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
158 episodes
Wonderful Person, Horrible Disease: What It's Like Being Married To Someone With Addiction
A physician-mom sits across from us and tells the truth: she loved a good, kind man whose alcoholism, fueled by unhealed PTSD, dismantled their family one crisis at a time. From quiet home drinking to ER runs, withdrawal hallucinations, and an ...
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48:50
How to Help Someone With Addiction Who Isn't Ready to Change
What if the fastest way to help a loved one stop using isn’t pushing harder but stepping out of the “villain” role? We sit down with master addiction counselor and YouTuber Amber Hollingsworth to unpack a practical, compassionate framework that...
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50:38
A Principal’s Playbook For School Drug Prevention
The bell rings, the doors open, and the real work begins: keeping kids safe while the drug market slips into their phones and pockets. We sit down with Principal Leland Hansen to unpack the day-to-day reality of school-based prevention, from va...
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39:27
Why Substance Use Looks Different After 65
The most dangerous phrase in senior health might be “I’ve always handled it fine.” We dive into how aging reshapes the risks of alcohol, benzodiazepines, opioids, nicotine, and today’s ultra‑potent cannabis—and why familiar habits can turn haza...
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35:44
A Bariatric Surgeon Schools Me On Food Addiction and Weight Loss Surgery
Food isn’t just fuel and obesity isn’t just willpower. We sat down with bariatric surgeon Dr. Mark Vierra to unpack what weight-loss surgery really changes, why genetics and hormones can overpower the best intentions, and how a careful program ...
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1:08:30
The Brain Science Behind Addiction
Your brain is ancient, but your world is not. We unpack how a hunter-gatherer reward system runs into modern dopamine superstimuli—engineered foods, infinite feeds, one-click buys, and potent drugs—and why that mismatch can spiral into addictio...
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32:57
Gas Station Heroin and the Loopholes Fueling “Legal Highs” In America
A brightly colored box at a smoke shop should not hit like an opioid, yet that’s the business model behind “gas station heroin.” We dive into how tianeptine—a foreign antidepressant with mu‑opioid activity—landed on American countertops as a “d...
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52:41
What It’s Really Like To Practice Addiction Medicine
Have you ever wondered what it's like to practice Addiction Medicine? In this episode I speak about what we do in Addiction Medicine - both generally as well as how we do things in our practice on the Central Coast of California. I ...
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34:57
Busting Myths, Building Trust: Communicating with Patients
Dr. Casey Grover welcomes Dr. Sarah Nasir, an addiction medicine specialist, for an insightful conversation about effectively communicating with patients and addressing common myths in addiction treatment.• Personal journeys into addict...
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49:05
Dual Diagnosis: Why Treating One Without the Other Never Works
Mental health conditions and addiction are deeply intertwined, creating complex treatment challenges that require addressing both simultaneously. Dr. Mark Hrymoc, an addiction psychiatrist, shares insights on effectively treating dual diagnosis...
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47:09
Weight Loss Surgery Doesn't Treat Food Addiction
Dr. Casey Grover shares his personal struggle with food addiction and binge eating while exploring the science behind why certain foods trigger addictive behaviors in the brain. He examines how the food industry deliberately engineers products ...
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30:18
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