There are thousands of women who are drinking and suffering in silence. And when we're dealing with our internal struggles, we feel alone. There’s pain and misery attached to that. How are we then able to provide a safe space for women to follow down a path to recovery and give them the kind of support they need? On this episode, Duane speaks with Casey Davidson about the topic of gray area drinking, what that means, what that looks like, and the benefits of being sober, curious, and maybe just taking a longer break from alcohol to see if that betters your life. Casey also shares her own personal story of doing that, how she realized alcohol was not what she needed, and how she was able to stop just trying to moderate her drinking and remove alcohol from her life.

Addiction does not only impact the one addicted, it also affects their family and friends. It’s hard to see your loved one hurting and struggling. But you can’t help them heal with guilt and shame. There are tools and resources to help you help your loved one make a positive change. The goal is to help them feel safe, heard and seen, supported, and understood. On today’s episode, Duane talks with licensed clinical psychologist and research scientist Kenneth Carpenter, PhD. He is the co-author of The Beyond Addiction Workbook for Family and Friends: Evidence-Based Skills to Help a Loved One Make Positive Change. Ken is the Director of Training for the Center for Motivation and Change (CMC) and CMC: Foundation for Change. He has held academic and research science positions at New York-based universities and state agencies.

A lot of us resonate with movies because we get to learn about the world through them. Making movies is hard enough. Now, imagine a documentary of someone making a movie during their rehab journey. On today’s episode, Duane speaks with Jared Callahan about his new feature-length documentary. Clean Slate provides an immersive, veritate look into the world of recovery amid the biggest drug epidemic in American history. It follows two individuals Cassidy and Josh, as they attempt to make a short film during their recovery and rehab state. Jared is an award-winning director, producer, and founder of Emmy-nominated production company The People People Media Foundation. Based on a 95-acre farm in the San Francisco East Bay, they specialize in personal and unique stories that help give others a voice. In making this documentary, Jared had to spend 18 months at a recovery facility that he got completely enveloped in their world. He hopes the film would move people the way he has been deeply touched by it. Hopefully, it will change how people view and treat addiction – giving more grace and developing more empathy for people struggling with it, instead of condemning them and stereotyping their condition like it’s a crime or a disease.

America is in the midst of a new drug crisis. Earlier this year, the CDC reported a staggering 107,000 overdose deaths in 2021. That's one every five minutes. It's up almost 15% from 2020 and nearly 70% of those deaths involved fentanyl. On today's episode, Duane speaks with Sam Quinones who has been sounding the alarm for years. A journalist and storyteller, Sam is a former LA Times reporter and author of four acclaimed books of narrative nonfiction, including New York Times bestseller and National Book Critics Circle Award winner, Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic. She’s also the author of the National Book Critics Circle Award finalist, The Least of Us: True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth, which captures the devastation of this new epidemic of synthetic drugs, but at the same time, offers a lot of hope.

How do we break the stigma around addiction and mental health support for people of color? It’s important that different communities are able to change that narrative so everyone is provided the adequate support they need. On today’s episode, Duane speaks with Jessica Dueñas who shares her story of addiction, recovery, and using her voice to help other people find their way out of pain. Jessica started with binge eating in her bedroom as a Latina girl growing up in New York City. By the time she got to college, her addiction had morphed into alcoholism. Years later, she was awarded Teacher of the Year in Kentucky but was still drinking a fifth of bourbon a day – a secret she had to hide from her peers, friends, and students. When she found her boyfriend lifeless from a drug overdose in his apartment, Jessica got out of control and deeper into her addiction, nearly dying herself in the months after his passing. Ultimately, she found recovery and has been sober since November 2020. Listen in as Jessica shares her story to help break the stigma of addiction and mental health treatment. Through her platform, Bottomless to Sober, she shares stories of people's recovery and continues to break the stigma of addiction.

Why is it that a lot of successful people, even superstars, and athletes, end up in a downward spiral of depression? Usually, what's missing is a spiritual component of life. On today’s episode, Duane speaks with Adam Jablin, a best-selling author, inspirational keynote speaker, transformational life coach, and spiritual and recovery mentor.

Several statistics show that children of alcoholics will grow up to either become alcoholic themselves, or marry one because they're so conditioned to that lifestyle. A huge part of that is because they could get so rooted in their own belief systems that they end up in self-sabotage without even realizing it. And somehow, transformation only occurs when intense suffering forces them to make that shift.

Recovery can be more challenging when we get caught in that spiral of addiction and narcissism. Somehow, you will have to get to the point where you just have to surrender to a higher power.

On today’s episode, Duane speaks with Ryan, as he talks about his journey through addiction and recovery.

On today’s episode, Duane speaks with Dr. Deborah Korn and Michael Baldwin, co-authors of Every Memory Deserves Respect: EMDR, the Proven Trauma Therapy with the Power to Heal.

We’re sharing a special episode from another podcast, A Slight Change of Plans, from Pushkin Industries.

On today's episode, Duane speaks with Dr. Harold Jonas, a licensed mental health counselor and the founder and CEO of the Soberverse.

Edwige is the founder of New Life Directions and the author of The Fresh Start Promise: 28 Days to Total Mind, Body, Spirit Transformation.

Change is possible. There is hope. You just need a roadmap toward that change. On today's episode, Duane speaks with Lee LaMee, a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner who has a lot of wisdom and experience in the field of change.

On today's episode, Duane speaks with Dr. Christine Catipon, a licensed clinical psychologist, about the impact of the COVID pandemic related to substance use and self-medication among college students.

On today's episode, Duane speaks with Cheryl Brown-Merriwether, HR professional and recovery support professional, about the innovations in the workplace as well as addiction and recovery from a workplace perspective and a human relations perspective.

On this episode, Duane speaks with Dr. Michael Barta, a licensed professional counselor and certified sex addiction therapist, about the neurological approach to the treatment of addiction.

Over the years, our society has normalized drinking. At almost every party or event, booze is a huge part of the celebration.

On today’s episode, Duane speaks with Marriage and Family therapist, Miriam Geiger, about the common issues that impact the LGBTQ+ community, specifically, around codependency and mental health. As a member of the community herself, Miriam Miriam helps gay, lesbian, bi and pansexual, transgender and queer folks dig deep to know themselves fully so they can lead bold, fulfilling and authentic lives.

Amy shares her story of struggling with alcohol, being a mom of eight, and how finally, in one very difficult moment, she had to face herself and the consequences of her drinking. She unveils her whole story from the beginning, all the way to the end, and finally, to where she is now, living a fulfilling life that is meaningful, connected, and authentic.

Recovery from addiction doesn’t just stop there. People in recovery could still be struggling with depression. While addiction and depression are somewhat correlated, both of them should still be addressed individually.

The fear of abandonment is universal. The problem is – we try to medicate that feeling with whatever gives us instant gratification (drugs, alcohol, food, television, sleeping, social media, shopping, etc.)

On today’s episode, Duane speaks with Tish Marsh who shares her own struggle with opioid addiction that started after she had some medical procedures.