Dr. Kevin McCauley shares his journey from Navy physician to addiction recovery advocate, offering profound insights on the neuroscience of addiction and various pathways to healing.

• Creator of the documentary "Pleasure Unwoven" about the brain science of addiction
• Became addicted to opioids after surgery while serving in the Navy
• Court-martialed and spent time in Leavenworth, where AA meetings provided crucial support
• Now works as a senior fellow at Meadows Behavioral Health Care
• Discusses evolving views on whether addiction is best understood as a brain disease
• Explains craving as the central symptom that matters most to those experiencing addiction
• Emphasizes the importance of connection in recovery while respecting different recovery pathways
• Shares personal struggles with sugar addiction and its neurobiological similarities to substance addiction
• Provides evidence-based information about cannabis addiction and weighs-in on "California sober"
• Identifies connection as essential for sustainable recovery

Dr. McCauley's videos online:

• Pleasure Unwoven 2010 (Neuroscience of Addiction): https://vimeo.com/347595250/df4ede31f7
• Memo to Self 2015 (Recovery Management): https://vimeo.com/347596435/deaf56bbea

Dr. McCauley also shared some podcast links with me about cannabis that you might want to follow to learn more:

• Curbsiders Internal Medicine - Cannabis Use Disorder: https://thecurbsiders.com/addiction-medicine-podcast/9-a-joint-conversation-cannabis-use-disorder-with-dr-deepika-slawek
• Addiction Files - Cannabis: Not Your Mother’s Marijuana: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-addiction-files-an-addiction-medicine-podcast/id1559434318?i=1000525527985
• Addiction Medicine Journal Club - Cannabis and CV Outcomes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/addiction-medicine-journal-club/id1632894325?i=1000660775957

Other useful links from Brett:

• Sober Curious Consulting - Brett's Recovery Friendly Workplace consulting business.
• How Recovery Friendly is Your Workplace Quiz - 3-min quiz where you learn a lot.
• Brett's YouTube channel
• Washington Recovery Alliance - building the capacity of the recovery community to advance substance use recovery and mental health wellness by catalyzing public understanding and shaping public policy in Washington State.
• Recovery-Ready Workplace Toolkit - providing information, tools, and resources to help employers from all sectors—government, for-profit, non-profit, and not-for-profit—effectively prevent and respond to substance misuse in the workforce from the Department of Labor.
• Data on SUD in the US (2024) -  from SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration). Link to my favorite PDF for statistics.
• Understand Substance Use Disorders and Stigma (1 hour video) - learn about the brain science behind substance use disorders and how to addres...