LPP Podcast

There’s no need to contest or censor divergent views on addiction and mental illness as told, for instance, by Koren Zailckas, William Styron, and T Kira Madden. They are effortlessly assimilated into the big ball of wax of the standard disease theory. 

The process is aided and abetted  by leading theorists and commentators like Sally Satel, David Brooks, Maia Szalavitz, and the New York Times.   

Stanton, on the other hand, impolitely disputes these things, while Zach tries to toe the line between confrontation and understanding.

Zach and Stanton discuss Mark Normand, who as a young man would certainly pass  Gabor Maté’s muster as traumatized. 

Normand developed drinking issues in his 20s, but didn’t follow the recovery route away from alcoholism. In fact, the recovery chip has to be implanted, as it isn’t the natural response of most people, who instead recover naturally. 

What, Stanton and Zach ask, is the result of the culture-wide adoption of this unnatural— actually quite bizarre— response? 

***** SUBSCRIBE to Our Channel *****

To get more of our content and help us grow: 

https://www.youtube.com/c/LifeProcess... 

***** FOLLOW us on Social  *****

- Facebook: https://facebook.com/lifeprocessprogram 

- Twitter : https://twitter.com/lifeprocessprgm

- Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifeprocessprogram

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/life...

***** CONTACT US ******

- Website: https://lifeprocessprogram.com 

- Text us: +1 (802) - 391 - 4360

Our massive failure in Afghanistan reminds us of cultural delusions that have gutted us in the past—starting with Vietnam. Vietnam signaled that we didn’t comprehend the consequences of our overseas adventures. It also showed that we had no idea about the relationship between drugs and addiction.

We still don’t.

***** SUBSCRIBE to Our Channel *****

To get more of our content and help us grow: 

https://www.youtube.com/c/LifeProcessProgram?sub_confirmation=1 

***** FOLLOW us on Social  *****

- Facebook: https://facebook.com/lifeprocessprogram 

- Twitter : https://twitter.com/lifeprocessprgm

- Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifeprocessprogram

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/life-process-program

***** CONTACT US ******

- Website: https://lifeprocessprogram.com 

- Text us: +1 (802) - 391 - 4360

Zach and Stanton return to the Olympic fields of glory to worship the women who have overcome every challenge—mental health, moral, and existential—by declaring: “I will not be defeated.”

The media and metal health specialists have decided that leaving the field of endeavor for mental health reasons is the secret to happiness. Yet we have never been more miserable. Here, Zach and Stanton explore an alternative story (feel free to borrow the format, MSM).

Zach Rhoads speaks with Maia Szalavitz about her new book, "Undoing Drugs", which traces the history of Harm Reduction from the movement's genesis to the way it affects mainstream thoughts, beliefs, policies, and behavior.

***** SUBSCRIBE to Our Channel *****

To get more of our content and help us grow:  https://www.youtube.com/c/LifeProcessProgram?sub_confirmation=1

***** FOLLOW us on Social  *****

- Facebook: https://facebook.com/lifeprocessprogram 

- Twitter : https://twitter.com/lifeprocessprgm

- Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifeprocessprogram

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/life-process-program

***** CONTACT US ******

- Website: https://lifeprocessprogram.com 

- Text us: +1 (802) - 391 - 4360

Zach discusses the personal meaning of community as “therapy” in terms of his own experiences of a family tragedy, one that drew his extended family together. In this discussion he reflects on the view of addiction from a five-year-old’s perspective, finding it to be superior to that of leading addiction specialists, and on the special burden of revealing and dealing with a porn addiction.

Stanton and Zach then describe their use of harm reduction and taking an incremental approach to helping people with addictions that resist a ready resolution.

***** SUBSCRIBE to Our Channel *****

To get more of our content and help us grow: 

https://www.youtube.com/c/LifeProcessProgram?sub_confirmation=1 

***** FOLLOW us on Social  *****

- Facebook: https://facebook.com/lifeprocessprogram 

- Twitter : https://twitter.com/lifeprocessprgm

- Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifeprocessprogram

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/life-process-program

***** CONTACT US ******

- Website: https://lifeprocessprogram.com 

- Text us: +1 (802) - 391 - 4360

America is convinced that if it can only provide enough medicalized treatment that all of its citizens will be fine. The opposite is true. As Stanton quotes a chapter head from his memoir: 

“The Remedy for Addiction is Purpose, Connection, and Self-Acceptance —  we are instead wedded to medicalization, isolation, and self-stigmatization.” 

