Stuart Chirachella- Overcoming Adversity to Refine his God-Given Talent

Stuart Chirichella is one of the most talented men that almost never was.  With style and charisma, Stuart has a magnetic personality that draws you in and forces you to listen. Whether it be acting, freestyle rap, writing, or speaking authoritatively on a topic within his skill set, Stuart has that rare capability to show the world that anything is possible. Over many years, Stuart has studied his crafts and went to the most expensive university on planet earth, The University of LIFE.  

For being a major urban city in New Jersey, Hoboken still has the small town feel. With a population of 58,000 people, that may seem like a small number in comparison, with most major cities in the United States, however, cram that amount of people into a 1 mile square boundary and you can understand why everybody knows everybody.  When you are taken in by the city, you become family.  The neighborhood parents looked out for one another’s children, but had the faith to allow them to roam freely. Children in the area did all the things that normal children do, sports, hung out, and yes, got into trouble.

Here, in this middle-class neighborhood Stuart Chirichella stood out even as a child.  His father was a kind man, but had a problem with alcohol and gambling.  Stuart describes his father as “ a Jekyll and Hyde character fueled by alcohol. The terrifying Mr. Hyde came out in full force during his bouts of will substance abuse making him prone to all bad behavior such as anger and even abuse. “When my father was sober, never a kinder person would you ever see.” Being an extraordinary athlete, however these abilities and capabilities did not allow him the gift of satisfaction. When something comes too easily, you rarely appreciate the gift. Being a star athlete wasn’t enough for Stuart, soon all the excitement lay within the high, adrenaline pumping fast paced world of drugs and alcohol.

It didn’t take long until full-blown addiction grabbed Stuart and held him tight like a mother who found her missing child.  Stuart ingested any drug that came his way, anything to feel that purpose. Looking back on those days he says “ I wanted somebody so badly to put me out of my misery, to commit suicide, without having to do it myself”. All the talent in the world was now wasted at the end of a glass crack pipe, or at the bottom of a bottle of liquor. A once promising life was now dark and miserable.

On one particular night, Stuart was walking out of a crack house and got a glimpse of himself in the mirror. Lamenting Stuart said “ kid what are you doing, you’re throwing in the towel”. Stuart believes that it was God himself tapping him on the shoulder and telling him that he wasn’t done yet. From that moment forward, Stuart began his path to recovery. 

Checking into treatment and finally getting clean opened Stuart’s eyes but forced him to relearn how to live a happy life. Stuart was always very good at actively acting the part of a productive member of society, even in the throes of drugs and alcohol.  Addicts are often extremely focused people. Their addiction becomes the emphasis of their focus. When they are focused on something productive, they would be ultra successful. 

Stuart got to work and began creating. Creating music, acting in short films and writing.  “Acting is something I always wanted to do and thought just as everything else that it would come naturally, it’s a craft and needs to be learned” Stuart says.  Over the past 27 years, Stuart has dedicated himself to this craft and kept himself on the straight and narrow, focusing on his sobriety as the deciding factor of his success. You’ve seen Stuart in TV and movies, such as Gravesend, Law and Order: Organized Crime, One Last Hug, and his newest project the TV series, Punk Rock 101. Punk Rock 101 is it coming of age story about a punk rock band with a manager who guides them through the turmoil of the business

While acting has been his passion, and a labor of love, Stuart never forgets the throws of addiction that he was mired deep within. You will never meet a more staunch advocate of sobriety and help than Stuart Chirichella. Giving back to those in the same place that Stuart once was.  There is no better friend that you would want on your side when you needed help than him. Over the years and countless of sobriety success stories later, Stuart still reaches out to those in need with his powerful story of overcoming adversity and refining that God-given talent.

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