Drug seeking - A term used to describe individuals who are physically dependent to narcotics hitting up the medical system trying to get their fix through the ER, Urgent Care, or their primary care provider.

Stories of our system being over-run by these scenarios, and about the frustration of hospital and medical staff are prevalent. However, that’s not the only way drug addiction and the medial field crosses paths.

In Ep. 007, Courtney opens up about her time as a nurse on the Trauma Unit, her spiral into the depths of addiction, and consequences that include losing her job & a stint in prison.

Today, Courtney is a Certified Nurse Practitioner and a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor who has contributed in so many ways to the treatment of individuals with substance use disorders, including the development of a Medically Monitored Withdrawal Management facility and the management of a primary healthcare venture that focuses specifically on the recovery population - to name a few. Just two examples of her work to relieve a little stress from the large healthcare system.

Not Your Average IV User is discoverable on Apple Podcast and Spotify. You can help us out by telling all the people you love that this project exists.

Nature vs. Nurture.

It might be immeasurable to identify the distinct impact of our daily behaviors that are derived directly from our DNA. On the other side of that coin, the same could be said about the parts of our actions and decisions that are just a reflection of the family we were born into or the culture we grew up in.

In Appalachia, individuals have been faced with historic poverty, generational trauma & hardship, and in the last two decades, have been overwhelmed by the waves of the raging drug epidemic.

From the outside looking in, the tri-state region of Ohio, Kentucky, & West “By God” Virginia hasn’t looked like very fertile soil to cultivate individual success - but you can’t keep some people down.

In Ep. 005, Nate opens up about his experiences growing up poor, his spiral into the family tradition of using, and how he was able to leverage the lessons he learned in recovery to give himself & the family he formed a better chance at life.

Not Your Average IV User is discoverable on Apple Podcast and Spotify. You can help us out by telling all the people you love that this project exists.

The gateway drug. Alcohol? Nicotine? Marijuana? What if the gateway drug wasn’t a substance at all…

People use for 1 of two reasons: they’re trying to create a feeling or they’re trying to get away from a feeling. I think the catalyst to either one of those scenarios is the gateway drug - trauma.

In Ep. 004 Heather talks about the family she was born into, and how the loss her mother in a tragic accident totally changed the landscape of her life.I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside Heather on a daily basis for the last 3 years.

She plays an instrumental role in developing and sustaining one of the largest Transitional Living programs in the state of Ohio. She is an expert in that space, who has a deep compassion for individuals who want to take the time to truly invest in themselves.

Her story is an example of the progressive nature of substance use disorders and is also a testament to the progressive nature of recovery.

Not Your Average IV User is discoverable on Apple Podcast and Spotify. You can help us out by telling all the people you love that this project exists.

How do people get addicted? And what should recovery look like?

When you think about a junkie; a drug addict; a person with a substance use disorder - you might have an idea in your head of what they look like and what kind of circumstances and consequences are playing out in their life.

You also might have some prognosis for the likelihood that they turn their situation around.However, as a generalization, I don’t think many people spend time thinking about how the journey that starts people on a trip to finding their bottom.90+% of people will try drugs and alcohol in their lifetime. Most of us make that first decision to experiment, but only about 10% go on to develop a substance use disorder.

In Ep. 003, John talks about how his first opiate was from a “doctor” - but not by any means a medical necessity & openly discusses the consequences of his disease.We also discuss how, in recovery, John has been able to identify and chase dreams including ridiculous feats of strength, opening a gym, starting an apparel company, and how he keeps his blue collar blue.

In the mid-1990’s the world met OxyContin. Over the next couple of decades big pharma pushed the drug as a non-addictive pain medication to the masses. Turns out, like other opiates, OxyContin was highly addictive with an immense abuse potential.During that time frame, Southern Ohio saw the invention of the pill mill business model (yes, we invented that - despite what South Florida might want you to think), the resourcing to out-of-state large scale supply (looking at you again Florida, you helped us grow the business model) and at the end of this run, the influx of heroin & other synthetic opiates that have killed over 100,000 people in 2021.A generation grew up in the opioid epidemic. For those who developed a substance use disorder they saw the progression of that crisis, simultaneous to the progression of their disease.In Ep. 002 Mindy discusses her first hand experience of OxyContins effect on small town Appalachia, her attempts to escape the area & its problems, and the subsequent solace she found here as a person in long term recovery.You can help us out by telling everyone you love that this project exists. Artwork by Kenneth Corcoran.