts that I did something so stupid and was left w perminate consequences. I pray for him and am thankful it didn’t get worse..
Kay, I once lived right around the corner from Vinnie’s mother’s house, I lived on Goodwin Ave, our house was practically in Vinnie’s backyard. I saw myself in Vinnie many years ago, I now have 11 years clean and sober, it took a lot of work, one day at a time, but I did it. My child hate my guts for all that I put them through, I was no mother to them. They went to be with their fathers and now consider their stepmothers their “mom”. I now have 6 grandchildren, 2 I am not allowed to see, one is in California where I lost one of my sons to addiction, he committed suicide, he couldn’t take the drug life anymore. He is buried in Rocky Hill, CT. He is the prime result of what will happen if Vinnie continues. He needs to get caught by the cops and do some serious time in jail to get his rear end clean. He looked terrible in the show. Crack addicts do not care about anything but the stem and the drug. I will pray for Vinnie and I am so very sorry about your condition, do the best you can for yourself. OMG, I just saw that since 2016, Vinnie is still clean, holy cow !! Good for him. He wouldn’t be able to raise his daughter if he wasn’t, that child would be in the system by now.
Wow, Kay, it sounds like you went through a lot. Glad you are ok, thanks for sharing.
It’s possible it’s him. It doesn’t immediately look like him but everything else adds up.
I know, I can’t figure it out if it is him or not..everything else adds up but his face is different. I rewatched the episode last week and kept looking back at the mugshot and the show..but I just can’t tell because people change so much over the years. Hopefully someone who knows will update us, and let us know if he is okay or not. Like I said, feel free to remove, just wanted to share in case it really was him.
If you look at his photo on this site and compare to the mugshots, the noses look the same. That’s about it.
That is not him at all! His name is Vinnie Cianci you can search for him on facebook.
He isn’t on Facebook and seems to have no SM apart from a very old Instagram
I just checked, he is NOT on Facebook at all. He probably is too busy with program stuff, his children and staying off of social media where there is a lot of distraction. As long as he is on the beam, who cares where he is. Scroll up and look for “update”, it says that since 2016 Vinnie is clean and sober and is doing great. Just wish him well and pray for him.
He is married and has a daughter & son. Look him up on Instagram under Vince Cianci. He looks clean but it is hard to say.
This is my friend and he’s doing fantastic for the past 3 years raising his daughter
I posted this on another thread, but it applies here too:
As a Mom with a 6 yr old who has very severe ADHD I look at the episode with Vinnie and Jason and wonder what can I do as a mom now to make sure my child never goes down this path. He was diagnosed with high functioning autism which in his case is the term for Aspergers and severe ADHD. He was diagnosed two and a half with the autism, and we started suspecting the severe nature of the ADHD at 3 years old. My son has OT, speech, aides and is in a school within our district that is working with him at a young age to see how and where he learns best. He is VERY smart, as I suspect Jason and Vinnie ar too, but I’m worried it will take a back seat because of a focus on him being “socially acceptable”. I just want him to be happy and healthy. That’s it, happy and healthy. Any suggestions from kids or parents who are farther down the road in a similar situation?
It’s eye opening, my husband and I both realized our own undiagnosed ADHD and social anxieties and I’m getting help. But the difference is when we grew up there wasn’t as much pressure to perform… standardized tests, social activities, mommy social engineering and just no freedom because they can’t roam the way we did. I lived under a lot of pressure for other reasons and when I got to college I definitely blew off steam with alcohol and am lucky I could stop. But these are different times and I want to do anything now to keep my son feeling his best. Thanks in advance for any helpful comments!
Devote yourself to giving proper healthy outlets for the extra energy BEFORE requiring your kid to perform in things like school or social functions. Counseling and ADHD diet are helpful. Give up on pressuring yourself to be perfect and seek out some other special needs parents to hang with,
Wonderful advice. It’s something my mother didn’t follow unfortunately.
I know this is late but hopefully you will see it. My 7 year old son is on the autism spectrum and most likely has ADHD as well, although he is not diagnosed with that yet. These are challenging kids but also so rewarding, I would not trade him for anything. All you really need to do is express your love for him and make sure he knows that he does belong in the world, and the rest is up to him. Best of luck to you.
His instagram name is turbokermit860 but he hasnt been active for 57weeks.
He is a patient at a doctors office i work for. Nice guy….
This episode truly broke my heart. I know that he made the choice to smoke crack and do all those horrid things and he should be held accountable… But the poor guy just wants his family to say they care about him, verbally. His brother, while probably being dramatized by the show, hardly put in effort in that intervention. I know he’s just heard it from his dad throughout his lifetime, but good God Sal, just tell Vinnie you want to see him in a better place. I know he’s probably put them all through a lot with his outbursts and drug addiction, but the guy just needed patience and love. Makes me feel so bad for Vinnie… I hope he has peace and found sobriety…
This is my friend and he’s doing fantastic for the past 3 years raising his daughter
anyone know how vinnie is currently doing? seemed like a good guy, just lost. i hope and pray he is doing well
Judging from his Instagram page he seems to be doing well although I can’t say for sure in his most recent post he looks sober.
This is my friend and he’s doing fantastic for the past 3 years raising his daughter
hope he’s well. Poor guy. Reminds me of my ex who died from a crack overdose in 2017. very sensitive guy. so sad his dad was inapropriate. who knows what he would have become if went on with his bmx talent. makes me sad and angry about the dad.
