Thriving with Addiction with Dr. Jonathan Avery
Thriving with Addiction is a podcast about addiction, recovery, and mental health hosted by addiction psychiatrist Dr. Jonathan Avery. Through conversations with leading experts, people in recovery, families affected by addiction, and clinicians on the front lines, the show explores how individuals and families can better understand addiction and move toward lasting healing.
Topics include addiction and recovery, mental health, the brain and behavior, treatment and healing, the impact of addiction on families, and the evolving science of recovery and wellbeing.
Through his podcast, writing, and clinical work, Dr. Avery helps individuals struggling with substances, their families, and the clinicians who care for them move toward hope and healing.
Dr. Jonathan Avery is the Vice Chair for Addiction Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine and the Medical Director of the NBA’s Anti-Drug Program. His work focuses on improving how healthcare professionals, patients, and families understand substance use disorders and respond with effective treatment, compassion, and evidence-based care.
His expertise has been featured in The New York Times, Time Magazine, and on Next Question with Katie Couric. His upcoming book, Thriving with Addiction: A New Roadmap for Lasting Recovery and Health (Prometheus Books, Fall 2026), is now available for preorder.
Episodes
41 episodes
The Life Beyond Shame: Hilary Phelps on Recovery and Purpose
Hilary Phelps is a recovery advocate, speaker, coach, and founder of The Right Room, a community dedicated to helping women navigate recovery, personal growth, and life's biggest transitions. A former competitive swimmer and the sister of Olymp...
Can Mindfulness Replace Opioids? What the Science Shows with Dr. Eric Garland
Eric Garland, PhD, LCSW, is an Endowed Professor in Health Sciences at the Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion and Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California San Diego, where he directs UCSD ONEMIND. A leading figure in mi...
Recovery Month Kickoff: Adoption, Trauma, and the Road to Recovery with Ben Mushlin
Ben Mushlin is the founder of Searchlight Therapy, a practice dedicated to providing individualized care for adolescents, young adults, and families navigating substance use and mental health challenges. A psychotherapist whose work is informed...
Recovery Month Kickoff: From Eating Disorder and Alcohol Addiction to Recovery Coach with Stephanie Hazard
Stephanie Hazard is a highly sought-after recovery coach and companion. In recovery for 26 years, her experiential knowledge, expertise, and professional training, empower her ability to help others achieve and sustain recovery and wellness.
Beyond the Opioid Crisis: Stigma, Policy, and Treatment Access with Dr. Beth McGinty
Dr. Beth McGinty is the Livingston Farrand Professor and Chief of the Division of Health Policy and Economics at Weill Cornell Medical College. She is also the Co-Founding Director of the Cornell Health Policy Center, a cross-campus center serv...
Redefining Success: Addiction, Incarceration, and Starting Over with Dr. Gary Hartman
Gary Hartman is a periodontist with over 18 years of experience in implant and periodontal surgery, specializing in complex surgical cases, full-arch restorations, and regenerative procedures. Behind that professional success, Gary experienced ...
What We Get Wrong About Addiction with Dr. Carl Hart
Dr. Carl Hart is the Chair of the Department of Psychology at Columbia University and the Mamie Phipps Clark Professor of Psychology (in Psychiatry). An internationally recognized neuroscientist and psychologist, Dr. Hart’s research focuses on ...
From Child Star to Authentic Living: Rivkah Reyes on Trauma, Identity, and Healing
Rivkah Reyes is a performer and creator whose career spans film, music, comedy, and writing. After rising to prominence in School of Rock, they went on to perform with The Second City and appear in projects like Easy, while developing ...
Beyond Tough Love: Rethinking Addiction, Recovery, and Family Support with Dr. Carrie Wilkens
In this episode of Thriving with Addiction, Dr. Carrie Wilkens—psychologist, co-founder of the Center for Motivation and Change, and co-author of Beyond Addiction—discusses why compassion and evidence-based strategies are more effective than to...
