ASAM Practice Pearls

In this episode of ASAM Practice Pearls, Dr. Stephen Taylor and Dr. Mike Fingerhood discuss the importance of enhancing addiction care through community support and compassionate touch points. They explore how providing access to basic needs can serve as entry points into treatment for individuals struggling with addiction, the effect of compassionate interventions on clinical outcomes, and the ch...

In this episode of ASAM Practice Pearls, Dr. Stephen Taylor hosts Dr. Sarah Wakeman to discuss substance use care in the emergency department, sharing highlights from ASAM's new implementation guide for hospital and emergency department (ED) substance use disorder (SUD) care. Together, they explore the gap between evidence-based addiction treatment and current hospital/ED practice, how frontline n...

EP 03 🎙 Special Series: ASAM's 57th Annual Conference This episode is part of a special three-part series spotlighting key sessions from ASAM’s 57th Annual Conference.   In this episode of ASAM Practice Pearls, In this episode of ASAM Practice Pearls, Dr. Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar is joined by Drs. Ruth Potee and Ari Kriegsman to explore highlights from their session, The Right Dose, Every Day. T...

EP 02 🎙 Special Series: ASAM's 57th Annual Conference This episode is part of a special three-part series spotlighting key sessions from ASAM’s 57th Annual Conference.   In this episode of ASAM Practice Pearls, In this episode of ASAM Practice Pearls, Dr. Stephen Taylor is joined by Drs. Tessa Steel and Melissa Weimer to discuss highlights from their Annual Conference session, Advanced Management...

EP 01 🎙 Special Series: ASAM's 57th Annual Conference This episode is part of a special three-part series spotlighting key sessions from ASAM’s 57th Annual Conference.   In this episode of ASAM Practice Pearls, Dr. Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar is joined by Drs. Sara Polley and Daniel Kaufman to explore highlights from their Annual Conference session, Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Addicti...

In this episode of ASAM Practice Pearls, Drs. Stephen Taylor and Takeo Toyoshima address the misconception that cannabis is not addictive. They discuss how clinicians can better understand the cannabis products their patients are using, navigate the changing legal landscape, and assess for cannabis use disorder using the “Three Cs” framework. The conversation highlights treatment strategies like m...

In this episode of ASAM Practice Pearls, Dr. Stephen Taylor hosts researchers Dr. Kirsten Smith and Katie Hill to explore the rapidly evolving landscape of kratom and 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH). They examine kratom’s complex pharmacology, review current research on kratom and 7-OH, discuss kratom’s addiction potential, withdrawal patterns, and the challenges of kratom in the clinical setting. The...

In this episode of ASAM Practice Pearls, Drs. Stephen Taylor and Sharon Stancliff explore the role of social determinants of health (SDoH) in addiction care. They discuss the biopsychosocial model of addiction and emphasize the importance of understanding social factors such as housing, transportation, and economic stability when providing effective care. They highlight the need for clinicians to...

In this episode of ASAM Practice Pearls, Drs. Stephen Taylor and Smita Das discuss co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorders (SUD). They explore the most common psychiatric conditions seen alongside addiction, share strategies for distinguishing primary psychiatric disorders from substance-induced symptoms, and review approaches to screening, treatment planning, and integrated care. The...

In this episode of ASAM Practice Pearls, Drs. Stephen Taylor and Brian Hurley explore contingency management as an evidence-based treatment for substance use disorders. They address common concerns and share practical strategies for implementing contingency management in real-world clinical settings, offering listeners actionable insights and best practices for integrating contingency management i...

In the Season 2 premiere of ASAM Practice Pearls, Drs. Stephen Taylor and Jeanmarie Perrone follow up on Season 1’s episode, Emerging Illicit Substances: What Clinicians Need to Know. Together, they discuss how medetomidine has continued to spread to different regions and what has changed over the past year. They explore strategies for managing medetomidine withdrawal, keeping patients safe, and p...

In recognition of International Overdose Awareness Day, the Season 1 finale of ASAM Practice Pearls explores recent trends in overdoses. Drs. Stephen Taylor and Alexander Walley discuss the increase of fentanyl and other contaminants in the drug supply, the impact of racial and geographic disparities, and the importance of community-specific responses. They highlight the value of compassionate ove...

In this episode of ASAM Practice Pearls, Dr. Stephen Taylor and Dr. Cara Poland explore the unique challenges of perinatal substance use care. They discuss the impact of stigma, the importance of compassionate care, and the use of medications for addiction treatment in pregnancy. Additionally, they address polysubstance use, physiological changes during pregnancy, and the critical postpartum perio...

