Surviving Opioids - Beyond an Epidemic

There’s stigma around people with addictions, there’s more stigma around women with addictions, and there’s maybe none more stigmatized than pregnant women with addictions.

Today’s episode is all about pregnant women with opioid use disorders and some of the considerations for that particular group.

One thing that is a huge liability for an addicted mom raising a child is the nonstop gossip and judgement that they have to deal with it. Culturally no one is as judged as an an addicted mother of a young child.  Addicted pregnant women absorb that shame and stigma, both of which are major deterrents to getting good treatment and seeking help so it’s in no way helpful for anyone.

This episode answers some of the basic myths and misinformation around what the research shows is the best for this population. Because with support, encouragement and reassurance, along with good medical care,  the woman can have a comfortable, healthy pregnancy, deliver a healthy baby and be a wonderful new mom.

If you enjoy the episode, share it with someone who might like it, and connect on social media for more daily topics.

For individual coaching, contact [email protected] or schedule online for free 15-min discovery call.

Words matter.

There’s no question about that – they’re a big driving force of stigma, and it’s always a  heated debate when it comes to semantics with these touchy areas.

One of the many challenges is that while the healthcare guidelines move away from words like 'addict,' many popular 12-step fellowships have fully embedded that word into their culture, and a lot people choose to use it as a point of personal pride.

But despite of this, in recent years the culture has been shifting heavily against the use of that word. For example, most dictionaries have replaced all instances of addict used as a noun with “a person addicted to” or a “habitual user of.”

But why would a dictionary change a word that’s been around for centuries? The way we use language evolves—and so do dictionaries. And when it comes to words around addiction, there’s been a lot of evolution in recent years.

Episode 19 discusses the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA)'s recent updated guidelines on the language they recommend using and avoiding when talking about substance use disorders.

In this show I'll provide a review of the recommendations, personal perspectives on the topic of language, and of course some relatively unrelated tangents and personal stories that you've come to expect from these episodes :-)

If you enjoy the episode, leave a review, and share it with someone!

Follow on Instagram at Reaction Recovery for daily topics.

Interview episode #7 is with John and Jude Trang - parents who lost their youngest child, John Leif, to a heroin overdose in 2014 at age 25.

Today John is an independent pharmaceutical researcher and consultant and Jude is a full-time advocate for addiction recovery treatment and author of Opiate Nation : A Memoir of Love, Loss & Acceptance.

This was an incredibly powerful episode and a must-watch for anyone who has lost a loved one to addiction or is currently struggling to know how best to address a loved ones active addiction.

John and Jude describe the early days of John Leif's addiction, they offer insight and guidance for parents who are just becoming aware of a child's addiction, their perspective on the opioid crisis and prevention strategies that we should be pursuing.

Other topics include:

- Impact of Trauma on Addiction
- Genetic Predisposition
- Brain Development in Early Years
- Family Histories of Addiction
- Advice to Parents
- Insights into Why Overdoses Continue to Rise
- Thoughts on Harm-Reduction / MAT Strategies
- Preventative Measure that Can Help
- Addiction Stigma
- Grief Processing
- What People Can Do to Help

You can read more of Jude's writing at OpiateNation.com and follow her on Instagram @judedimegliotrang.

If you enjoy the episode, please give the show a rating and leave a review!

Follow me on Instagram @reactionrecovery for daily topics.

What  to expect on Surviving Opioids - Beyond an Epidemic Podcast - your one stop shop for everything opioids, addiction, and recovery.

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Enjoy the show!

A story came out last week about California trying to become the first state to incentivize people financially to stay sober.

Story here

Most people who complete the treatment without any positive urine tests during a set period of time will get a few hundred dollars put on a gift card. The governor calls it “contingency management,” and he wants it to be paid through Medicaid.

The bill already made it through the democratic-lead senate without opposition, and now it’s pending in the assembly.

All told the public cost would depend on the number of people participating, but it’ll be less than 1 million dollars which isn’t much compared to their 250 billion budget.

Since Medicaid  would be the organization likely paying for it, what they’re debating in California is whether state law allows something like this to be paid for, and then even if the state itself can change the law, they’ll have to figure out whether or not it violates federal law.

In this episode, I go over some of the details of the bill, give my own perspective on the discussion, and share a few personal stories.

Follow on Instagram at Reaction Recovery for more daily topics, and please share this with a friend if you like the topics.

Folks in early recovery don’t necessarily lack the discipline to make and stick to changes, but they usually lack the guidance and direction, and it's hard today with so much information available, all of which will at some point contradict something else you’ve heard.

