Addiction Medicine Made Easy | Fighting back against addiction
Addiction is killing us. Over 100,000 Americans died of drug overdose in the last year, and over 100,000 Americans died from alcohol use in the last year. We need to include addiction medicine as a part of everyone's practice! We take topics in addiction medicine and break them down into digestible nuggets and clinical pearls that you can use at the bedside. We are trying to create an army of health care providers all over the world who want to fight back against addiction - and we hope you will join us.*This podcast was previously the Addiction in Emergency Medicine and Acute Care podcast*
Episodes
147 episodes
Stigma 4: When Heroes Need Help
This episode is the fourth and final episode of a four part series on stigma.This episode is done in collaboration with Central Coast Overdose Prevention (CCODP) and was made possible by California Overdose Prevention Network Accelerator...
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44:29
Stigma 3: Mom vs. Addiction - The battle she never signed up for
This episode is the third episode of a four part series on stigma.This episode is done in collaboration with Central Coast Overdose Prevention (CCODP) and was made possible by California Overdose Prevention Network Accelerator funding fr...
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43:55
Stigma 2: Stigma Hurts, Compassion Heals
This episode is the second episode of a four part series on stigma.This episode is done in collaboration with Central Coast Overdose Prevention (CCODP) and was made possible by California Overdose Prevention Network Accelerator funding f...
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43:00
Stigma 1: The Other Side of Addiction - Finding Light After Darkness
This episode is the first episode of a four part series on stigma.This episode is done in collaboration with Central Coast Overdose Prevention (CCODP) and was made possible by California Overdose Prevention Network Accelerator funding fr...
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34:35
Benzodiazepines - Pills That Sedate but Don't Rehabilitate
Dr. Casey Grover explores the challenging world of benzodiazepines, explaining why these commonly prescribed medications can create more problems than they solve for patients struggling with anxiety and other conditions.• Benzodiazepine...
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34:52
When your brain can't let go: Understanding the PTSD-addiction connection
This is a joint episode between the Addiction Medicine Made Easy Podcast and the Kratom Sobriety PodcastCheck out the Kratom Sobriety Podcast: https://kratomsobriety.com/Trauma and ad...
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1:11:32
Medical Literature Matters: How Addiction Professionals Keep Learning
We discuss practical strategies for staying up-to-date with addiction medicine research in this collaborative episode between Addiction Medicine Made Easy and the Addiction Medicine Journal Club podcast.• Featuring a four-person roundta...
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42:39
Meet Your Inner Mentor (Your Inner Critic Already Knows You) - Anonymous Drama Therapy
Mark MacNichol, a playwright and charity director, shares how his therapeutic approach called Anonymous Drama helps people in recovery and the justice system process trauma and develop emotional wellbeing by viewing their inner thoughts as char...
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32:28
Breaking Barriers: Creating Patient-Friendly Addiction Treatment
Dr. Amy Swift, Deputy Chief Medical Officer and addiction psychiatrist, shares insights on creating healthcare systems that better serve patients with addiction through reduced stigma, trauma-informed approaches, and greater accessibility. She ...
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43:07
How To Use Naloxone Like a Pro with Dr. Reb Close (Rebroadcast)
Addiction medicine specialists Dr. Casey Grover and Dr. Reb Close share essential information about using naloxone (Narcan) to save lives during opioid overdoses. They discuss how naloxone administration differs between hospital settings and co...
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29:48
Ketamine: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Dr. Casey Grover explores the complexities of ketamine, examining its medical benefits, potential for addiction, and growing presence in both therapeutic and recreational settings.• Originally developed as a dissociative anesthetic for ...
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34:23
When Mental Health Meets Primary Care: Transforming Addiction Treatment
In this episode, Dr. Casey Grover explores how integrating behavioral health and addiction services into primary care settings can transform healthcare delivery and dramatically improve access to treatment. Dr. Grover speaks to psychologists Pa...
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46:01
Treating Opioid Withdrawal—With the Ear???
Discover how stimulating specific points on the ear can dramatically reduce opioid withdrawal symptoms through an FDA-approved device called the ST Genesis. Shelley Halligan, President of Speranza Therapeutics, explains the science behind percu...
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42:58
A Deep Dive into Urine Drug Testing
Urine drug testing provides critical insights for addiction treatment, helping clinicians understand what substances patients are actually using and how the drug supply is rapidly changing. Matthew Rutledge, founder of MD Labs, shares his exper...
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43:16
The High Functioning Patient with Addiction
Today we speak with Dr. Samantha Harte about her experience living as a high-functioning person with addiction and how perfection masks internal struggles. She shares her journey from overdosing on cocaine as she was accepted into her doctoral ...
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47:10
Breaking the Ice: Treating Methamphetamine Use Disorder
Dr. Casey Grover explores the history, neuroscience, and treatment approaches for methamphetamine use disorder, highlighting how methamphetamine releases more dopamine than any other known substance.• Methamphetamine was widely used dur...
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37:48
What Every Doctor Should Know About Addiction: Buprenorphine, Naltrexone, and More
In this episode, we discuss the fundamentals of treating opioid and alcohol use disorders with medication-assisted approaches. We review how to understand addiction as self-regulation with substances and how healthcare providers can leverage fa...
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54:01
What I Learned About Addiction from Matt Butler’s Prison Concerts
This episode is an interview with Matt Butler, a singer-songwriter who has performed in jails and prisons across America for a decade. He shares how music creates transformative spaces for healing in correctional environments.• Matt's m...
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48:23
An Overview of Psychiatric Medication (and How They Can Help Patients with Addiction)
Dr. Casey Grover breaks down psychiatric medications and their role in addiction treatment, explaining how different medications work, when they're most appropriate, and which ones to avoid. He provides a practical overview based on his extensi...
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33:59
Fentanyl High: A Teen Filmmaker's Fight Against the Opioid Crisis
Kyle Santoro, a 19-year-old filmmaker, created the documentary "Fentanyl High" to explore teenage psychology behind substance abuse after witnessing overdoses at his high school. His film takes a peer-to-peer approach to addiction education, re...
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42:42
Sobriety is a Team Sport
Tom Barnum, former Michigan State linebacker and NFL player, shares his remarkable journey from addiction to finding joy in sobriety through his team-based approach to recovery. He is the author of the book "Sobriety is a Team Sport...
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29:19
These Shots Save Lives - Using Long Acting Injectable Meds for Addiction
Dr. Casey Grover interviews fellow addiction medicine physician Dr. Jason Giles to explore how addiction specialists approach treatment using long-acting injectable medications as tools for recovery.We discuss:• Dr. Giles shares h...
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48:56
How One of My Patients Quit Kratom
Dr. Casey Grover shares his clinical experience treating Kratom Use Disorder through a detailed case presentation of a 38-year-old man who struggled to find medical professionals knowledgeable about kratom addiction.• Many healthcare pr...
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17:12
Hot Showers and Horror Stories: Scromiting and Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome
Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS), also known as "scromiting," is a debilitating condition characterized by severe nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain that affects heavy cannabis users. Dr. Casey Grover explains this increasingly common s...
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31:49
Can You Overdose on Cannabis? The Answer is Yes (Update from 2023)
The cannabis available today is dramatically stronger than what existed in previous decades, with THC levels climbing from 1% in 1970 to 25-30% in 2025, creating serious risks particularly for young people who don't understand appropriate dosin...
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31:48