Vinnie has the same IG page as someone else mentioned above! He looks to be doing well. He looks healthy and much happier than in his episode. He also has a adorable daughter and looks like a dedicated Dad! I did notice alcohol and a marjiuana pipe in some pics but I’m no addiction expert. But overall he seems to be doing great. Keep it up Vinnie!
Vinnie has always been my favorite of every single episode. I totally understand that loneliness & being misunderstood. I just like him. I hope he continues to stay sober.
At the intervention, the lil bro was so mad it’s his birthday and he has to do the intervention lol.
his little brother was the worst. he called Vin a db during the pre-intervention but the two Sals are the real db’s of this episode.
They edited out what he really said he was saying that he is there to support him and that he wants for his birthday for his brother to go get help… Read his mom‘s letter that she wrote just after intervention aired, it has a lot more information about their lives. I learn so much about what Vinny went through and his mom. Scroll down past the first couple paragraphs where it says it’s me Vinnie’s mom. If the link doesn’t work just Google it’s me that his mom and maybe Google intervention and that should be enough.
https://www.mentalhelp.net/blogs/it-is-me-vinnie-s-mom-intervention-adhd-and-the-family-crucible-continued/
I know Vinny. I met him in early summer of 2019. We instantly connected & had a LOT in common. He’s a great guy. His father messed hin up BIG TIME! He never accepted Vinny as his own child. After the divorce, it was all about his NEW FAMILY! Vinny ment NOTHING to his real Father Sal! I know that used to & STILL DOES bother him BIG TIME! I’m still friends with Vinny @ this time, but have backed off a bit because of his lifestyle of drinking & snorting koke. Although he’s not a daily user, he’s more of a weekend warrior. I don’t hang with him as much, but we were pretty inseparable @ 1st. Vinny has a GREAT BIG HEART ❤. He’s a great guy, extremely smart, & very mechanically gifted. He currently is living in Weatherfield, CT. I don’t see him much anymore but call him occasionally. I miss our times together & miss him also. But it was just to much of a temptation & I started to do the same thing he did. I had issues with drinking years back. I found myself drinking again & doing koke a few times a week with him. I had to break off the relationship kinda, because I was starting to go back to all that stuff, & I didn’t want to go backwards again. Vinny is a great guy, I love him & wish him well. He seems ok, with his routine. He’s making legal money now, and actually has saved quite a bit. I’m proud of him. But I PRAY TO GOD that he will someday QUIT everything for good. It’s up to God. God can & has healed MANY, including ME! As far as people talking about Vinny giving them diseases, I highly doubt it. Vinny would not intentionally do something like that if he knew. I’m sure he would of @ the time you supposedly contracted herpes from him. He doesn’t have ANY diseases @ all I saw his full blood work report which included STD testing. Bottom line is I miss him. We were a lot alike! I like to live fast also, but I’m 20 years older then him & getting to old for all that craziness in my life. I’ll admit, it was definitely FUN, but I have a Wife now and just couldn’t do it anymore. I used to walk in the door @ 3-4 am on the weekend. We would go hang out with the car guys on the Pike, then go to the Casino. It was fun while it lasted. But sooner or later it catches up with you. I tried pointing that out to Vinny, but he had no interest in hearing me. I love this Guy & just want him to be happy & do good. And I think he is, for the mostpart. He has a nice girlfriend who has a 11 year old daughter. I’m not sure if it his or not, I didn’t want to ask. But she calls him Dad. Vinny treats her AWESOME! He’s constantly taking her places & doing things as a family together. No, his wife does NOT party. But I’m pretty sure she knows he does? But Vinny seems to be doing ok. Vinny will always be Vinny. I hope to see him again soon & I hope he’s OK. May God watch over him & his family
And also you can have an outbreak of herpes and it not be from the person that you’re with because you can catch the disease years back and not have an outbreak till years later… This happened to my father and I’ve also talk to my doctor about it.
Anyways I really like Vinnie especially after reading more about his family and his mom… She wrote an Email letter that I put the link on a few comments before this one if anyone wants to read it… When you look at Vinnys Instagram you can tell that he’s not using every day because when he was using crack on the episode his face was so sunken in on his cheeks where it almost looked like a skeleton. And he looks so good now and it’s been about 13 years since The episode was filmed, so that would make him about 41… and he looks younger and healthy than when he was 28! And he spending a lot of time with his daughter based on his Instagram. I definitely wish him well and his mom well I really liked her and I completely under stand why she enabled him. I would let my kids live with me if they were using, let’s say heroin, I would want to be able to have Narcan there in case they overdosed. I wouldn’t want them to overdose at someone’s house where the people are using with might be too afraid to call 911 because there’s drugs everywhere or in an alley or an abandoned house. But who knows what I would do if it were really happening. Well I wish Vinnie Nothing but the best, and I hope he lives a life of sobriety… And God bless him and his mom! 🙏🏼❤️
Yikes why are most of the posts on his instagram x rated and just super trashy and gross? I enjoyed the episode and sympathized with him but yeah…not now. You have a daughter, dude.
Just found his instagram turbokermit860 he’s just posted this year and he’s doing so well! Has a wife and two beautiful kids . He looks so happy so awesome to see him turn his life around .way to go vinnie