Steem is a great platform (blocktrades..meh.) Bitconnect is a scam. I have personally used some of my Steem earnings to get some Bitcoin (but I made mistake of using Blocktrades...) I don't know how to cash out otherwise. I have heard Bittrex was good, but I am not too keen on sending my ID and the like floating around the Internet. So, for me, Blocktrade's high ass fee is almost worth keeping things simple.
What I had to do for Blocktrades was tell them how much SBD I wanted to give them, and what I wanted in return (Bitcoin), then I furnished a deposit address, made the trade and they sent BTC within a few minutes. I worked great, but I don't know how to turn in to Fiat after that. LocalBitcoins website, maybe?

I hope things improve for you. It would be sad to see you leave. All the same, take care with whatever you do!