286: Exploring Alternative Treatments for Alcohol Dependence with Andy Mills
The Addicted Mind Podcast
Duane Osterlind, LMFT
4.7 • 655 Ratings
🗓️ 10 June 2024
⏱️ 59 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Can medications like naltrexone revolutionize the treatment of alcohol dependence? Join today’s discuss as Duane speaks with acclaimed journalist and podcast producer Andy Mills, who brings a wealth of experience from shows like The Daily and Radiolab. Andy delves into his new independent podcast, Reflector, highlighting a compelling episode titled "The Sea Change." He shares the gripping story of his friend Katie, who successfully managed her alcohol issues using the Sinclair Method during the COVID-19 pandemic, sparking a critical conversation on why such effective treatments aren't more widely adopted.
Andy discusses the fundamental role of community and external support in overcoming addiction, underscoring the message that no one heals alone. Drawing from his experiences reporting on the opioid crisis and the unintended consequences of the COVID-19 lockdowns, Andy paints a vivid picture of the evolving landscape of addiction awareness. Through Katie's unique journey – seeking treatment without hitting rock bottom and finding success with the Sinclair Method – Andy illustrates the transformative power of personal stories in understanding addiction and exploring new treatment methods.
In this episode, you will hear:
- Uncovering the treatment for overdrinking
- Exploring addiction and society's influence
- Hidden struggle with addiction stigma
- Balancing medication and thriving in life
- The depths of human connection
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Supporting Resources:
Reflector - The Sea Change: https://www.reflector.show/p/the-sea-change
The Daily: https://open.spotify.com/show/3IM0lmZxpFAY7CwMuv9H4g
Radiolab: https://radiolab.org/
Episode Credits
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Addictive Mind podcast. My name is Dwayne Austerlund. I'm your host, and we are on to another episode. So today my guest is Andy Mills, and he is a reporter and podcast producer. He's done such shows as the daily rabbit hole caliphate, the witch trials of J.K. Rowling. |
| 0:27.6 | He spent much of his career working at NPR and the New York Times. |
| 0:34.8 | And he has gone on to create his own independent podcast called Reflector. And he did an |
| 0:42.8 | episode on that show called The Sea Change. And the question he asked is, why aren't Americans |
| 0:49.9 | embracing the most promising medications for treating over drinking. And on that episode of Reflector, |
| 0:56.7 | he shares the story of his friend who was dealing with alcohol dependence and was able to |
| 1:05.7 | use naltrexone in the Sinclair method to overcome their issues with alcohol and explores the whole |
| 1:14.1 | topic of why aren't these medications more available to everyone? Why isn't everybody using them? |
| 1:21.1 | And where is this sea change in addiction treatment that they all thought were coming? |
| 1:27.2 | On this episode, Andy's going to talk about how he came to create this episode, |
| 1:32.7 | how the story came together, why he felt it was so important to tell, |
| 1:38.9 | and just his process and thoughts of doing this work. |
| 1:43.3 | It's a great conversation about this process and this |
| 1:46.2 | topic. And I definitely would encourage you to check out the episode on the Reflector called |
| 1:53.3 | The Sea Change. I think you'll get a lot out of listening to that. And I hope you get a lot |
| 1:58.6 | out of listening to this episode as well. So stay tuned for that. |
| 2:02.2 | If you are enjoying The Addicted Mind podcast, you're getting a lot out of it. Please rate and |
| 2:07.4 | review us in whatever podcast app you're using right now. It really does help the podcast get |
| 2:12.7 | found. And I really appreciate it. And don't forget, if you want to continue the conversation |
| 2:16.9 | online, join our Facebook group. |
| 2:19.2 | Just go to Facebook, type in the Addicted Mind podcast, and click join. |
| 2:23.4 | All right, everyone. |
... |
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