Busting Addiction and Its Myths

In this podcast, we discuss the value of present-moment awareness which helps us renounce unhealthy and unnecessary thinking. We learn that: We who have lived or currently live in an addictive relationship with an addict or alcoholic are experiencing PTSD and need more healing than we perhaps realise. It is possible to escape the trap of obsessive thought about our trying situation with a consciou...

In this podcast, we discuss how authentic joy has been destroyed by addiction in the home, and what the person who cares for an addict or alcoholic can do to recover their sanity and discover the joy that comes with it. We learn that: Living with an alcoholic or addict will suck all the oxygen and joy out of your life no matter how hard you try to get it back. You discover at some point, perhaps b...

In this podcast, we discuss the barriers to taking the right action. We learn that: Being ready and feeling ready are two very different things. We will never be ready if we wait until we feel ready. All our lives, we have taken the right action whether we felt ready or not. We knew what we needed to do and went ahead and did it, because we made a small leap of faith. Somehow, deep in our hearts,...

In this podcast, largely drawn from the work that a not-for-profit enterprise called Shatterproof has done. We discuss the stigma of addiction. We learn that: The level of prejudice against those with a SUD (substance use disorder) is astonishingly high. Only one-quarter of adults believe that a SUD is a chronic disease. The stigma associated with a SUD is the cause of thousands of preventable dea...

In this podcast, we discuss one of the surprising paradoxes that exist within 12-step programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous. We learn that: We simply do not think that discipline could mean freedom. We thought of discipline as a form of punishment. Alcoholics and addicts of our type are fundamentally enslaved by our desires and cravings to get drunk and high as our only priority. Freedom to us was...

In this podcast, we discuss the many myths and lies that alcoholics and addicts hold onto in order to justify their drinking and drug abuse. We learn that: There are countless myths that active alcoholics and addicts believe in to make the world seem normal to them. Even when their reality is a dirty mess. These myths all support the idea that alcohol and drugs are the solution, not the problem. T...

In this podcast, we discuss that although you did not ask for the disease of alcoholism and drug addiction, you had a genetic preposition towards it. Also, as your recovery progresses, why you will learn to not hate the disease anymore. We learn that: It really does not matter how you get into recovery, so long as you get started. Families can be misled if they seek advice about addiction or alcoh...

In this podcast, we take a deeper dive into the brain of the alcoholic and addict and review the importance of recovering one's spirituality as well. We learn that: Science has identified certain regions of the brain that account for dysfunctional, alcoholic thinking, even when the addict or alcoholic is not using or drinking. In addition, this aspect of brain chemistry is closely aligned wit...

In this podcast, we review the facts about the dangers to our population of drug abuse and what we can do to help ease the crisis. We learn that: Overdoses are the leading cause of accidental deaths in the USA. Most people have no idea. The easy availability and low cost of fentanyl play an outsize role in overdoses. It's the new heroin. Only one-quarter of medical professionals have any trai...

In this podcast about compulsive spending and debt, we discuss the nature of the disorder, how to recognise it and what we may do about it. We learn that: Compulsive spending and debt go hand-in-hand. If we did not have a spending compulsion, the chances are that we would not use unsecured debt. Most compulsive spenders and debtors use their behaviour to hide from emotional realities and do not wa...

In this podcast on enabling, we address the difference between caregiving and caretaking. We learn that: Caregiving is a healthy desire to help another person in a purely altruistic manner, while caretaking is essentially a means of control. Caretakers hold the illusion that by averting disaster yet again, they will have helped the addict by shielding them from negative consequences. The family of...

In this podcast, we explore perfectionism as a way of perpetuating the myth that all is OK, even when it is decidedly not. We learn that: Addictive relationships give rise to co-dependency and to perfectionism as a means of denial. The pursuit of excellence is about making the world a better place while perfectionism is about looking good as a means of disguising the presence of the disorder. Perf...

