In this episode, Dr. Grover sits down with his daughter to discuss some of the more subtle aspects of quitting smoking. If you're wondering why it was his daughter, well - she was home when the recording was happening and it just felt right. 

Smoking isn’t just nicotine, it’s a whole stress ritual hiding in plain sight. We’ve both seen it: someone can do the brutal work of getting sober from alcohol or stopping opioids, yet cigarettes or vaping stay glued to their day. So we slow down and ask a more honest question: if nicotine gum, lozenges, and patches can cover withdrawal, why does quitting smoking still take so many serious attempts?

We break nicotine dependence down in plain language, including why nicotine can feel like both an upper and a downer, what nicotine withdrawal looks like, and how nicotine replacement therapy fits into a real smoking cessation plan. Then we get into the part people rarely name: the behavioral addiction. The hand-to-mouth routine becomes automatic, and the body starts craving the motion and timing just as much as the chemical.

From there we lay out three hidden reinforcers that make smoking and vaping feel calming: paced breathing that works like an anxiety exercise, the built-in permission of a smoke break, and the walk away from people that restrictions and stigma often force. We also connect this to early recovery and post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS), when the brain is already dysregulated and anxiety can run high at work. If quitting removes your breathing, breaks, and escape all at once, of course cravings surge.

Listen for practical ways to replace the ritual without keeping the smoke: schedule breaks on purpose, keep the walk, practice box breathing, and use evidence-based supports when needed. If this helps you or someone you love, subscribe, share the episode, and leave a review so more people can find it.

To contact Dr. Grover: [email protected]

Polysubstance use is where addiction medicine stops being a single-problem visit and becomes real clinical triage. When someone is using alcohol, fentanyl, methamphetamine, benzodiazepines, cannabis, nicotine, and whatever else is in the supply, the hardest part is not naming the diagnosis, it’s deciding what to treat first and how to do it safely. We brought back a remastered conversation with Monterey addiction physician Dr Lee Goldman to walk through the thinking that keeps patients alive and keeps clinicians from getting lost in overlapping symptoms.

We talk through how we build the “priority list” using the patient’s own reason for coming in, the dysfunction the substance is causing, and objective tools like urine toxicology while remembering that some sedatives may not show up. Dr Goldman explains why alcohol withdrawal risk often rises to the top, how fentanyl changes buprenorphine inductions through precipitated withdrawal, and why unknown medications like Soma or unmentioned methadone can derail an otherwise solid plan. You’ll hear why many clinicians stabilise one withdrawal syndrome at a time, and what harm reduction looks like when “stop everything today” is not realistic.

We also get honest about the messy questions: what does sobriety mean when someone says they’re “sober” but still using cannabis, benzodiazepines, or kratom? How do residential, partial hospital, IOP, and outpatient settings change what we can require and what we can monitor? Why is nicotine so normalised in recovery spaces, and when is the right time to address it? Dr Goldman makes a strong case that benzodiazepines may be the toughest substance to treat, especially with anxiety and PTSD in the background, and we close with what’s changing in drug mixes and where behavioural addictions may be heading next.

Subscribe to Addiction Medicine Made Easy, share this with a colleague, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

To contact Dr. Grover: [email protected]

Ibogaine is being talked about like a moonshot for addiction treatment and mental health. But when a substance is powerful enough to reshape cravings, mood, and perception, it is also powerful enough to hurt people when the science and safety systems lag behind.

This is Dr. Casey Grover and Addiction Medicine Made Easy, and this is a recording of a lecture that digs into what ibogaine is, why it’s back in US headlines, and how real people are already accessing ibogaine clinics just across the border. We walk through a cautionary story of a patient told she was “cured,” only to relapse immediately, and use that to underline a central point: no single intervention replaces a durable recovery plan.

You’ll hear a clear, clinician-friendly breakdown of ibogaine’s proposed mechanisms across multiple brain pathways (dopamine, serotonin, NMDA, opioid receptors, and more), what the ibogaine experience is typically like across its phases, and why this psychedelic therapy is not “benign.” We spend serious time on ibogaine safety, including QT prolongation, torsades de pointes, ventricular tachycardia, and how underlying heart conditions or mixing substances can turn treatment into tragedy.

Finally, we get geeky about evidence. We explain the different types of research studies, why “the plural of anecdote is not data,” and what the best available studies actually show for cravings, opioid withdrawal, PTSD, depression, and cocaine use. If you’re considering ibogaine for opioid addiction, ibogaine detox, or ibogaine for PTSD, we close with practical guidance on what we recommend today: medication assisted treatment like buprenorphine, methadone, or naltrexone, plus groups and individual therapy, with any experimental route followed by standard recovery work.

Subscribe, share this with someone who’s curious about ibogaine, and leave a review so more people can find careful, compassionate addiction medicine. 

