The Addicted Mind Podcast

Addiction is not the problem, it's the result of not knowing how to access a safe place within – and a lot of that has to do with regulating your emotions. When you don’t have the toolbox for emotional regulation, that’s when addiction starts to arise. You start to feel this void and so you fill it up with food, drugs, alcohol, or something detrimental to your health and well-being.    Learn how t...

Change is possible. There is hope. You just need a roadmap toward that change. On today's episode, Duane speaks with Lee LaMee, a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner who has a lot of wisdom and experience in the field of change.    Lee talks about his book, The Theory & Practice of Well-Being: Your Comprehensive & Actionable Guide to the Good Life, which he has put together in a d...

Imagine if you were in college right now, do you think you could ever survive it? Today, college students are met with so many issues. At this stage of their life where they’re exploring their identity, they’re presented with all of this information on social media telling them that they're not enough and not doing enough. Add that to the already massive amount of academic pressure, especially in...

Addiction is not a new problem in the workplace. In fact, about 70% of folks that are using illicit drugs are employed in the workplace, either full-time or part-time. However, this is not a comfortable topic for people to talk about obviously due to the stigma around it.    How do we then bridge that gap and break the silence so people get the help they need, and for total recovery to take place?...

It’s important to look at addiction from the perspective of seeing how the body operates, specifically our nervous system. By figuring out what changes can be done from a neurological approach, we then begin to heal, treat, and change for the better.   If your nervous system isn't in tune, then you're not going to be able to make those connections. You go down the path of loneliness and because it...

Many people go through their day always having to do something. Whether that’s getting involved in your kid’s activities, running errands, or working – you do things every day to ignite your fire. Even when you work out, you think the harder, faster, or heavier it is, the better.  The question is, do you still have the time to breathe? It’s important to understand that as much as you’re igniting y...

Over the years, our society has normalized drinking. At almost every party or event, booze is a huge part of the celebration. No booze = no fun. But what if we could create a space where everyone can just have fun while still being their authentic self – minus the alcohol? On today’s episode, Duane speaks with Drew Davis, Founder of Gem Life + Bar. Drew tells her story of healing trauma, her resil...

Dealing with Codependency in the LGBTQ+ Community with Miriam Geiger The LGBTQ community has long been underserved by the mental health care system as well as recovery supports, despite being an increasingly visible and sizable part of the general population. In part, this is due to the ongoing discrimination and prejudice that members of the LGBTQ community face on a daily basis.  According to Ma...

On today’s episode, Duane speaks with Amy Liz Harrison, host of the Eternally Amy podcast and author of several amazing books "Eternally Expecting" and "Eternally Awkward."  Amy shares her story of struggling with alcohol, being a mom of eight, and how finally, in one very difficult moment, she had to face herself and the consequences of her drinking. She unveils her whole story from the beginning...

Recovery from addiction doesn’t just stop there. People in recovery could still be struggling with depression. While addiction and depression are somewhat correlated, both of them should still be addressed individually. In this episode, Duane speaks with Amy Law and Jeff Deck, authors of the book, “We Got This, Kids: A real-time and raw glimpse of alcoholism, depression, and loss during a search f...

The fear of abandonment is universal. The problem is – we try to medicate that feeling with whatever gives us instant gratification (drugs, alcohol, food, television, sleeping, social media, shopping, etc.)  Whatever that looks like, addiction can stem from an unhealed abandonment wound. And when you fail to take care of that wound, it can lead to self-sabotage. So how do we heal our abandonment i...

On today’s episode, Duane speaks with ultra-runner and recovering alcoholic and addict, Henry Ward, as he shares his own story of recovery, about how alcoholism and drugs took his whole life, and finally getting into treatment.  For a few years, Henry was wandering around, not being able to do anything, until he stumbled into running. Today, he shares how running has impacted his life, and how he...

There’s always shame and guilt attached to addiction. But once you get to the other side of addiction, it’s going to be better than the life you had before. One of the mindset shifts important in recovery is being able to separate yourself from the addiction. Addiction is a chronic disease, it’s not a moral failing. Therefore, you should learn not to take it personally. On today’s episode, Duane s...

