Let's Talk Addiction & Recovery

Writer Maggie Moe and composer Joshua Vranas are telling a new story about addiction and recovery that does away with shame and stigma. Instead of normalizing old stereotypes and outdated archetypes, Moe and Vranas wrote and scored a musical, My Pet Dragon, that tells a different story–one that's centered in hope, trust and courage and, when taking things a day at a time, just how powerful a person can get.

Susie Brooks, PhD, founder of Veritas Academy, felt powerless when students came into the classroom with substance use issues, or knew someone struggling. She recognized addiction as a disease—one that injures every community—but she didn't know how to help. So she attended the Graduate School of Addiction Studies to gain the tools and skills she needed to walk alongside her students and make an even greater impact. Tune in to learn more.

Bullying causes long-term damage on students' mental health, often resulting in anxiety, depression or PTSD during a critical developmental stage. But evidence-based approaches provide healthy solutions to complex situations—involving parents, teachers, administrators and other community members at every stage of the process. Jan Urbanski, Ed.D., Director of Safe and Humane Schools at Clemson University, explains how.

When Willie Burton was taken ninth in the 1990 NBA draft, he lost his defenses against addiction—a sensational talent through high school and college, his teammates and coaches looked out for him. But then the coping mechanisms he learned as a child in Detroit came back to haunt him when he hit the League. Tune in to hear his story, his message to people who are struggling, and how he intends to help student and professional athletes in their journey to recover.

On set, Dedee Pfeiffer hears from other actors, crewmates and directors who are inspired by her forwardness—fearless in her pursuit of love and light and publicly accepting her disease of addiction. Tune in as she shares everything she's learned about loving recovery, why she's so vocal about her story, what keeps her heart open and full, and how she plans to help more people fall in love with their recovery.

Intergenerational trauma. Unresolved grief. Stigma and isolation. Such complex and compound stressors can make recovery from substance use and other mental health conditions all the more challenging. But there are successful paths forward. Listen in to learn about the life-changing work of the Native Dads Network. The nonprofit organization helps indigenous fathers and families reconnect with culturally centered healing ways and sacred wisdom—nurturing wellness, belonging and renewed purpose.

Addiction is often surrounded by shame and stigma—and both have dominated the different arenas of public discourse for much of human history. No more. Join experts Jeremiah Gardner, Director of Communications and Public Affairs, and Emily Piper, Chief Legal, Advocacy and Compliance Officer, as they debunk popular myths about addiction and recovery and shed light on reality—on hope, on healing, on truth.

The next workplace revolution will likely hinge on employers' efforts to empower recovery. Post-covid, 20 percent of employees reported drinking during work. Last year, more people died from alcohol than ever before while the opioid epidemic waged on. What are top employers doing? How do they create a business culture where it's safe to seek lifesaving help? Leading expert Bob Poznanovich chimes in.

Honesty. Compassion. Respect. Humility. Many of the guiding values of the Red Road way of life—a Native American path of wellness, balance and spirituality—parallel Twelve Step recovery principles and practices. "The Red Road is a path of human wellness, and everyone is invited," says clinical innovator and addiction counselor Albert Titman, Sr. Listen in as he discusses culturally integrated addiction treatment and recovery approaches that incorporate medicine wheel lessons and holistic care.

Philip Robert won't stay silent about the exploitation of his Native brothers and sisters: in Arizona, unregulated sober houses are taking advantage of vulnerable people. But Blue Sage Healing, where Philip works, is providing a safer home for recovery, a place of belonging, with a rich cultural connectedness that reunites Native folks with themselves, their ancestry and their people.