What, you ask, is pharmacognosy? It's the study of medicinal plants. Pamela Seefeld is all about replacing drugs with natural remedies and it's not just about her opinion. It's about science and she knows the science. If you, or someone you know, has been prescribed any sort of pain killer, you need to listen to this episode and talk to Pamela BEFORE you continue.

A tenacious crusader in today's drug crisis, Allie Severino is no stranger to addiction–or to the stigma that comes with being an addict. Allie has devoted her life's work to breaking down the stigma associated with substance use disorders and increasing access to care for all who experience them. Allie speaks regularly with schools, drug court officials, judges,teachers, parents and those like herself who are dealing with addictions. This devotion to creating a healthier community for all didn't start yesterday, Allie has been advocating and creating real change for those who struggle with substance misuse and their loved ones for over a decade.

Nick Ferguson grew up in the inner city of Miami, known as the projects. Within his neighborhood and even his own family, he was aware of the negative effects of addiction from an early age. With the influence of two of his teachers and his mother, he went down a different path and decided to use his God given talent as an athlete to pursue professional sports. After 10 years in the NFL, he is working to educate youth about the dangers of drugs. He is the host of 1043 - "The Fan" in Denver.

In his just released book "Pharma", a meticulously documented expose of decades of fraud, incompetence, conspiracy and avarice, award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author Gerald Posner traces the heroes and villains of the trillion-dollar-a-year pharmaceutical industry and uncovers how those once entrusted with improving life have often betrayed that ideal to corruption and reckless profiteering—with deadly consequences.

James Brown has his own addiction story. It's not dissimilar to stories we've told about children starting on alcohol or marijuana. But James' story has so much tragedy - the loss of his siblings - that it's a wonder that he survived and has been clean and sober for more than a decade. Not only is he clean and sober but he's written three semi-autobiographical books in an effort to hell his story and help others recover from loss and addiction.

Running a rehab center might not be first and foremost on your list of professions you want to pursue. However, Fabian Padro - with a background of entrepreneurship and business - became the Executive Director of the most exclusive Narconon on the planet. He is dedicated to helping individuals get clean and sober and he's been doing a great job at it. His is a story about helping others with their addiction and being successful at it.

Philip Markoff is an online influencer and thought leader on addiction education; he is known as his alias "CG Kid" and obtained a large audience primarily on YouTube as a vlogger and journalist. He has his own story of addiction and recovery and uses that to educate others, those in addiction or family and friends so that they can take steps to recovery.

Melissa's story is different than pretty much any other we've told on this podcast. She was prescribed Ativan when she had her second child and couldn't sleep. As the dosage was upped, she experienced seizures and when she tried to cut down on the medication, she had strokes. After a year of decreasing the dosage, she finally was able to stop taking most of the drug but to this day is on a very low dose of Valium.

From selling his first business at age 19 to building a multimillion-dollar A- list talent agency, Darren Prince has experienced what life is like in the celebrity world. He also saw the dark reality of addiction through his own personal struggle. After over 11 years of sobriety, Darren has become a sought-after speaker on addiction recovery and mental health. He specializes in helping high functioning addicts and at-risk executives to identity and avoid the pitfalls of addiction. His book "Aiming High" details his challenges.

Michael is an ex-offender and former addict and gang member. After 12 years in prison he finally had his "point of no return", he became determined to ensure that no other child in America "turned out like me". He has since presented drug education and prevention in all 50 states in over 700 schools throughout the US. Michael is on a mission to educate youth and parents on the dangers of drugs. In this interview he takes a deep look into the dangers of vaping.