Claim OwnershipAddiction Medicine Made Easy | Fighting back against addiction
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© 2025 Addiction Medicine Made Easy | Fighting back against addiction
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Addiction is killing us. Over 100,000 Americans died of drug overdose in the last year, and over 100,000 Americans died from alcohol use in the last year. We need to include addiction medicine as a part of everyone's practice! We take topics in addiction medicine and break them down into digestible nuggets and clinical pearls that you can use at the bedside. We are trying to create an army of health care providers all over the world who want to fight back against addiction - and we hope you will join us.*This podcast was previously the Addiction in Emergency Medicine and Acute Care podcast*
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This episode is the fourth and final episode of a four part series on stigma. This episode is done in collaboration with Central Coast Overdose Prevention (CCODP) and was made possible by California Overdose Prevention Network Accelerator funding from the Public Health Institute's Center for Health Leadership and Impact. First responders face unique mental health challenges due to the high-stress nature of their work, but stigma often prevents them from seeking help when they're struggling. D...
This episode is the third episode of a four part series on stigma. This episode is done in collaboration with Central Coast Overdose Prevention (CCODP) and was made possible by California Overdose Prevention Network Accelerator funding from the Public Health Institute's Center for Health Leadership and Impact. In this episode, Wendy Solorio shares her raw, emotional journey as a mother supporting her daughter Gabrielle through addiction and into recovery, highlighting the often-overlooked imp...
This episode is the second episode of a four part series on stigma. This episode is done in collaboration with Central Coast Overdose Prevention (CCODP) and was made possible by California Overdose Prevention Network Accelerator funding from the Public Health Institute's Center for Health Leadership and Impact. In this episode, Gabrielle shares her powerful journey from fentanyl addiction to recovery, highlighting the unexpected moment of compassion from a correctional officer that changed ev...
This episode is the first episode of a four part series on stigma. This episode is done in collaboration with Central Coast Overdose Prevention (CCODP) and was made possible by California Overdose Prevention Network Accelerator funding from the Public Health Institute's Center for Health Leadership and Impact. In this episode, Ana Alamo shares her powerful journey from addiction to recovery, revealing how her personal struggles now help her connect with clients as a peer support specialist. ...
Dr. Casey Grover explores the challenging world of benzodiazepines, explaining why these commonly prescribed medications can create more problems than they solve for patients struggling with anxiety and other conditions. • Benzodiazepines work like alcohol in pill form, enhancing the brain's natural "downer" chemical GABA • Long-term use leads to tolerance, dependence, and potentially Benzodiazepine-Induced Neurological Dysfunction (BIND) • The four most commonly prescribed benzos are diazep...
This is a joint episode between the Addiction Medicine Made Easy Podcast and the Kratom Sobriety Podcast Check out the Kratom Sobriety Podcast: https://kratomsobriety.com/ Trauma and addiction are deeply intertwined, with unresolved PTSD often driving substance use as people attempt to manage overwhelming emotions and physical sensations. • Understanding PTSD beyond combat veterans—recognizing both "big T" traumas and accumulated "little t" stressors • Dr. Grover shares his personal jou...
We discuss practical strategies for staying up-to-date with addiction medicine research in this collaborative episode between Addiction Medicine Made Easy and the Addiction Medicine Journal Club podcast. • Featuring a four-person roundtable with Dr. Casey Grover, Dr. John Keenan, Dr. Sonia Del Tredici, and Thomas Bannard • Understanding why evidence-based medicine matters in addiction care • Incorporating lived experience into addiction education and combating stigma • Developing personalize...
Mark MacNichol, a playwright and charity director, shares how his therapeutic approach called Anonymous Drama helps people in recovery and the justice system process trauma and develop emotional wellbeing by viewing their inner thoughts as characters in a play. • Anonymous Drama is not traditional theater but uses dramatic techniques for therapeutic purposes • The program helps participants identify characters in their life story, such as the protagonist, the inner critic, and the inner ment...
Dr. Amy Swift, Deputy Chief Medical Officer and addiction psychiatrist, shares insights on creating healthcare systems that better serve patients with addiction through reduced stigma, trauma-informed approaches, and greater accessibility. She brings a unique perspective as someone who oversees medical care while remaining deeply connected to patients' experiences, emphasizing the need to understand addiction as a brain disease rather than a moral failing. • Psychiatry and addiction have his...
