SMART Recovery® Podcast

Chemsex is an addictive behavior that includes using drugs such as crystal methamphetamine, mephedrone, and GHB in combination with sexual activity. This behavior is especially prevelant among gay men and men having sex with men. Dr. Dallas Bragg is a sobriety coach and in recovery from Chemsex adiction.

Dr. Bragg began his sobriety journey in 2018. He launched his Sobriety Coaching career almost four years ago to help gay men break free from addictive behaviors, including chemsex, and create a more balanced life.

In this podcast Dr. Bragg explains why this specific cluster of behaviors needs focused treatment and involves issues related to a hidden subculture. Dr. Bragg states that the recovery industry was not prepared to meet the needs of gay men addicted to crystal meth and that the nuances of this addictive behavior were different and require a unique approach.

Additional links:

Dr. Dallas Bragg website

David Stuart was a pioneer in the identification and treatment of ChemSex. Here is his video presentation before healthcare providers in the United Kingdom.

The nonprofit organization Sober Livers believes in giving people the agency they deserve when it comes to dealing with the combination of Alcohol Use Disorder and alcohol associated liver disease. They were formed in 2024 after founder Jenn Jones saw a gap in support for individuals who were challenged by both conditions at the same time. Sober Livers offers support groups, education, and advocacy on behalf of those affected by AUD and liver disease.

Jones earned her degree in communications at Colorado State University and has her certificate in health communications, as well as lived experience she brings to leading the organization.

Also joining the podcast is Lindsey Moore, program coordinator and Advisory Committee Lead for Sober Livers. She earned her Certificate for Addiction and Intervention Studies at Wake Tech. She brings lived experience to the organization and guides the patient-centered program development.

A recent survey found that 90% of US adults believe that when it comes to treating addictive behaviors, patients and doctors should discuss more than one treatment option. Unfortunately, the reality is that 44% of those in recovery said their provider discussed only one treatment option, and another 10% said they never saw a provider at all.

To discuss this issue we talk with Dr. Joe Gerstein, the founding president of SMART Recovery and a retired Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He has personally facilitated over 4,000 SMART Recovery meetings, almost 800 of which were held in prisons, and he has invented tools currently used in the program. Dr. Gerstein has delivered approximately 100 lectures and workshops on SMART Recovery, many of those that include discussion of the importance of choice in recovery pathways.

Links:

Mobilize Recovery survey on choice in recovery

Mobilize Recovery website

Visuals regarding Plato Vs. Aristotle (ideal vs. empirical) that Joe references

Motivation and Hierarchy of Values video presentation by Joe Gerstein

What the issue of "harm reduction" means in both principle and practice can be confusing. Does it mean endorsing negative behaviors or not caring what people do to themselves? Or does it mean supporting people wherever they are in their recovery journey and stages of change? According to the folks at the nonprofit agency Franklin Street Harm Reduction (FSHR) in Olympia, Washington it means, first and foremost, treating all individuals they encounter with respect, dignity and love.

In this podcast we speak with FSHR Co-Director Christina McVeigh and Lyssa Hammons, a Harm Reduction Support Specialist at the agency. Christina is a licensed MH counselor whose career has focused on Olympia's youth and families for the last twenty years. Lyssa is an advocate who brings her lived experience to the outreach work she does as she addresses complex social issues and offers support.

We have a wonderful conversation that touches on what low barrier services in the context of harm reduction means, how trauma gets addressed at FSHR, and what it means to stay connected to one's output rather than another person's outcome.

Additional links:

Wildflower Alliance

Intentional Peer Support

It's often dificult for family and friends of those struggling with addictive behaviors to find the help they need as they navigate ongoing challenges and changes in circumstances. One resource that exists for families is called The Family Recovery Academy The founder of this organization is Amber Hollingsworth, a former addiction counselor. Amber has also developed a YouTube channel called "Put the Shovel Down" that offers practical recovery advice and is approaching one million subscribers.

Amber says she practices "nondenominational recovery" where the specific principles and practices underneath a recovery pathway are not as important as a person finding that pathway useful in their effort to change. She believes that most of those who are struggling already know what they need to do and her job is to help motivate them to make the change from within.

Amber believes that building people up is going to produce better results than blaming, and that when our behaviors line up with our values then we like ourselves more and pursue positive achievements.

Joseph Ryan has battled substance use for decades, and suffered a lot of trauma along the way. In that, he is certainly not unique. But where he went with those challenges and how he reached the other side with his current role as an aftercare coordinator is a story worth listening to. Joseph is a SMART Recovery Facilitator in Vermont and a huge proponent of making whatever changes are necessary to live a life you want to live, instead of succumbing to the crushing waves of addiction.

In this podcast we talk about how incarceration became an accepted fact of life, how many individuals in his life were dealing with their own issues and were not able to support him, what an honest look in the mirror told Joseph about himself, and how he now encourages others to cast their vision to become the person they always wanted to be.

Released 8/12/26

Englewood Health provides a wide array of services, including operating an outpatient addiction medicine program in locations across northern New Jersey. This program delivers patient-centered, nonjudgmental, evidence-based care for people living with substance use disorders. Two key staff members of this program are Dr. Sharde McLeish and Richard Moses.

Dr. McLeish specializes in addiction medicine and her main clinical interests are substance use disorders; community outreach and education; and wellness. She received her MD from St. George's University School of Medicine, in Grenada, West Indies, did an internal medicine residency at Englewood Hospital before completing an addiction medicine fellowship at Yale School of Medicine, in New Haven, CT.

Richard Moses earned his MSW at Rutgers University and is a LCSW with additional certification in drag and alcohol counseling. He brings his lived experience to his work with a variety of individuals facing substance use and mental health challenges.

In this podcast, McLeish and Moses share their personal and professional journeys and why they feel so passionate about helping others navigate their own recovery pathway.

Released 7/27/26

John Shinholser is a long-time recovery advocate who has been widely recognized for his work in building and operating Recovery Community Organizations, or RCOs. He is co-founder of the McShin foundation, has served in numerous leadership capacities with the Substance Abuse and Addiction Recovery Alliance of Virginia and as a board member of Rubicon, one of Virginias most comprehensive treatment facilities.

He has been recognized for his work by the Virginia general assembly, the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration, the national nonprofit Faces and Voices of Recovery, and the Caron Foundation. He is also a United States Marine Corps member (ret.) and a person in long-term recovery.

Released 7/15/26

Dr. Mark Fleming is Vice President-Clinical Operations for Lifepoint Behavioral Health. He is a licensed Psychologist and Healthcare Executive who has experience in a variety of settings including college counseling, in-patient stabilization, private practice, hospitals, and residential treatment units. Dr. Fleming currently serves as a Lieutenant Colonel and Behavioral Health Officer in the United States Army.

Of particular note is his work with the program Help for Heroes. This effort delivers trauma-informed, evidence-based treatment designed to address the mental health and substance use needs of active-duty service members, veterans, first responders, and other frontline professionals.

In this podcast, Dr. Fleming discusses his work with a wide variety of clientele, the particular needs of frontline professionals, and why he gains so much satisfaction working with those seeking recovery.

It's fair to say that the rural northwest corner of Kansas is a "treatment desert," with few options for individuals seeking help to change addictive behaviors. One bright spot is in Colby, home of High Point Advocacy & Resource Center. They offer a wide range of services, including counseling, family support services, and peer mentoring.

Two of their certified Recovery Advocates are Tisha Beckman and Ryan White. They join the program and share their passion for using their lived experience to benefit others. They also describe the evolution of High Point Advocacy into an agency that uses evidence-based services, advocacy, and human connection to save lives.