The Recovery Playbook: Conversations about Addiction & Recovery

Pain demands attention, but recovery demands protection. We tackle the tightrope walk of treating acute and post-surgical pain without opening the door to relapse, drawing on real experiences from Ryan's orthopedic procedures, brain surgery, and the everyday realities of urgent care. We lay out how the opioid landscape shifted—from misleading claims to prescription crackdowns, heroin spikes,...

Hunger quiets, cravings fade, and the conversation around recovery shifts when biology finally meets behavior. We unpack GLP-1 receptor agonists—how they signal fullness early, slow gastric emptying, and may unexpectedly lower alcohol intake and even smoking—through personal experience and fresh science.  Ryan shares how a weekly injection moved his A1C from prediabetic to optimal without losing s...

Ever wish the “runner’s high” came with instructions?  Our hosts, addiction and recovery expert, Dr.  Daryl Shorter, and former NFL quarterback, Ryan Leaf,  break down a practical, science-backed plan to use movement, food choices, and micro-mindfulness to ease cravings, lower stress, and make sobriety more sustainable. No macho workouts, no guilt—just small steps that add up. We start with why ex...

Follow The Menninger Clinic on Twitter , Facebook , Instagram and LinkedIn to stay up to date on new Recovery Playbook episodes with Ryan Leaf and Daryl Shorter, M.D.  To submit a topic for discussion, email podcast@menninger.edu . If you are a new or regular listener, please leave us a review on your favorite listening platform! Visit www.menningerclinic.org to learn more about The Menninger Clin...

Follow The Menninger Clinic on Twitter , Facebook , Instagram and LinkedIn to stay up to date on new Recovery Playbook episodes with Ryan Leaf and Daryl Shorter, M.D.  To submit a topic for discussion, email podcast@menninger.edu . If you are a new or regular listener, please leave us a review on your favorite listening platform! Visit www.menningerclinic.org to learn more about The Menninger Clin...

Follow The Menninger Clinic on Twitter , Facebook , Instagram and LinkedIn to stay up to date on new Recovery Playbook episodes with Ryan Leaf and Daryl Shorter, M.D.  To submit a topic for discussion, email podcast@menninger.edu . If you are a new or regular listener, please leave us a review on your favorite listening platform! Visit www.menningerclinic.org to learn more about The Menninger Clin...

Follow The Menninger Clinic on Twitter , Facebook , Instagram and LinkedIn to stay up to date on new Recovery Playbook episodes with Ryan Leaf and Daryl Shorter, M.D.  To submit a topic for discussion, email podcast@menninger.edu . If you are a new or regular listener, please leave us a review on your favorite listening platform! Visit www.menningerclinic.org to learn more about The Menninger Clin...

Follow The Menninger Clinic on Twitter , Facebook , Instagram and LinkedIn to stay up to date on new Recovery Playbook episodes with Ryan Leaf and Daryl Shorter, M.D.  To submit a topic for discussion, email podcast@menninger.edu . If you are a new or regular listener, please leave us a review on your favorite listening platform! Visit www.menningerclinic.org to learn more about The Menninger Clin...

In this episode of The Recovery Playbook, Daryl Shorter, MD, and Ryan Leaf, Menninger’s Ambassador in Recovery, address both the pros and cons of recovery treatment. Dr. Shorter shares an experience of asking a patient what they thought about going into recovery, while Leaf admits that one big “con” is “… that everyone knows. The fear of someone knowing you have a problem is worse than the fear of...

Despite progress in recent years, stigma surrounding substance use disorders and mental health issues continues to be the “dirty little secret” of addiction. While many people are using social media channels like TikTok and Instagram to talk about their experiences in recovery, plenty of others continue to be silent about it, even with friends and family. For Leaf, being silent wasn’t an option. H...

Welcome to The Recovery Playbook, Menninger’s YouTube series featuring Daryl I. Shorter, MD, medical director for the Menninger Addictions & Recovery Medicine Center, and Ryan Leaf, who is The Clinic's Ambassador in Recovery and a college and professional football analyst.   Each month, they discuss relevant recovery topics on the minds of individuals, family and friends, and treatment pr...

"This is a family disease," says Leaf, as he outlines why families are so important in the healing journey of someone with an addiction. In this episode of The Recovery Playbook , our co-hosts run out the clock discussing how families enable addiction, need treatment as a unit, and more. "Even if an individual in active addiction doesn't get into treatment, that person's f...

Adversity happens to everyone. However, those in recovery can find themselves thinking that their life should be smooth sailing now that they’ve given up drugs or alcohol. Then, when they find themselves struggling with anxiety or depression or some other issue, they’re discouraged.  In this episode of The Recovery Playbook, Dr. Shorter and Leaf explore what can happen when someone in recovery enc...

What’s it like being in recovery from opioid use disorder or other substances today? In the inaugural episode of Recovery Playbook, our co-hosts run out the clock discussing this topic and more. With increasing media attention on opioid addiction and overdoses in America, and with more money being spent to tackle this issue, more of us are aware of the impact it’s having on individuals. Yet what k...