We watch addiction and mental health outcomes worsen as we lose community supports and our sense of personal agency. But we are hellbent on pursuing this direction.

***** SUBSCRIBE to Our Channel *****

To get more of our content and help us grow: https://www.youtube.com/c/LifeProcessProgram?sub_confirmation=1 

***** FOLLOW us on Social  *****

- Facebook: https://facebook.com/lifeprocessprogram 

- Twitter : https://twitter.com/lifeprocessprgm

- Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifeprocessprogram

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/life-process-program

***** CONTACT US ******

- Website: https://lifeprocessprogram.com 

- Text us: +1 (802) - 391 - 4360

Remarkably, American anti-alcohol forces are front and present in contemporary progressive thought. They are amplified by incessant clarion calls for people to abstain — i.e., to enter “”recovery.” (Query by Ethan Nadelmann: does that mean marijuana too?) 

Leading recovery advocates interview and feature prominent media figures — but ignore Bob Weir and Demi Lovato, on the one hand, and Carrie Fisher on the other. They also defy harm reduction. In doing so they endanger all of us, America’s public health, and problem users.

***** SUBSCRIBE to Our Channel ***** 

To get more of our content and help us grow:  https://www.youtube.com/c/LifeProcessProgram?sub_confirmation=1

***** FOLLOW us on Social  *****

- Facebook: https://facebook.com/lifeprocessprogram 

- Twitter : https://twitter.com/lifeprocessprgm

- Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifeprocessprogram

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/life-process-program

Stanton and Zach dissect the current news cycle. 

First, Britney Spears revealed she is being medicated against her will. She is still being held captive by her “diseases” (the ones she had in her early twenties). Drew Barrymore and Lindsay Lohan outgrew theirs. Demi Lovato, on the other hand, had to fight her way free of her “handlers” — and from 12-step “sobriety” — to become her own person.

Meanwhile, the candidate for New York mayor Stanton voted for, Eric Adams, is leading in the tallying. Adams appeals to working class Blacks and whites who want more police security. Adams disparages “fancy” candidates like Maya Wiley, whose upscale neighborhood* hires private security. Wiley’s excuse is that 20 years ago her husband was assaulted, and he is traumatized. 

But in the neighborhoods where Adams scored big, trauma is just another word for daily life. And Adams thinks the social elite just don’t care about these neighborhoods and people, like Stanton says the social elite doesn’t really care about those dying due to drug use.

Both of these stories implicate life processes and addiction.

But now (hold onto your hats) they’re performing brain operations on addiction!

*Stanton, Zach and Sean Kensing recently had breakfast in this neighborhood — and current mayor bill de Blasio walked by.

***** SUBSCRIBE to Our Channel *****

To get more of our content and help us grow: 

https://www.youtube.com/c/LifeProcessProgram?sub_confirmation=1 

***** FOLLOW us on Social  *****

- Facebook: https://facebook.com/lifeprocessprogram 

- Twitter : https://twitter.com/lifeprocessprgm

- Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifeprocessprogram

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/life-process-program

***** CONTACT US ******

- Website: https://lifeprocessprogram.com 

- Text us: +1 (802) - 391 - 4360

In memoirs that defy current thinking, Matthew McConaughey and Quinta Brunson describe being beaten and repressed, respectively, by their parents. Only they don’t currently dislike their parents or disapprove of their upbringings. Rather they celebrate what their parents did provide—support and love—and their own acceptance of their parents. 

Both McConaughey and Brunson refuse to consider themselves traumatized, victimized, or damaged. Rather, they have focused on creating unique, indelible careers and intimate relationships. Both give good representations of being happy, successful human beings. 

In the course of this development, Brunson had an addictive relationship, followed by a years-long withdrawal period that crushes her spirit and reduced her to 80 pounds. Then she overcomes addiction and withdrawal in her further relationships by pursuing her career and soul purpose. Oh, while drinking and taking drugs to support both her personal and professional goals.*

Both McConaughey and Brunson seem to feel an obligation to be honest in telling their stories.  Go figure.

*I neglected to mention that she feels smoking a bowl is essential to creating a meme.

***** SUBSCRIBE to Our Channel *****

To get more of our content and help us grow: 

https://www.youtube.com/c/LifeProcessProgram?sub_confirmation=1 

***** FOLLOW us on Social  *****

- Facebook: https://facebook.com/lifeprocessprogram 

- Twitter : https://twitter.com/lifeprocessprgm

- Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifeprocessprogram

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/life-process-program

***** CONTACT US ******

- Website: https://lifeprocessprogram.com 

- Text us: +1 (802) - 391 - 4360