In this episode of ASAM Practice Pearls, Dr. Peter Selby and Dr. Hendree Jones discuss the importance of implementing gender-responsive and trauma-informed care in addiction treatment. They offer insights on recognizing trauma in patients, creating safer treatment environments, addressing gender-specific treatment gaps, and emphasizing the importance of language and empathy in clinical practice. T...

In this episode of ASAM Practice Pearls, Dr. Peter Selby and Dr. John Corrigan explore the intersection of brain injury and addiction treatment. They introduce the concept of neurologic-informed care and discuss how cognitive impairments from brain injuries impact addiction recovery. The episode explores practical strategies for screening, treatment, and creating supportive environments to enhance...

In this episode of ASAM Practice Pearls, Dr. Peter Selby and Dr. Emily Brunner explore behavioral addictions—including gaming, gambling, sex, and social media. They discuss how these behaviors impact the brain, how they present clinically, and how to recognize and treat them using evidence-based approaches. The episode emphasizes the importance of validating these conditions and offering appropria...

In recognition of Sickle Cell Awareness Day (June 19), this episode of ASAM Practice Pearls features host Dr. Peter Selby and expert Dr. Andrew Smith as they explore the complex intersection of sickle cell disease (SCD), pain, and addiction. They discuss the challenges individuals with SCD face in accessing effective pain management, often compounded by stigma and opioid-related concerns. The epis...

In this episode of ASAM Practice Pearls, Dr. Stephen Taylor welcomes Dr. Marc Fishman for an insightful conversation on improving engagement and retention of youth in medication treatment for opioid use disorder (MOUD). They examine the unique challenges young people face and present developmentally informed strategies—including prevention, family involvement, and assertive outreach. The discussio...

EP 04 🎙 Special Series: ASAM's 56th Annual Conference This episode is part of a special four-part series spotlighting key sessions from ASAM’s 56th Annual Conference.   In this episode of ASAM Practice Pearls, Dr. Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar is joined by Drs. Sarah Wakeman and Joshua Lee to review the most influential addiction medicine publications of 2024–2025. They discuss the criteria used to i...

EP 03 🎙 Special Series: ASAM's 56th Annual Conference This episode is part of a special four-part series spotlighting key sessions from ASAM’s 56th Annual Conference.   In this episode of ASAM Practice Pearls, Dr. Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar is joined by Drs. Rachel Haroz, Bill Soares, and Ryan McCormack to discuss their session, Methadone Initiation for Opioid Use Disorder in the Emergency Departm...

EP 02 🎙 Special Series: ASAM's 56th Annual Conference This episode is part of a special four-part series spotlighting key sessions from ASAM’s 56th Annual Conference.   In this episode of ASAM Practice Pearls, Dr. Stephen Taylor is joined by Drs. Jeanmarie Perrone and Alaina Steck to explore key insights from their session, Emerging Illicit Substances: What Clinicians Need to Know. The conversatio...

EP 01 🎙 Special Series: ASAM's 56th Annual Conference This episode is part of a special four-part series spotlighting key sessions from ASAM’s 56th Annual Conference.   In this episode of ASAM Practice Pearls, Dr. Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar welcomes Dr. Itai Danovitch to explore highlights from his session, Hospitals as a Frontline for Addiction: Lessons from the START Study. They’ll discuss the p...

In this episode of ASAM Practice Pearls, Dr. Stephen Taylor and Dr. Tessa Steel explore the management of alcohol withdrawal in ambulatory, hospital-based, and ED-initiated care settings. They discuss best practices, risk stratification, medication strategies, and emerging approaches to support effective withdrawal management. ----more---- Looking for this episode's transcript? Download it  HERE H...

In this episode of ASAM Practice Pearls, Dr. Stephen Taylor and Dr. Melissa Weimer revisit the fundamentals of alcohol use disorder (AUD), discussing medications like acamprosate, disulfiram, naltrexone, topiramate, and others and how to support various treatment goals, whether that means reducing use or achieving abstinence.  ----more---- Looking for this episode's transcript? Download it  HERE H...

In this episode of ASAM Practice Pearls, Dr. Peter Selby and Dr. Emily Brunner explore The Joint Clinical Practice Guideline on Benzodiazepine Tapering: Considerations When Benzodiazepine Risks Outweigh Benefits. They discuss key recommendations and best practices for tapering benzodiazepines safely and effectively. Additional topics include the risks and benefits of tapering, common withdrawal sy...