If you've seen Christina Dent's TEDx Talk or heard the story of End It For Good's beginning, you've heard of Joanne, the mother who once struggled with addiction and ultimately changed Christina's life. In today's episode, Joanne Shedd shares her story in her own words. From the years she struggled to the beautiful life she's building with her son, Beckham, she lets us in on her world and her journey to healing and wholeness.  

You can learn more about End It For Good, and Christina's book, at https://enditforgood.com/

Retired Judge Mary Beth O'Conner and Christina talk about her remarkable journey From Junkie to Judge, as told in her memoir. There are many paths to recovery, and Mary Beth and Christina discuss the importance of seeing people in recovery as individuals, and allowing them to create their own recovery plan. Philosophy and meeting format vary greatly between recovery programs, and there is no one path that will work for everyone.

Christina talks with Jeffery Harvey, the Clinic Director at Jackson Comprehensive Treatment Center. Jeffery grew up in a religious household but developed a substance use disorder after suffering abuse as a child. Although today Jeffery works to provide as many pathways to recovery as possible for those struggling with addiction, he didn't always support this approach. Jeffery shares his own story, and he and Christina discuss the benefits of pathways outside the traditional model for recovery, the importance of choice in recovery plans, the negative effects of societal stigma, and more.

Learn more: enditforgood.com

Dr. Branden Henry's story is included in Christina Dent's new book, Curious: A Foster Mom's Discovery of an Unexpected Solution to Drugs and Addiction.

He joins us on the podcast today to unpack ideas that didn't make it into the book, including why so much addiction treatment is unhelpful. It fails to address three drivers of addiction that we dive into on today's episode.

Dr. Henry also shares his perspective as a Christian who has wrestled with a biblical view of addiction and how we can better understand and support people who are struggling as well as the people who love them. His clear, vulnerable, and honest perspective will give you hope.

Buy Christina's book Curious here: enditforgood.com/curious

Will Morgan's story is highlighted in Christina Dent's new book, Curious: A Foster Mom's Discovery of an Unexpected Solution to Drugs and Addiction.

On this episode, we talk to Will as well as his wife, Sarah, hearing her journey of supporting Will through his years-long journey with chronic pain and prescription opioids. They offer a window into the other side of the war on prescription opioids - the patients who struggle with chronic pain and now have a harder time finding the medications they need. And yet, the very thing that at one point helped Will became part of the problem.

Their story illustrates the tremendous complexity of prescription opioids and the lived experiences of the people who need them and the loved ones supporting them. There are no easy answers here, but a story that gives us a view into the real lives and families impacted by opioids and the policies that govern access to them. 

Buy Christina's book Curious here: enditforgood.com/curious

In the final episode of this 4-part series, Christina and Angela discuss how they learned about the term "harm reduction" and how they grappled with whether or not harm reduction measures were enabling users. Listen in as they take a dive deep into all things harm reduction - what are the options, what's working, and what's not. We've come a long way in understanding addiction and how to best reduce harms related to the war on drugs. Where do you stand on these harm reduction options?

In Part 3 of this 4-part series, Christina and Angela breakdown the chain reaction or cycle of harms related to drugs and addiction. They dive deep into what happens to a person when they are arrested in the realms of health, family and finances. Note: This conversation is not to defend anyone who's committed a crime but it's an explanation of the dominos that fall and the cost to society.

In Part 2 of this series, Christina and Angela discuss why having honest conversations about someone's drug use is so hard. When the expectation is to be completely abstinent, when and where is it safe to talk about some of the pitfalls of drug use? Listen in as they talk about the importance of recognizing potentially problematic substance use, how people can have a better relationship with substances, and understanding the reasons behind someone's drug use.