Naltrexone has been used to treat alcohol use disorder for 30 years, ever since researcher Dr. Joseph Volpicelli identified its effectiveness. In this podcast we are joined by both Dr. Volpicelli and Jonathan Hunt-Glassman, the founder of Oar Health, an organization that supports the combination of medication and psychosocial supports to assist people seeking to change their relationship to alcohol.  

Dr. Joseph Volpicelli runs the Volpicelli Center and is a University of Pennsylvania’s Medical Scientist Training Program graduate, receiving both his doctorate of medicine and psychology. 

In this podcast Jonathan shares his and others personal stories of successfully making changes by using Naltrexone and other supports. For Dr. Volpicelli, it comes down to the medication helping individuals make the best choices for themselves when it comes to alcohol use, and the positive steps that he sees patients make in their recovery journeys. 

Carrie Wilkens is the Co-founder and Partner of the Center for Motivation and Change, a group practice of dedicated clinicians and researchers who rely on science and kindness to help people change. She is the co-author of the award-winning book and companion workbook Beyond Addiction: How science and kindness help people change that is based in part on CRAFT, the evidence-based treatment approach to helping families.  

In this podcast Carrie talks about her immediate recognition as a young psychologist that she wanted to be part of helping individuals and families who are facing issues related to addictive behaviors, the need to fight stigma, how CMC helps create "conditions for change," and what it means to be relevant in the evolving treatment landcape.

Rebekah Robertson is a SMART facilitator in Columbia Missouri who found the program after a family member entered treatment for an addictive behavior. At first she thought she was different and people wouldn't understand all the circumstances that surrounded her. Then Rebekah experienced "that knowing smile" of others who had gone through similar situations and were able to navigate them in a positive way. She felt connected, learned much, and eventually moved on from attending meetings regularly.

A few years later Rebekah returned to SMART Family and Friends meetings during a challenging time. She quickly reconnected and after encouragement from the group's facilitator, she decided to give back by becoming a facilitator herself. 

In this podcast, Rebekah shares some of the powerful moments she has experienced as both a participant and facilitator in SMART meetings, and why the program is valuable for so many.

Nichole "Nikki" Lowder is a Program Manager at the South Carolina Department of Corrections. She brings both her lived experience and professional training to her work with incarcerated individuals who are trying to make important changes in their lives. 

Prior to her own recovery journey, Nikki worked in the finance world but realized that she could no longer live the kind of life that was filled with dishonesty and deception. She discovered her passion for helping others who were facing similar crossroads, and made it the purpose of her career change.

In this podcast Nikki talks about her personal struggles, the power of peer support, and how watching the ripples spread from her work brings her incredible satisfaction. 

For more than 30 years Dr. Joseph Gerstein has been collecting stories from SMART participants about powerful emotional experiences related to their recovery journey. He has now written a captivating essay about the nature of these occurances that includes examples and analysis of what he calls "secular conversion experiences." His insight into the value of these experiences and the common elements found paints a picture of how our cognitive functions connect with the more emotive features of our lives.

Dr. Gerstein is SMART's Founding President and a retired professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. He has been instrumental in the growth of SMART in the U.S. and across the globe and has personally facilitated over 4,000 SMART meetings over 34 years. 

Dr. Michael DeMarco is a licensed mental health and family therapist and has pursued additional training in the use of psychedelic medicines for those struggling with substance use disorders. He emphasizes that there has been a significant amount of research about the use of Ketamine and other medications over the course of decades, and it's important to know how to put such research in an appropriate context.

In this podcast, Michael talks about his own interest in the recovery ecosystem and the journey he has embarked on in the pursuit of helping others. He also relates his extensive background in cognitive behavioral therapy to his current Ketamine-assisted therapy practice.

Additional information:

Ketamine for the treatment of mental health and substance use disorders: comprehensive systematic review

Psychedelic Cognitive Behavioral therapy: On Ketamine, Context, and Competencies in "Assisted Psychotherapy"

Survey of peer recovery coaches' attitude toward use of psychedelic medicines

Dr. Samantha Harte was managing a busy life in recovery when tragedy struck close to home, causing her to question her whole approach to living. She decided to expand her world view and dedicate herself to creating a recovery pathway that is uniquely her own and draws upon multiple approaches to living a big and beautiful life.

Recently Samantha wrote a memoir called Breaking the Circuit that tells the story of her substance misuse, living with a mentally ill mother, facing a variety of trauma and eventually commiting herself to a self-empowered recovery journey. 

Her mission is to elevate the fitness and wellness space so that all those who are seeking a pathway to a more healthy and balanced life can consider her lived experience and expertise and potentially find their own best life.

SMART believes there are multiple pathways to recovery...but does that go as far as including the use of intelligent retrieval technology, aka artificial intelligence? According to Zachary Gidwitz, CEO and Cofounder of the company Open Recovery, the answer is a resounding yes. 

In this podcast, Zachary shares his personal recovery journey and how he ended up as part of a team that birthed Kai, the AI-powered recovery assistant that is now busy interacting with human individuals seeking recovery.

At this point Kai is focused on 12-Step methodology, but Open Recovery is collaborating with SMART to provide information and resources to expand Kai's understanding that our self-empowered, practical recovery tools are a powerful pathway to change.

Nick Padlo only went to the college recruiting event for the promise of free food at his favorite restaurant. It turned out that no food was served, but a 3 minute video that was shown ended up changing the course of his life. It was a US Army recruitment video and Nick went on to attend West Point, serve in combat overseas, and launch a business career from there.

A good measure of success took place but other aspects of his life disinigrated. He ended up divorced and despondent, his accelerating substance and alcohol misuse part of the downward spiral. Eventually he decided he needed help and found a path that combined SMART Recovery and 12-Step programs. It transformed his view of his life's purpose and he decided to use his entrepreneurial skills to start Sophros Recovery a treatment center in his hometown of Jacksonville Florida.

In this podcast, Nick talks about the quest for perfection that nearly ruined him, his application of recovery tools to the wider realm of mental health, and why he believes everyone can find their way back to health. 

Angelo Lagares is the Founder and Director of Latino Recovery Advocates (LARA), a nonprofit organization that works to make policy changes that will increase culturally appropriate recovery services. LARA's vision is of a world where no one suffers from language disparities when it comes to getting help. 

 Angelo's story includes lived experience and many attempts to change his addictive behavior. His journey convinced him that too often there is a lack of access to relevant treatment and support systems for individuals who want help. That is why he works all over the world, sharing the message of multiple pathways to recovery for all cultures. 

In this podcast, Angelo talks about his personal recovery journey, deciding to embrace advocacy, the importance of cultural competency, and his belief that recovery is possible for all.

Additional information:

Video of Angelo's story

SMART Recovery Espanol

What does advocacy mean to LARA? 

Yamila Rollan Escalona is the founder of the nonprofit Yaya Por Vida, an organization that helps those struggling with substance use in southeast Florida. Yamila was motivated to start this effort after losing her sister Yaritza (Yaya) to addiction. Yaya was a very talented artist throughout her life and her love of the arts provided a natural path for Yamila to follow.

Yaya Por Vida offers both healing through the arts and practical tools for harm reduction in a wide range of outreach initiatives and community collaborations. In this podcast Yamila talks about turning her rage against the senseless loss of life into a positive direction of hope, the joy that Yaya brought to others through her art, and why connecting with others is one of the most powerful forces to combat negative circumstances.

Links:

Harm Reduction 101 PSA video

Art as Healing

Harm Reduction Explainer Videos