Following our episodes highlighting US Weekly's "The Missing Issue", this episode will dive deeper into the why and how behind co-occurring disorders. Often thought of as the which-came-first "The Chicken or the Egg", it is challenging to understand which-came-first, the mental health diagnosis or the substance use disorder. Ultimately, however, how much does it matter? The importance of discussing and highlighting co-occurring disorders lies in the need to have awareness and understanding and then the ability to fully and completely approach and treat both. 

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In this episode, we will discuss the remainder of The Missing Issue, US Weekly's homage to Co-Occurring Disorders, made possible by partnership with The Harris Project. Matthew Perry, Mac Miller, Cooper Noriega, Pete Davidson, Avicii, Aaron Carter and Demi Lovato's stories will be honored, as they each suffered from, lost their battle to, or live and thrive with not only a highly publicized substance use disorder but also a mental health diagnosis. Each of their stories highlights, in its own way, the importance of getting help for all diagnosis. 

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US Magazine released "The Missing Issue" special edition in March 2025, highlighting the other side of the story of celebrity substance use articles. Past articles where celebrities had either died of an overdose or had done something 'news worthy'. In this edition, however, the rest of the story is discussed, the 'why' behind the use- their co-occurring mental health diagnosis. US Weekly partnered with The Harris Project, a non-profit started by Stephanie Marquesano (mother of Harris, a 19-year-old who had co-occurring MH and SUD who had passed of an accidental overdose), focusing on prevention, integrated treatment, and support for co-occurring disorders. The Harris Project  In this episode we will discuss: Juice Wrld, Liam Payne, Kelly Osborne, Drew Barrymore, Lamar Odom, Amy Winehouse, and Oscar De La Hoya. 

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Tusi, originally getting its name from the synthetic compound 2C-B, also has been called 'pink cocaine' gets its name, as expected, from its distinctive pink color. This party drug, however, contains very little, if any, 2C-B or cocaine, rather, it is a cocktail of many other substances. The most common components are ketamine (and its precursor), MDMA, caffeine, meth, and, to add another level of risk, on occasion, fentanyl. In some places of the world, it is more desired than cocaine, and there's now an entire new world of underground enterprise and trafficking. 

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You do NOT want to miss this episode! Every parent who suffers from the disease of addiction has guilt and shame surrounding their kids, but what do kids think? We have the absolute HONOR of having Josh's oldest son, Ben, on today. The episode will start with Josh describing his parenting before his use started, while he was using (and the 2 years he was completely absent), and now in recovery. He'll walk us through all of the emotions and how he often felt that his boys were better off without him. We will then hear it from Ben's perspective and how he, now 16, sees addiction as well as his dad. What does their relationship look like today?! You will hear what worked, what didn't, and other advice that will give parents, loved ones, and kids hope!

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We are back! In this episode, we will dive into trauma and healing as Josh interviews Heather about her new book, Trauma's Worth. Although this is Heather's memoir, it also dives into her thought process as she healed from her trauma's Heather uses her story to give hope to others and to shed light on the different ways we cope with trauma and the importance of healing from it with forgiveness and grace, of self most of all. To order Heather's book, or to read her blog posts, visit: https://booksbyheatherbell.com

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Josh welcomes Scott, our resident AA/NA expert, back to discuss steps 4 and 5. In Step 4, members are asked to make a fearless and moral inventory. Scott helps explain what it means to be fearless, what a moral inventory may look like, and why sponsors are particularly important in this step. In step 5, members are asked to "Admit to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs" (God is used as a symbol of something 'greater than ourselves' and is not exclusive to "God"). This episode will, hopefully, guide listeners through these, often believed to be some of the most challenging, steps. 

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There are many ways licitly (legally) and illicitly (illegally) medications (drugs) are used and abused. In this episode, we will review the various ways one can take and use medications and drugs as well as the differences between them from the physiological standpoint. In other words, why do the effects happen faster when used one way vs using another way.

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Scott joins Josh for this episode to continue the discussion about AA and the 12 Steps. An important part of the AA program is support, not just at meetings but also with those who have gone through the process, know the program, and have sustained recovery. Sponsors are a very important part of recovery for many people, and Scott, who has been a sponsor to many on their recovery journeys, discusses how sponsorship works and some of the intricacies he has picked up along the way. 

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Although we discussed the history of AA back in episode 67, this episode will give an overview of each of the 12 steps. We will have a discussion on how we each view each step and how the 12 steps can be applied to not only those in recovery or seeking recovery, but also for all people, as a guidebook of sorts for how we all should live our lives. 

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