Addiction2Recovery

Negative core beliefs have the ability to keep a person with a substance use disorder(s) in the trap of addiction. Not just self-esteem or confidence, core beliefs are one's inherent and internal self-believed truths. When a person with a SUD carries with them a negative core belief, they often find themselves externalizing their recovery, a slippery slope for return to use. We'll discus...

Pain is a universal experience. However, as this opioid epidemic has shown, there is a fine line between treating chronic non-cancer pain and the concern for the development of opioid use disorder. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) developed guidelines in 2016, and have since revised them, to help guide prescribers in their pursuit to care for their patients needs' while also cautioning t...

Meet Brian. Describing his biggest risk factors as poverty and abuse he also states that his personality is one that wants to take care of people and that he got his self-worth from people valuing him. He describes how this turned into a short-lived promise with a friend to never use drugs. This promise quickly became a multi-drug sales business until he met his first rock bottom.  For questions,...

Student athletes are often under a lot of pressure to perform, to win, to be the best. Some of their pressures may come from parents, peers, internally and/or coaches; however, coaches can play an important role in mentoring and supporting their athletes. Coaches often spend more time with their athletes than parents and many are seen as role models and confidants. Unfortunately, most schools have...

Having been a witness of his sister's substance use disorders, William Stoehr, an artist, began his mission to start the conversations and to end stigma. He paints only faces stating, "I try to create an environment where you don't just see a pair of eyes but you engage with those eyes." His art exhibition is called "Victims, Witnesses, and Survivors" for we are each...

What happens when a patient in recovery is 'triggered?' This is a very important topic and should be understood by a person in or wanting to achieve recovery but also for those who have contact, or love, someone in this situation. We will discuss what actually 'happens' when someone is met with a 'cue' that results in a trigger, even if a craving doesn't follow....

Xylazine- Initially thought to be a 'contaminant' in the fentanyl supply, xylazine is now being intentionally added into (cut into) the fentanyl supply, amongst other substances it's being cut into as well. It is said to 'give fentanyl legs', lengthening, in a synergistic manner, the effects of fentanyl. Since it is not an opioid, it does not respond to naloxone (but stay...

How are eating disorders and substance use disorders related? From the neurobiology view they are both bio-psycho-social disorders/diseases, as we previously alluded to, but what else makes them so similar? Does the type of eating disorder speak to certain things such as prognosis or mental health concerns and what are the different types of eating disorders? We will review some of the actual data...

Fentanyl 101... What exactly is fentanyl and why are more people dying of opioid overdoses than ever before? If it is causing so many more deaths, then why are people using it? What makes this 'street' fentanyl different from fentanyl given in a hospital? We will answer all of these questions and more! This episode is a HUGE primer for upcoming episodes where we will dive deeper into oth...

We interview Janis on this episode! She, currently, is a life-coach in Southern Florida, but the story to get there was anything but smooth. Growing up in a very loving family, she describes herself as a shy child who didn't even have her first drink until high school, however, once she started drinking, she never stopped. She will describe her journey with alcohol use disorder and what it wa...

After a bit of a break, we are back! This episode has been alluded to for awhile and it's finally here, Heather's story. Publishing this episode on this date (9/20/2023) is actually a very important milestone for her, so in that regard, it worked out perfectly. In her story, Heather will discuss a bit more of her trauma history (mentioned in several other episodes- see the ACE Score epis...

Justin returns to tell us about his life after jail and after treatment, a life, per him, that probably would not have looked like this had it not been for an amazing probation officer. He was encouraged and supported in his recovery journey which led him to volunteering and then a drive to help others as a peer support specialist. Over the last 3 years, he has taken it even further and developed...

Kaiser Foundation ran a national poll July 11-19, 2023 to see how many Americans are impacted by substance use disorders. This survey shows staggering results not only highlighting just how widespread addiction is but also how little those affected are receiving treatment. This episode will review this data and more. Ultimately, the more we talk about addiction and treatment and recovery, the more...