One of my favorite topics to discuss involves nutritional deficiencies and supplementation, which is the topic for episode 16.

General disclaimer : any time we're talking about supplements, you don’t want to be starting or stopping anything without being in contact with someone qualified who knows your personal history.

Nutrition is a nuanced topic - there’s no one size fits all, but there are enough basic patterns that come up to speak broadly on the topic then you can tailor fit that to your own case.

Disclaimer #2 : There are certain psychiatric conditions like bipolar disorder that are extremely sensitive to any changes in lifestyle or nutrition, and it’s hard enough getting someone stabilized on psychotropic medications that I’m always very careful to remind someone with this diagnosis not to run out and haphazardly start taking something that you hear me or anyone else talking about.

So that being said - this episode is introducing you to the topic of amino acid (and other dietary) supplementation as it can be applied to recovery from opioid dependency. 

When you discontinue the use of opiates, the abnormal biochemical balances that you had been getting artificially once again become unbalanced. 

So the nutritional targeting that we're talking about here is attempting to quickly give the brain those necessary building blocks to start producing your own neuro transmitters at a normal level.

If you enjoy the episode, please leave a rating, share it with someone who could benefit from the information, and reach out on Instagram at ReactionRecovery.

In this sixth interview episode of Surviving Opioids, I talk to Jen Wylde, host of the Sober Exposure podcast.

Jen is a national rock radio personality who struggled with addiction throughout her entire life. She fell into a career filled with sex drugs and rock n roll and after years of trying to get sober,  finally had enough when she overdosed in 2018 in front of her son. She's now three years sober, works in the treatment industry and carries the message of recovery to anyone in need.

This episode is packed full of great topics. Jen and I talk about her story, what it was like growing up idolizing rock stars and that lifestyle, how alcoholism can spiral out of control, what it takes to finally get sober, 12-step fellowships, how to stay fit in your 50s, Reiki crystals, and a lot more!!

Follow Jen on Instagram at soberexposure_podcast or check out her show on Spotify or iTunes.

You can also watch the full video of this episode on YouTube.

Follow me on Instagram at ReactionRecovery for more daily content.

If you enjoyed the episode, leave an iTunes review or share it with a friend!

The two most common medication-assisted treatment (MAT) strategies for OUD are Methadone and Suboxone (buprenorphine/naloxone). Nearly everyone has some familiarity with the two, but there remains a lot of misinformation regarding treatment.

In this episode, I discuss the pharmacology of opioid replacement medications - how they work/ why they work, etc. - and review some of the similarities and differences between these two treatment options.

Follow along on Instagram @reactionrecovery for daily topics. If you've decided to taper off one of these products and are looking for a personal coach to help ease the transition back to full abstinence, schedule a free discovery call at reactionrecovery.com. I'd love to hear from you!

Second of a 2-part series discussing some of the common dynamics involving interactions with loved ones who are actively addicted and some considerations to increase the likelihood of being helpful and avoiding accidental harm.

A basic summary of the last talk is:

1) It can be a challenge dealing with someone in active addiction who doesn’t seem to have the willingness to change, and

2)  If you understand that this person has good reasons for choosing this particular method of self-soothing, it makes it easier to stay in a state of compassionate inquiry because you’ll be less likely to get angry and take things personally.

During this second part, I go into more common situations that come up when dealing with actively addicted people, how the hypersensitivity to rejection impacts interactions with healthcare staff,  my perspective on Al-anon, specific books that help us to not take things personally , and why "compassion fatigue"  might not be what we think it is.

Please share the episode with anyone you think might benefit from it, and I'd love to connect on Instagram @Reactionrecovery.

www.reactionrecovery.com to schedule a discovery call.

Addiction is a family condition. It doesn’t happen in a vacuum, we don’t recover from it in a vacuum, so the more we can better educate and assist the people who are the closest to the addiction - i.e. the more people that understand the dynamics of what's actually happening -  the better chance the addicted person has at eventually finding sustainable recovery.

Dealing with loved ones/ family members/friends with addictions is incredibly challenging. There are a lot of dynamics at play. It can be frustrating and emotionally painful

Episode 12 is the first of a 2-part series about navigating some of the emotional challenges of living with and trying to help a close loved one who's suffering with an active addiction and some of the common pitfalls people fall into that tend to inadvertently worsen the situation.

Part 2 of the series should be released early next week.

Follow along at Reaction Recovery on Instagram to keep the conversation going.