From the NBA to Recovery: Growth, Purpose, and Giving Back with Chris Herren
Chris Herren is a former NBA player, author, and nationally recognized recovery advocate who has become one of the leading voices on addiction, mental wellness, and prevention. Sober since 2008, Herren has shared his story with more than two mi...
Can Psychedelics Treat Addiction? with Dr. Albert Garcia-Romeu
Albert Garcia-Romeu, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. His research examines the effects of psychedelics in humans, with a focus on psilocybin as an aid in the treatme...
Bullied, Addicted, Incarcerated — Then Rebuilt: Doug Bopst’s Story
Doug Bopst is an award-winning personal trainer, author, and host of the Adversity Advantage Podcast. A former felon who struggled with substances, he was incarcerated for possession with intent to sell. Doug used his time in jai...
July 4th Alcohol Series: Moderation with Medication with Jonathan Hunt-Glassman
Jonathan Hunt-Glassman is the co-founder and CEO of Oar Health. Oar Health is a telehealth platform that helps people get started with medication to drink less or quit and provides ongoing support as they work toward their goals. Jonathan start...
July 4th Alcohol Series: The Latest Science and Changing Attitudes with Dr. Mashal Khan
Mashal Khan, M.D. is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine and Associate Program Director for the Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship. As the psychiatrist on the Liver Transplant Team, he evaluates organ recipients...
July 4th Alcohol Series: Reclaiming Joy Through Alcohol-Free Living with Maxine Linehan
Maxine Linehan is an internationally acclaimed Irish singer, writer, and theatrical performer whose deeply personal work reimagines beloved songbooks to explore identity, healing, and emotional truth. Her recordings have earned praise from ...
Carrying the Story Forward: Tom Farley on Addiction, Family, and Healing
Tom Farley grew up in Madison, WI, and graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in Marketing. He began his career in banking and finance before running The Chris Farley Foundation (1999–2012), a nationally recognized nonprofit focused...
Chasing Perfection: Body Dysmorphic Disorder and Addiction with Dr. Katharine Phillips
Katharine Phillips, MD, is internationally known for her expertise in body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) and related disorders, such as olfactory reference disorder (ORD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). For more than 30 years, Dr. Phillips...
How Parents Discovered JUUL—and Launched a National Movement
Meredith Berkman is a co-founder of Parents Against Vaping (PAVe), an advocacy and education nonprofit created in 2018 by three moms as a grassroots response to the youth vaping epidemic. Run and powered by volunteers around the country, PAVe i...
When Screen Time Becomes Addiction with Kaitlyn Regehr
Dr Kaitlyn Regehr is an Associate Professor of Digital Humanities at University College London, whose research is focused on digital and AI literacy. She has informed legislation on online safety, most recently feeding into the Online Safety Ac...
Rise, Recover, Thrive: How Scott Strode Is Redefining Addiction Recovery
Scott Strode is the founder of The Phoenix, a national sober active community that helps people recover from addiction through fitness, connection, and purpose. After struggling with alcohol and cocaine use in early adulthood, Scott got sober i...
Can Ozempic Treat Addiction? GLP-1s and the Future of Medicine
Dhruv Khullar, M.D., M.P.P., is a physician and associate professor of health policy and economics at Weill Cornell Medical College and a staff writer at The New Yorker, where he covers medicine, health care, and politics. He serves as Director...
Ambien Addiction Almost Destroyed Her Life: Laura Cathcart Robbins
Laura Cathcart Robbins is the best-selling author of the Atria/Simon & Schuster memoir Stash, My Life In Hiding, and host of the popular podcast Only One In The Room. Laura has been featured on MSNBC, The Tameron Hall Show, C-SPAN, and Dr. ...
The Rapid Rise of Gambling Addiction with Tim Fong
Dr. Timothy Fong is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA.Dr. Fong completed his undergraduate and medical school at Northwestern University in Chicago. He th...