To contact Dr. Grover: [email protected]

You can look put-together, build a big career, and still be drowning the moment the door closes. That tension sits at the heart of our conversation with Louise Barnett, host of the Unmasking Sobriety and Mental Health Podcast and author of Tainted Love: A Bipolar Memoir. She walks us through what it feels like when bipolar I disorder first shows up, why it can take years to get the right diagnosis, and how shame quietly pushes people toward secrecy, self-harm, and substance use.

We talk honestly about addiction and bipolar disorder as a linked story, not two separate problems. Louise explains how alcohol and drugs played different roles across the mood spectrum: amplifying the invincible energy of mania, then numbing the crash of depression. She also shares what it meant to be “high functioning” in public while blacking out at night, and why appearance and performance can accidentally protect the illness from being seen.

The most practical part of this conversation is what stability looks like now. Louise breaks down the pillars that keep her regulated, including medication, therapy, lifestyle, sobriety, nervous system regulation, and emotional regulation, plus the boundaries that protect her energy as a parent and a creator. She leaves us with a simple, powerful invitation: find your people and start telling the truth, one safe step at a time.

Subscribe for more conversations at the intersection of mental health and addiction recovery, and if this resonates, share it with a friend and leave a rating or review.

To learn more about Louise's work: https://www.louisebarnett.com/

To contact Dr. Grover: [email protected]

To learn more about the podcast: https://www.addictionmedicinemadeeasy.com/

PTSD isn’t always born in a firefight or a resuscitation bay. Sometimes it grows quietly while you sit at a computer, doing your job well, watching the worst parts of humanity play out on screen. We sit down with Dr John Tullius, a former CIA officer and current professor at the Naval Postgraduate School, to talk about post-traumatic stress disorder, vicarious trauma, and the unique toll of open source intelligence in the social media era.

John shares what changed in his work with the CIA after 9/11, how analysts shifted from newspapers and radio to high-volume internet monitoring, and why repeated exposure to torture and killing can be one of the most pernicious pathways to PTSD. We dig into the cultural and organisational barriers that keep people silent, then unpack a surprisingly effective intervention: a psychologist who designed group sessions for safety and anonymity and ultimately got most staff to seek help. If you lead teams in intelligence, law enforcement, military units, or first responder organisations, you’ll take away concrete ideas you can apply.

We also connect it to healthcare worker PTSD and burnout, including what it feels like when a difficult patient story or a child’s death triggers a body-level stress response. We talk screening, prevention, and why “I’m fine” can hide a lot, plus the uncomfortable truth that alcohol often becomes the go-to numbing strategy in high stress professions. Subscribe for more conversations like this, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

To contact Dr. Grover: [email protected]

To learn more about the podcast: https://www.addictionmedicinemadeeasy.com/

Stigma doesn’t just hurt feelings, it changes medical decisions, family dynamics, and whether someone stays in care long enough to recover. That’s why we sat down with Jeanne Foot, founder and CEO of the Recovery Concierge and host of the Naturally High Podcast, for an honest conversation about what stigma against substance use disorders looks like in real life and what we can do differently.

We trace stigma from the personal to the systemic: Jeanne’s experience entering recovery in the early 1990s, the shame that follows families when a child is struggling, and the quiet “whispering” that keeps people isolated. We also talk about stigma in healthcare, including how people in alcohol withdrawal or opioid withdrawal can be treated as if they don’t deserve comfort or evidence-based care, even though alcohol detox can be fatal and fentanyl has made relapse risk terrifyingly high.

From there, we get practical. We share how compassion and advocacy help clients face judgment without bolting from care, why nervous system regulation tools matter in the hardest moments, and how fundamentals like sleep, nutrition, and movement can support mental health and addiction recovery alongside therapy and medication. We also dig into language, why labels can wound, and why the best recovery plan is the one that fits the person, whether that’s AA, SMART Recovery, peer support, or something unconventional that actually works.

If you care about addiction medicine, harm reduction, trauma-informed care, or supporting a loved one, hit play, then subscribe, share with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

To learn about The Recovery Concierge: https://therecoveryconcierge.com/

To check out the Naturally High podcast: https://naturallyhigh.transistor.fm/

To contact Dr. Grover: [email protected]

Trauma-informed care is often explained with jargon, but we think it lands best as a promise: we will help you feel safe. Dr Casey Grover sits down with psychologist Dr Angela Chanter, Chief Clinical Officer at Sierra Health and Wellness, to translate that promise into what it looks like in real addiction treatment settings, especially detox and residential rehab where every sound, shift change, and schedule surprise can hit like a trigger.

We talk about how consistency becomes a clinical intervention, why leadership and communication are essential when a program has to pivot, and what “service-minded” care looks like without slipping into control or shame. Dr. Grover also shares his own experience with PTSD from emergency medicine and why the emergency department can unintentionally become trauma-worsening care for both patients and clinicians. From there, we connect the dots between clinician wellness, compassion fatigue, and the ability to stay present when people are struggling.