Evan Powers Thill lost his battle to the disease of addiction 2 weeks shy of his 29th birthday. His father, Parnell (see episode 28 for the introduction), not only wrote a very honest and open obituary directly calling out the disease that took his son's life, but he also gave Evan's eulogy. This episode will give you a glimpse into the last couple of months of Evan's life and it wi...

Parnell is a rural Minnesota married father of four. One of his sons is currently struggling with the disease of addiction and another one of his sons recently lost his battle to this very disease. Parnell shares with us the journey from catching one of them smoking marijuana on the first day of school through his devastatingly recent loss of his youngest. Much of his shared journey will depict th...

April- She grew up with big emotions and a lot of feelings in a home where this wasn't freely accepted, and with a significant family change in her teenage years, April found love in many external and chemical ways. "When you have to suppress love in anyway, it spills into all relationships in your life." Personally, she calls parts of her life "relationship addiction just as m...

Justin's Story: Justin had, for all intents and purposes, a good childhood, however, events that occurred prior to his active memories resurfaced, leading him down the path of substance use disorder(s). In the telling of his story, Justin describes what substances did for him and what they destroyed and resulted in. He now (as will be discussed in a further episode) is a mentor, peer and lead...

Ralph, Part 2. When we left off, Ralph had left prison, met some new friends and started school at The School of Urban Missions. There he met his wife and made the choice to leave New Orleans and move to Minnesota. Now a minister, he had the dream to start his own ministry with the church, however, things didn't play out the way he planned. He maintained his faith throughout and found his lif...

As the beginning of another school year is upon us, it is important to be aware of what is actually going on in the lives of adolescence. Teachers, coaches and others at the schools have a unique opportunity to have a lot of contact with students who may just need someone to talk to. They also are situated to notice changes in behaviors and other things that may be concerning for substance use. Pa...

Josh shares the rest of his active use story. At the end of episode 4, we left off with Josh in treatment for the second time for his opioid use disorder. This also coincided with the end of his marriage and him admitting he was not in treatment for the right reasons. This episode will start with what happened after he finished treatment in November 2015 and will conclude with the 6th time he near...

Cannabis, whether it is legalized recreationally or not in your area, is a widely used substance among adolescents and young adults. Often touted as "it's natural so it's safe" leads many to believe it is, indeed, safe for free-will consumption by all. Dr. Sara Polley, a triple boarded adult and pediatric addiction psychiatrist, joins us in a discussion about what the actual ri...

Mike is many things to many people. He is the father of a child with substance use disorder (s) who had to learn to navigate this very unpaved and isolated path, he is a friend to other parents who found and find themselves in similar situations, he is a mentor to many, including Josh, as they find their recovery journey or are still in active use, and he is an incredible inspiration. "Love W...

August 1, 2023 is a pivotal date for Harm Reduction in Minnesota. Drug Paraphernalia, and the residue, will no longer be arrestable offenses. Pharmacists are also no longer limited in the number of clean needles and syringes they are able to dispense, thus allowing for people who inject drugs to do so safely and minimizing the spread of diseases, namely HIV and Hep C. Additionally, all forms of dr...

On August 1, 2023, Minnesota becomes the 23rd state to legalize recreational cannabis use. This podcast will dissect and review all of the direct and nuanced parts of the new legislation from how the sales will work with licensing, home growing limits and requirements, how much you can legally carry on your person, where you can use it, the expungement of records components as well as a whole bunc...

Ralph: Growing up in the wards in New Orleans, Ralph noted that getting drugs where he grew up was as easy as driving through a McDonalds. He shares with us his journey from a violence-filled, drug-filled neighborhood to prison as a teenager to now, a pastor, mentor, counselor, and inspiration to many. He does have a life verse: Philippians 3:10: I want to know Christ- yes, to know the power of hi...