There's an epidemic of a chemical overdose in our country today where more and more people are sick and dying faster. In fact, a 2021 report from the Centers for Disease Control suggests that over 100,000 people died of chemical overdoses in one year. This is not just an entrepreneurial, academic exercise. It’s now a moral obligation. Is there a way to do better than the conventional recovery indu...

Stress and peer pressure are big issues with teens which could result in feelings of anxiety and depression, or worse, substance or alcohol abuse. School is complicated with all the peer pressure involved. And so, as parents, we need to give them the support they need as they walk their way through life.  Oftentimes, parents are very focused on getting their kids better, but they're not doing anyt...

Whether it's divorce, job loss, addiction, or being the spouse of an addict, we're all going through recovery from something. We can make our own path – and that’s what recovery is all about. You’ve just got to learn how to pick up and move on.  On today’s episode of The Addicted Mind Podcast, Duane speaks with certified recovery and family addiction coach, Dana Golden, who talks about living on t...

On today’s episode of The Addicted Mind Podcast, Duane speaks with Sarah Michaud, clinical psychologist and author of Co-Crazy: One Psychologist's Recovery from Codependency and Addiction: A Memoir and Roadmap to Freedom.  One of the reasons Sarah published a book on codependency is that after working with patients and clients for the last 30 years, Sarah noticed that a lot of them were recovering...

On today’s episode of The Addicted Mind Podcast, Duane talks with keynote speaker, author, executive coach, and humanitarian, Ron Kardashian.  Author of the book, 30-Second Solution: Transform Your Body, Business, Relationships, and Life in Just Seconds at a Time, Ron discusses how making micro-changes in your life can change your brain and live the life you want. We all can change that narrative...

On this episode of The Addicted Mind podcast, Duane interviews Dr. Ursula Whiteside, a clinician, researcher, and trainer in the area of suicide prevention. Ursula struggled with her suicidal thoughts throughout her life, and in 1999, she moved to Washington state to learn from Marsha Linehan, the creator of DBT (dialectical behavior therapy). Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in some age...

Can you train your brain to improve your sleep, better your health, and possibly abolish your tolerance for alcohol, drugs, or other things you might be struggling with? According to today’s guest, Dr. Andrew Hill, peak performance coach and the founding director of Peak Brain Institute, one of the most insidious things about brain and mind-stuff is that we feel like things are not going to change...

Teenagers are normally withdrawn. But once you see some shifts in behavior or probably a liquor missing from the liquor cabinet, these could be red flags that your young adult is struggling with addiction. On today’s episode of The Addicted Mind Podcast, Duane speaks with Maks Ezrin, certified recovery coach and co-founder of Youth Prevention Mentors, and shares what they’re currently doing to hel...

How has music played an impact on your life? In addiction treatment, there are various ways you can do to get the help you need or get to that place where you can find healing for true recovery to happen – music, being one of them.  On today’s episode, Duane speaks with John Dillon – a singer and songwriter, radio producer, guitar maker, and author – to talk about his latest album, Hope Road: From...

Did you know that in some states, in two weeks after someone is released from incarceration, they are up to 127 times more likely to die of a drug overdose than the general population? On top of that, over two-thirds of people incarcerated are struggling with substance use disorders.  On today’s episode, Duane speaks with Victoria Garrow, co-founding member of The Lookout Project, a nonprofit foun...

A lot of people who come in and seek treatment for addiction are carrying complex trauma from growing up in a narcissistic family structure. And for a lot of people who have grown up in narcissistic families, it can be hard to see the patterns that are there.  Everyone has a level of healthy narcissism. We all see things through our lens to some degree. The narcissist, however, has pathological le...

Depression sucks and it’s such a hard place to be. On the other hand, addiction used to be framed as this lack of moral character or willpower, and addiction, too, is a very hard place to be. But there's hope. On this episode, Duane speaks with Ben Spielberg, the founder and CEO of TMS & Brain Health clinics. Ben is a specialist in neuroscience, neuromodulation, and neuroimaging. Today, Ben is...