On the clinical side, we dig into restoring agency as a cornerstone of trauma recovery and substance use disorder treatment. We cover practical approaches like written exposure therapy and therapeutic journaling, skills from DBT and CBT, and how good aftercare planning supports long-term recovery through step-down options like PHP and IOP. We also discuss individualising care for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, including when gender-specific groups or programs can help someone feel safe enough to do the work.

If this conversation helps you see addiction medicine and trauma-informed care in a new way, subscribe, share it with a colleague or friend, and leave a rating or review so more people can find the show.

To learn more about Dr. Chanter's work:

To contact Dr. Grover: [email protected]

A prescription is supposed to help you get your life back. What happens when it quietly takes it away instead? I sit down with Stephanie Starr, a program manager and graduate student, whose search for mental health support after a traumatic birth turned into a devastating chain of misdiagnosis, escalating medications, and loss of trust in healthcare.

Stephanie walks us through being told she had bipolar disorder, being put on a rotating “cocktail” of psychiatric meds, and how side effects and instability can snowball into riskier choices, deeper shame, and substance use. We talk openly about benzodiazepines, the warning signs of a pill mill style clinic, and why “just follow doctor’s orders” is not enough when the diagnosis is shaky and the treatment plan only involves more and more medication. Her story also includes the realities of trauma, a suicide attempt, and the way stigma can show up in the very places people go for help.

From there, we shift into recovery and what actually sustains it. Stephanie shares how faith and a higher power became central for her, while also naming the harm that can happen in faith-based recovery spaces that push “just pray it away” thinking or shame people who need medication. We dig into emotional sobriety, AA-style accountability, therapy tools like EMDR, and how learning to tolerate discomfort can be a turning point in addiction recovery.

If this conversation helps you, subscribe, share it with someone who needs hope, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

To contact Dr. Grover: [email protected]

Psychiatric meds can feel like a maze when someone is trying to get sober and also sleep, focus, and stop panic spirals all in the same week. We made this updated, practical overview to simplify psychopharmacology for addiction treatment and recovery, using plain language and real clinical decision-making instead of jargon or hype.

We start by clearing up a viral rumor and then zoom out to how medications are actually created: research pathways, FDA indications, “me-too” drugs, and why off-label prescribing is so common in psychiatry. From there, we walk through the major medication classes and what they are truly used for, including antidepressants (SSRIs, SNRIs, mirtazapine, bupropion), anxiety and insomnia options that are less risky in recovery, and the basics of antipsychotics and mood stabilisers for severe symptoms like psychosis and bipolar disorder. We also touch on pharmacogenomics testing such as GeneSight and why individual response can still require careful trial and adjustment.

Because addiction medicine demands extra caution, we spend real time on benzodiazepine risks, why Z-drugs like Ambien can be problematic, and what we reach for instead when someone needs immediate anxiety relief while antidepressants take weeks to work. We wrap with a clinical case that shows how we prioritise conditions, pick meds that can treat more than one target, and avoid starting too many at once.

If this helps you, subscribe, share it with a colleague, and leave a rating or review so more people can find the show.

To contact Dr. Grover: [email protected]

Kratom is being sold like a simple plant, but the way it’s packaged, concentrated, and marketed in 2026 can turn it into something much closer to an opioid problem hiding in plain sight. We’re taking you through a practical, clinician-friendly update drawn from a talk I gave to local therapists and drug and alcohol counselors, especially as the political and regulatory landscape shifts and bans and enforcement efforts expand in places like California.

We break down what kratom is (Mitragyna speciosa), why it can feel stimulating at low doses, and why higher doses bring opioid-receptor effects that can lead to tolerance, dependence, and withdrawal. We also cover what kratom overdose can look like, why mixing kratom with fentanyl, alcohol, or THC raises risk, and why naloxone still belongs in the conversation even when the data is often limited to case reports.

Then we get real about how people actually encounter kratom today: smoke shop “strain” menus, euphoric promises, and an online retail experience that’s faster and easier than getting medical care. The most important update is potency. Extracts are changing the game, and 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) may be sold under the kratom label while acting like a far more powerful opioid. Finally, we lay out treatment pathways we use in addiction medicine, including comfort meds, tapering, Suboxone or methadone, and long-acting injectable buprenorphine (Sublocade/Brixadi) that can help some people step down without a brutal withdrawal.

If this helped you understand kratom, share it with a colleague or a friend, subscribe for more practical addiction medicine, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

To contact Dr. Grover: [email protected]

To see the podcast's ranking on millionpodcasts.com: 

https://www.millionpodcasts.com/addiction-medicine-podcasts/