From the free press, this is honestly, and I'm Barry Weiss. And today, we've got a special story from two friends and former free pressers, Andy Mills and Matt Bull. They've got a new podcast that I think you're going to love.

It's called Reflector.

Today we're sharing an episode in which they look at some of the hidden truths

and misconceptions about alcoholism and how best to treat it.

Alcohol consumption increased more during the COVID years than it had in any time in the past half

century.

In fact, Americans were drinking so much that from 2020 to 2021,

there were approximately a hundred and seventy-eight thousand alcohol-related deaths in America.

That's more deaths than from all drug

overdoses combined, including opioids. And yet, most Americans with a drinking

problem never speak to their doctors about their drinking, and less than 6% of them ever receive any form

of treatment whatsoever.

Today, a woman named Katie tells the story of her self-experimentation

with a little known but highly effective drug

to combat her alcohol addiction.

This isn't only a moving story of one woman's journey, but it also gets to some bigger

questions about why these types of medications aren't widely used in America and challenges a lot of what we know about alcoholism and how to treat it.

We'll be right back with this wonderful episode of Reflector. Stay with us.

Kady, can you hear me? I can. How are you? I'm doing good. How are you? I'm doing good. How are you? I'm doing great. How are you feeling about this story today? I feel a little

nervous about it actually. Is this the first time you've talked publicly about any of

this? Publicly, yeah. I have talked to a few people about it. I talked to you

about it when it was happening and I eventually talked to few people about it. I talked to you about it when it was happening and I

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