We talk with Sally McQuillen, therapist and author of "Reaching for Beautiful," about how she not only survived, but learned and grew from losing her "wild child" son when he was 19.

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We talk with Amanda and Tommy from F Fentanyl, their organization that works tirelessly to bring free naloxone, best known under the brand name Narcan, and education to everywhere from elementary schools to raves. Their efforts are saving lives, part of the reason the opioid overdose rate has been going down in the United States.

Special Guest: Amanda Nicol and Thomas Guerra.

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We talk with Robyn Scott about how she draws on her career in comedy to help people recover from addiction using improv techniques, and how people can not only heal, but soar after trauma as they recognize their strength and creativity.

Special Guest: Robyn Scott.

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This episode looks at the role of negative emotions in our lives, how to recognize and ride through them, how to learn from them, and how these things show up in recovery from addiction (and other mental health disorders) for both the person with the disease and those who love them. This episode is based on the "Biology of Mental Health" series that I teach at Windmill Wellness Ranch.

Our podcast has been going since February of 2020, and we started producing both video and audio versions of each episode starting April 2025. Moving forward, each episode will be released as both video on YouTube and audio on Fireside.

YouTube channel: @addictionandthefamily

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When Jessica's young adult son JB overdosed on fentanyl, he had a massive brain injury, and Jessica was told to abandon all hope. Instead, she fought for him and found the care he needed. In this moving interview, we hear her story of heartbreak and hope. We also hear from Dr. Ivanhoe of TIRR Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, who has been working with the family for years.

Video edition of this episode available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/g4ptPLDZ0zo

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In this episode, we talk to Jami Carlacio, a recovery coach and podcaster who grew up around addiction all her life, fell into the disease herself, and was the first in her family to find recovery. She talks about how she not only transformed her life, but also started changing the family lineage of addiction through her own parenting and work as a recovery professional. We discuss how important it is to change relationship patterns and some ideas on how this might be done.

Special Guest: Jami Carlacio.

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We look at different aspects of the illusion of control. We talk about what it is, how it affects family dynamics, how it affects recovery, how to recognize it in your life, and how to start diminishing its impact in your life and relationships.

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In this episode, we talk with one of my colleagues at Windmill Wellness Ranch, Sara, who has several years of recovery under her belt, and Lera, her teen daughter who grew up mostly apart from Sara until a few years ago. They talk about the impact of addiction in their lives, their ongoing struggles, how they have come together more as each finds her own growth, and what they feel has worked best to help the healing.

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We catch up with guests from previous episodes to see how 2024 has been for them. We find out how they have been experiencing and dealing with some of the victories and challenges that come with this life in recovery. In each case, we hear stories of experience, strength, and hope that can help inspire all of us as we wrap up 2024 and look forward to another year of recovery in 2025.

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We talk with Dr. Judith Smith, who has researched and written about the difficulties of parenting adult children with addiction and other mental health challenges. We talk about what she has learned, how this interfaces with what we know about addiction in families, and how to find your way through these challenges.

Special Guest: Judith Smith, PhD.

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