Avoiding the Addiction Affliction

Loneliness, isolation, and stigma are hallmarks of substance use disorders and mental illness, yet recovery requires understanding and support. In the midst of his own recovery, Kurt Schmidt recognized that need and went about the business of meeting it. Kurt is the Founder and CEO of the PeerNetwork.com, which is a tele-health platform where recovering individuals who are self-determined in their journeys from mental illness and s...

David Comer talks about the DAD Project, a City of Milwaukee Health Department program that works to strengthen the bonds between fathers and their children. Through weekly in-home visits and group sessions, the program supports Milwaukee fathers in engaging in early literacy activities, tracking their child’s development, and building a community of fathers. David is a Health Project Supervisor for the DAD Project and holds a Mast...

Chrissy Dunn began drinking and using marijuana in early high school. Before she graduated she discovered heroin and crack cocaine. What followed was a series of failed rehabs, relapses, and a pregnancy. Now five years into recovery, Chrissy discusses how she got to a place of peace. Chrissy got help at The Horizons Program at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. It is a substance use disorder treatment program for ...

Recovery doesn’t happen in a vacuum any more than addiction does. Family, friends, and coworkers are all affected by the disease. Jim Savage discusses the importance of family education and support in recovery. Jim is the owner of “Rehab Works! Family Support Program” and Jim Savage Consulting. He is the author of Rehab Works! A Parent's Guide to Drug Treatment and a new ebook, Sobriety Doesn't Have To Suck: A Guide To Finding Happ...

When a child’s caregivers are bullies, the child often carries the scars of that relationship around with them into adulthood. Dr. Ghazeleh Bailey discusses the trauma caused by those primary relationships -- and the healing that can take place. Dr. Bailey is a certified therapist, couple’s therapist, supervisor, and trainer with a PhD in Psychology. She is based in Berlin, Germany, and has a unique multi-cultural background and ap...

Dr. Wendy Freitag discusses Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. EMDR is a comprehensive psychotherapy that accelerates the treatment of many different pathologies and trauma related to disturbing events and present life conditions. Dr. Freitag is a Clinical Psychologist, EMDR Therapy clinician, trainer, and consultant as well as a Professional & Life Coach with over 30 years of experience. She is an EMDRIA...

Sarah Rusbatch got to the point in her life where she realized that she was developing what she describes as a “dysfunctional relationship” with alcohol. She decided to remove it from her life in early 2019 and has never looked back. She's now an accredited “Grey Area Drinking” coach, helping other women (and men) enjoy the benefits of sobriety and improve their health. She talks about what “grey area drinking” is and the benefits ...

New York Times best selling author Maia Szalavitz talks about her most recent book, “Undoing Drugs: How Harm Reduction Is Changing the Future of Drugs and Addiction” and the future of drug treatment and policy. Maia’s previous New York Times bestseller, Unbroken Brain: A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding Addiction wove together neuroscience and social science with her personal experience of heroin addiction. It won the 2018 me...

We all want peace in our world. We hope for it. We wish for it. And some of us work for it every day. Jill Sternberg has been working on peace and justice issues, primarily focusing on nonviolent conflict transformation, for more 35 years. She has supported nonviolent movements in North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Currently, Jill is a restorative justice coordinator in a New York City high school. She is on th...

When does wagering cross the line from entertainment to problem gambling? Jerry Bauerkemper, a Consultant to the Office of Problem Gambling at the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH), discusses the rise in problem gambling across the country. He is responsible for supporting IDPH Problem Gambling Treatment providers serving Iowans experiencing problems due to their gambling as well as providing support to their families. Jerry ...

When a loved one dies tragically, there are questions, so many questions. Brian and Cindy Hoeflinger’s oldest son Brian died after drinking and driving. Dr. Brian Hoeflinger talks about how he and his family coped with the tragic loss and how they have tried to turn the tragedy into hope. Dr. Hoeflinger is an Ohio-based neurosurgeon whose passion and profession is saving lives. Instead of asking why his son died, Dr. Hoeflinger ask...

There are many ways to make a difference. Telling a story is perhaps the oldest and most effective way to get the message across. Glen Muse, an accomplished professional filmmaker and video producer/director whose experience includes contributions to productions for PBS, The Discovery Channel, ABC News, and The History Channel, discusses his work with Texas Pictures. Texas Pictures creates socially relevant, award-winning documenta...

Children who grow up surrounded by trauma are affected differently by their adverse circumstances. Why do some children make it successfully into adulthood while others succumb to substance misuse, homelessness, crime, and mental illness? Dr. Kathryn Daley discusses her work with traumatized youth and the power of developed resiliency. Dr. Daley is a Senior Lecturer in Youth Work and Youth Studies and Theme Leader, Homelessness and...

Anyone who has experienced chronic pain or has had a serious injury or surgery knows there is a role for pain-killing drugs. We’ve also all heard that those drugs can be dangerous when taken recreationally or incorrectly. Claudia Merandi discusses the important role opioids play in treating patient pain and the campaign to limit or eliminate those necessary drugs. Claudia Merandi is a former court reporter/owner of Merandi Court Re...

Alcohol is such an integral part of our culture that deciding to stop drinking carries its own stigma...and benefits! Gabriella Flax talks about her decision to stop drinking and the physical and mental health benefits that being alcohol-free brought. Gabriela is a graduate of the University of St. Andrews and the London School of Economics and Political Science. She is a stress reduction coach whose goal, as she says, is to "help ...

Men, young men in particular, make up the largest substance using demographic. Jim Scarpace talks about the baggage that comes with the cultural expectation of excessive use and how to break through the isolation that comes with the disease of Substance Use Disorders. Jim Scarpace is the Chief Clinical Officer at Gateway Foundation, one of the nation's largest providers of behavioral health services for clients diagnosed with co-oc...

Have you ever loved someone with a Substance Use Disorder (SUD) and felt completely alone? As a mother of a daughter with SUD, it’s a question Brandi Mac asks regularly. Brandi talks about what she has experienced and the changes she made in order to start meeting her daughter where she is while in active substance use. Brandi, her blog, her guide, Doing What You Can Live With, her social media, and her contact information can be a...

What happens when mental illness intersects with substance abuse in a culture of silence? While You Were Out, a New York Times Editors Choice book by award-winning journalist Meg Kissinger, is a searing memoir of a family besieged by mental illness, as well as an incisive exploration of the systems that failed them and a testament to the love that sustained them. Meg is a Pulitzer Prize finalist and has won dozens of accolades, inc...

K.J. Aiello is a Canadian who describes herself as a mentally ill writer. It is, she says, who she is. Canada’s medical assistance in dying (MAID) law, which first came into effect in 2016, is scheduled to be expanded in March of 2024 to give access to people whose sole medical condition is mental illness, which can include substance use disorders. K.J. discusses the implications of the proposed change and the obstacles to getting ...