In this podcast, we dive into the unconscious mind, into that dark place that drives how we think and how we react to addiction. We learn that: We have little understanding of the role of our unconscious instincts in determining how we respond to addiction in the family. Addiction has essentially hijacked our rational responses. In the addict, the disease operates below the conscious level to fuel...

In this podcast, we discuss the findings of a recent research study on the relative effectiveness of Alcoholics Anonymous. We learn that: To begin with, there are many myths that surround AA and other 12-step programs, and these myths are both archaic and dangerous. They can keep people from getting the help they so desperately need. Some in our society reject science out of hand, and it is likely...

In this podcast, we assert that many families underestimate how powerful and deceptive addiction and alcoholism really are. We learn that: It's easy to underestimate the cunning, baffling and powerful nature of addiction and alcoholism if we are not made aware that it is relentless and progressive. Some families believe that a few adjustments are in order and that the addict just needs to sha...

In this podcast, we examine the issues surrounding our own reluctance to take the right action in intervention out of confusion as to what detachment means. We learn that: The addict has their own logic, and it is not logical to us. Addiction does not make sense in the conventional sense. This is why it is so baffling to so many. Detachment is confused with inaction, which is the furthest thing fr...

In this podcast, we take a fresh and radical look at how "Hitting Bottom" is an outdated and dangerous myth. We learn that: The myth that says "They have to hit rock bottom first before they are ready to accept help" must be smashed once and for all. That myth may be responsible for many unnecessary deaths. If we as a society find it unacceptable to see untreated addiction in t...

In this podcast entitled "All Outta Love", we discuss how the family's love is subverted by co-dependency. We learn that: No one in the family is immune to the effects of an addictive disorder. That is why it is called a family disease. Co-dependency is an inevitable by-product of addiction in the family, but it starts subtly and is barely noticeable at first. The addiction sucks al...

In this podcast, we discuss the idea that surrender can mean personal victory in the struggle with a loved one's addiction. We learn that: Surrender feels wrong when we believe we need to fight in order to win. Families will try to outfox the disease by controlling their loved one's behaviour and access to money and drugs, but to no avail. When the responsible party finally reaches out f...

In this podcast, Sarah tells the story of her struggle with her son's addiction, and how she found freedom. We learn that: No family is immune from the infiltration of addiction into the family through one or more of the children. What appears normal slowly starts to change. Where a child was outgoing, now the child withdraws from healthy, active pursuits and grades start to fall. Discovery o...

In this podcast, we share a story from Tom M. He tells us of his early life as a child of privilege, his rise to the top of his game, his descent into desperation, and his redemption at long last. We learn that: A fine pedigree and all the material advantages one could possibly want does not make anyone immune to the lure of addiction. Getting caught up in the high life creates an artificial sense...

In this podcast, we discuss how isolation can be deadly for those with or vulnerable to addictive disorders. We learn that: Isolation is a key characteristic of addiction, as addicts and alcoholics suffer from shame and from the fear of being found out. The pandemic exacerbated the addiction problem due to the need for social distancing and rising unemployment among vulnerable populations. We are...

This podcast is all about marijuana, we discuss its effect on society and the perils it still presents. We learn that: Marijuana is ubiquitous and is a greater danger than most people realise. Its image and use are becoming normalised. Young people find ways to incorporate smoking it into their "routine” with new technologies such as vaping, previously reserved for "less toxic" chem...

In this podcast, we discuss the evolution of heroin, one of the most prevalent opioids worldwide, its long-term health hazards, and the prospects of recovery. We learn that: Heroin has evolved from its original form as opium to the current state of heroin in its basic powder or black tar form and is now readily available everywhere in the world. Heroin is more often than not cheaper than prescript...

In this podcast, we discuss the perils of methamphetamine, also known as ‘meth’, or ‘speed’. We learn that: It is one of the most destructive drugs due to its unique ability to get users high almost instantaneously. As quickly as it gets users high, it causes a quick crash which has users craving for more immediately. It is widely available, cheap, and pure, especially when it comes from Mexico, w...