Hi friends. Throughout this holiday season, you will find me right here per normal. We will keep

publishing new episodes every week and a few solos thrown in as well. So when you just need to escape

from the business of the holiday shuffle or take a break from mom or dad or who knows who,

we'll be here as we always are.

Starting next Monday, I'm doing another special series.

This one is about addiction.

You might have heard the special series last month on mystical systems. Coming up, you'll hear from four distinct voices in the space

covering harm reduction, new paths to recovery, codependency, and the shape of addiction in our

culture today. This is just scratching the

surface on a very complex issue, but hopefully the beginning of conversations that we can then have

in our own lives, as addiction touches all of us in its myriad forms. While this set is focused on

substances, we'll be back with more in this space and time.

And if you want to get started, you'll find links to two previous episodes on addiction.

Dr. Gabor-Mate, who spent much of his career working in the most addicted corner of North America,

explains why trauma is central to understanding addiction

in one episode, and Dr. Anna Lemke explores the role of dopamine and the delicate balance

between pleasure and pain in another. You can find those links in the show notes for this teaser.

Meanwhile, I'll see you on Thursday for a regular episode of pulling the thread

and next Monday for the beginning of this special series. All holiday season will be delivering episodes according to our regular schedule,

with a few Mondays thrown in for good measure.

So when you just need a sense of normalcy during the hectic pace of the holiday season,

I will be here for you.

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