Why Everything We’ve Been Told About Addiction is Wrong (And What We Can Do to Change It) - With Dr. Adi Jaffe

The Model Health Show

Shawn Stevenson

Nutrition, Health & Fitness, Fitness

4.8 • 7.2K Ratings

🗓️ 17 December 2025

⏱️ 81 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

It’s no secret that addiction can have disastrous effects not only on a person’s health and well-being, but also their family, social systems, the economy, and so much more. Finding solutions to addiction begins with having a strong understanding of how it works, and that’s exactly what we’re going to unpack on today’s show. On this episode of The Model Health Show, Dr. Adi Jaffe is back for an important conversation on addiction. Dr. Jaffe is a world-renowned expert on addiction, mental health, and stigma. In this conversation, he’s sharing some of the biggest misconceptions about addiction and why we need to address them. You’re going to learn fascinating insights on addiction and recovery, including how addictions happen and their widespread impact. You’re going to discover how addictive behaviors damage relationships, the role of shame in addiction, and how having a growth mindset can provide a way out of addiction. I hope you enjoy this episode of The Model Health Show! In this episode you’ll discover: How many Americans are struggling with addiction. (0:19) The biggest misconception about addiction. (3:16) Why addiction is a hidden cost for all businesses. (4:28) The problem with making addiction part of your identity. (5:03) What orthorexia is. (7:32) How social media can exacerbate addictive behaviors. (9:55) The effects addiction can have on relationships. (13:06) What it means to have a utilitarian view of diet and exercise. (34:55) Why abstinence is not an effective way to deal with addictive behaviors. (36:40) What hooks are and how they lead to compulsive loops. (42:09) An important distinction between guilt and shame. (55:06) Why addiction begins as a protective mechanism. (50:03) How lying and shame work together to further addictions. (1:02:25) The biological explanation for pain during withdrawal. (1:12:13) Why believing change is possible is necessary for recovery. (1:16:49) Items mentioned in this episode include: Paleovalley.com/model - Use code MODEL for 15% off! Organifi.com/Model  - Use the coupon code MODEL for 20% off + free shipping! Psychology Expert Shares Proven Ways to End Addiction - Check out this interview! Unhooked by Dr. Adi Jaffe - Order your copy today! The Abstinence Myth by Dr. Adi Jaffe - Read Dr. Jaffe’s first book! Mindset by Dr. Carol Dweck - Read more about creating a growth mindset! 7-Day Sober Experiment - Join now for FREE! Connect with Dr. Adi Jaffe Website / Instagram Be sure you are subscribed to this podcast to automatically receive your episodes:  Apple Podcasts Spotify Soundcloud Pandora YouTube This episode of The Model Health Show is brought to you by Paleovalley and Organifi. Use my code MODEL at Paleovalley.com/model to save 15% sitewide on nutrient dense snacks, superfood supplements, and more. Organifi makes nutrition easy and delicious for everyone. Take 20% off your order with the code MODEL at organifi.com/model.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	You are now listening to The Model Health Show with Sean Stevenson. For more, visit the model
0:06.3	health show.com. Welcome to the Model Health Show. This is one of the most important episodes and one of the
0:14.2	most important topics that we've ever covered here on the Model Health Show. Right now, according to the American Addiction Centers,
0:24.1	nearly 50 million Americans are struggling with addiction. And the ramifications of addiction are not
0:33.9	just a personal issue. It's a family issue. It's a societal issue as well. And the reason
0:41.4	that this issue is so rampant is that we very often are unaware or simply not connected to any
0:50.0	proven science-backed solutions in dealing with addiction. And so today we have one of the leading
0:58.3	experts in the world on the topic of addiction and addiction education and treatment. And
1:05.8	interestingly, we're going to be talking about the capacity with addiction, you know, the stuff that we typically think about, whether this is, you know, drugs and alcohol and pornography and things like that.
1:17.6	But also, what about the healthy stuff?
1:21.4	Can we get addicted to something that is largely considered to be healthy?
1:26.5	So much so that it harms us.
1:29.3	So I'm going to ask him about that as well,
1:31.7	which is a really interesting topic
1:34.1	and something for us to think about.
1:36.3	And so I'm very, very excited to share this with you today
1:38.6	because in this turmoil that we're experiencing
1:43.7	as a society where there are more and more things to be
1:47.0	addicted to. We need to have this conversation. We need to have solutions. We need to have some hope.
1:55.7	And so I'm very grateful to share this powerful episode with you with the amazing Dr. Adi Jaffe.
2:03.6	Adi Jaffe.
2:04.6	A Dee Jaffe is a nationally recognized expert on mental health, addiction, relationships, and more.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Shawn Stevenson, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Shawn Stevenson and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.