Addiction medicine specialists Dr. Casey Grover and Dr. Reb Close share essential information about using naloxone (Narcan) to save lives during opioid overdoses. They discuss how naloxone administration differs between hospital settings and community response, emphasizing that having this medication readily available is crucial in today's world of fentanyl-contaminated street drugs. • Naloxone should be as normalized and common as fire extinguishers in homes and workplaces • In medical sett...
Dr. Casey Grover explores the complexities of ketamine, examining its medical benefits, potential for addiction, and growing presence in both therapeutic and recreational settings. • Originally developed as a dissociative anesthetic for surgery that doesn't suppress breathing • Now recognized for treating treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, and suicidal ideation • Can reduce suicidal thoughts as quickly as 90 minutes after administration • Also effective for severe pain, alcohol withdrawal...
In this episode, Dr. Casey Grover explores how integrating behavioral health and addiction services into primary care settings can transform healthcare delivery and dramatically improve access to treatment. Dr. Grover speaks to psychologists Patti Robinson and Jeff Reiter about their work creating integrated primary care practices and clinics. • Healthcare in the US is siloed, forcing patients to navigate separate systems for physical health, mental health, and addiction • Mental healt...
Discover how stimulating specific points on the ear can dramatically reduce opioid withdrawal symptoms through an FDA-approved device called the ST Genesis. Shelley Halligan, President of Speranza Therapeutics, explains the science behind percutaneous nerve field stimulation and its remarkable effects on patients struggling with addiction. • The device works by targeting cranial nerves in the ear to activate the parasympathetic nervous system • Small electrical pulses delivered continuously ...
Urine drug testing provides critical insights for addiction treatment, helping clinicians understand what substances patients are actually using and how the drug supply is rapidly changing. Matthew Rutledge, founder of MD Labs, shares his expertise on testing methodologies, detection capabilities, and emerging trends in substance use. • Different drug test types include basic immunoassay cups (similar to pregnancy tests), which detect drug shapes but can have false positives/negatives • Liqu...
Today we speak with Dr. Samantha Harte about her experience living as a high-functioning person with addiction and how perfection masks internal struggles. She shares her journey from overdosing on cocaine as she was accepted into her doctoral program to becoming an author and recovery coach helping others find authentic healing. • High-functioning addiction often hides behind external success and achievements • Control and perfectionism become secondary addictions that receive cultural rein...
Dr. Casey Grover explores the history, neuroscience, and treatment approaches for methamphetamine use disorder, highlighting how methamphetamine releases more dopamine than any other known substance. • Methamphetamine was widely used during World War II by German, Japanese, and Allied forces to enhance performance • Modern meth production shifted from ephedra to P2P method, creating cheaper, more potent meth with worse psychiatric effects • Meth causes dopamine release up to 1,400 ng/dL of d...
In this episode, we discuss the fundamentals of treating opioid and alcohol use disorders with medication-assisted approaches. We review how to understand addiction as self-regulation with substances and how healthcare providers can leverage familiar medications alongside specialized treatments to help patients recover. We also discuss • Addiction fundamentally involves helping patients shift from self-regulating with substances to self-regulating without them • Distinguishing opioid depend...
This episode is an interview with Matt Butler, a singer-songwriter who has performed in jails and prisons across America for a decade. He shares how music creates transformative spaces for healing in correctional environments. • Matt's musical journey began after writing songs for a documentary about recovery high schools • Music penetrates emotional defenses faster than conventional approaches, allowing inmates to be vulnerable • Songs like "Good Friday" and "Time to Be a Man" directly spea...
Dr. Casey Grover breaks down psychiatric medications and their role in addiction treatment, explaining how different medications work, when they're most appropriate, and which ones to avoid. He provides a practical overview based on his extensive experience treating patients with substance use disorders. • Psychiatric medications get developed through research on brain receptors and undergo rigorous testing before FDA approval • Medications often have "off-label" uses that weren't originally...
Kyle Santoro, a 19-year-old filmmaker, created the documentary "Fentanyl High" to explore teenage psychology behind substance abuse after witnessing overdoses at his high school. His film takes a peer-to-peer approach to addiction education, removing stigma and creating spaces for vulnerable conversations about why teens turn to substances. Kyle and Dr Grover discuss his experiences making the film and what he has learned through making it: • Kyle began the project after a classmate overdos...
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