Flourishing After Addiction with Carl Erik Fisher

Sign up for my newsletter and immediately receive my free guide to the many pathways to recovery, as well as regular updates on new interviews, material, and other writings. Today I’m sharing my conversation with my friend Eric Zimmer: author, teacher, person in recovery, and the creator of The One You Feed, an award-winning podcast with more than 50 million downloads and over 800 conversations exploring what it means to live a meaningful life.Eric, I should add, is one of the most requested guests for this show—I’m sure this is in large part because of his curious, rigorous, and thoughtful approach to addiction recovery and personal change. We first met shortly after I launched The Urge and became fast friends, so I was happy to have this chance to talk to him ahead of the launch of his new book, How a Little Becomes a Lot, coming out March 31. (I recorded this conversation with Eric a little while ago and held onto it so we could release it around the launch of his new book.)Check out my Substack post for more about EricSign up for my newsletter and immediately receive my own free guide to the many pathways to recovery, as well as regular updates on new interviews, material, and other writings. 

David Nutt, Edmond J. Safra Professor of Neuropsychopharmacology and outspoken drug policy researcher. He critiques the dopamine-centric view of addiction and explores why reductionist neuroscience failed. He discusses varied addiction drivers, evolving circuit models, and the promise and limits of psychedelics alongside psychotherapy.

Sign up for my newsletter and immediately receive my free guide to the many pathways to recovery, as well as regular updates on new interviews, material, and other writings. This is a special audio edition of my recent Substack conversation with neuroscientist and writer Tim Requarth. The full post—including the video and more detailed show notes—is available on my Substack.Neuroscientist, writer, and NYU faculty member Tim Requarth joins me to talk about what "AI dependency" really means. Some behavioral addiction researchers are proposing that "ChatGPT addiction" qualifies as a bonafide mental disorder, while others strongly object! We explore how tools like ChatGPT affect our thinking and attention, and whether AI can actually cause "brain damage"--as recent headlines have claimed. We discuss what happens when people lose trust in their own thinking, why productive struggle matters, and why AI can’t challenge your assumptions the way a real friend would.Check out my Substack post for more! Sign up for my newsletter and immediately receive my own free guide to the many pathways to recovery, as well as regular updates on new interviews, material, and other writings. 

Sign up for my newsletter and immediately receive my free guide to the many pathways to recovery, as well as regular updates on new interviews, material, and other writings. Today I’m excited to share my conversation with Melody Glenn, an emergency medicine doc, addiction physician, and Associate Professor at University of Arizona, who just published her first book: Mother of Methadone: A Doctor's Quest, a Forgotten History, and a Modern-Day Crisis. It’s an important story that reveals how we got into our current mess of a treatment system and challenges some foundational myths about addiction that are deeply ingrained in our cultural history. Ultimately, it’s an inspiring biography of a pioneer who was able totally transform care, even during troubled times.Check out my Substack post for more about Melody's work! Sign up for my newsletter and immediately receive my own free guide to the many pathways to recovery, as well as regular updates on new interviews, material, and other writings. 

In this engaging discussion, psychologist Dr. Diana Hill, an expert in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), shares insights from her upcoming book, Wise Effort. She explores the concept of 'wise effort' and how it differs from struggling against our challenges. Diana opens up about her own experiences with anorexia and the limitations of traditional treatments, emphasizing the importance of values and community support in recovery. The conversation also touches on the intersection of technology and therapy, highlighting the need for mindfulness in our fast-paced digital lives.

Sign up for my newsletter and immediately receive my free guide to the many pathways to recovery, as well as regular updates on new interviews, material, and other writings. As promised, here's a quick follow-up to my conversation with Dr. Jud Brewer. We got so caught up in the core science and models of self-control and anxiety that we completely forgot to talk about what he actually came on to share: his new nonprofit, Mindshift Recovery!So we hopped back the mic on to cover the details—their courses and group models, of course, but also more about how he puts into practice his core approach to working with habitual, addictive behavior. We also dive a bit more into his model of how awareness (not willpower) creates lasting change. It's fascinating work that's worth knowing about, and perhaps trying, if you're interested in how contemplative approaches can be applied to addiction recovery.Finally, we close with a bonus meditation: an inquiry into the nature of craving itself.For a short episode, it's surprisingly rich. The meditation alone is worth the listen.As always, let me know what you think!Check out my Substack posts for more links to Jud's work and our previous conversation. Sign up for my newsletter and immediately receive my own free guide to the many pathways to recovery, as well as regular updates on new interviews, material, and other writings. 

Dr. Jud Brewer, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist, unpacks the idea that self can be a habit, linking addiction and anxiety to habit loops shaped by reward. He emphasizes awareness over willpower for promoting lasting change and discusses the addictive nature of 'selfing.' The conversation critiques traditional views on addiction, highlighting its complexity and societal influences. Jud also explores the nuances of anxiety and addiction, encouraging listeners to engage in self-discovery for healthier habits and flourishing lives.

Owen Flanagan, an internationally acclaimed philosopher and author of 'What Is It Like to Be an Addict?', shares his personal journey with addiction and recovery. He dives into the struggle for self-control, underscoring the psychological mechanisms behind cravings. Flanagan discusses societal shifts in understanding addiction since the 1980s, promoting an inclusive view of recovery. He proposes a nuanced framework that integrates philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience, challenging oversimplified narratives surrounding addiction.

In this engaging discussion, Ryan Hampton, a recovery advocate and author, shares insights from his campaign for Nevada's state assembly and his new book, 'Fentanyl Nation.' He tackles the challenges within the overdose crisis and drug policy, emphasizing the toxic politics surrounding addiction. Ryan highlights the intertwined issues of homelessness and addiction, critiquing misrepresentations in public narratives. His perspective on fostering compassionate, fact-based advocacy and civic engagement resonates powerfully amidst today's polarized climate.

Jessica Hoppe's brand-new memoir, First in the Family: A Story of Survival, Recovery, and the American Dream, is a tremendous exploration of addiction, intergenerational trauma, and the complex allure of the American Dream. I had the great pleasure of reading this book in advance copy and I’m so happy to be able to help spread the word and wholeheartedly endorse the book now. Don’t take my word for it. Leslie Jamison: “fierce and wise.” Javier Zamora: “raw and brilliant.” Kiese Laymon: “Art at its best.”In our interview, Jessica jumps right into her recovery experience, sharing how she confronted her addiction and how she works her recovery today. We discuss the great dangers inherent in the pursuit of exceptionalism, reflecting on how these ideals contributed to her substance use. Jessica calls the American Dream "the ultimate gateway drug," and we talk about the pressures that pushed her to self-medicate in a society that often values success over humanity. We speak about her experiences as a person of color in 12-step recovery, including encountering racism and white supremacy in the rooms, and her thoughts about how mutual help practices and traditions need to evolve. Just like Jessica’s work, this interview is heartfelt, passionate, thought-provoking, and beautifully articulated. Check it out. Jessica Hoppe is a Honduran Ecuadorian writer based in New York City. She has been featured on ABC News and HBOMax Pa'lante! and her work has appeared in the Latino Book Review, The New York Times, Vogue, Paper Magazine, and elsewhere. Jessica is a board member of Time of Butterflies, a non-profit supporting families through domestic abuse recovery, and an organizer with the Central American Writer's group.Her debut memoir First in the Family is available today!In this episode: - Hanif Abdurraqib - Tommy Orange  - The Wellbriety Movement – which “provides culturally based healing for the next seven generations of Indigenous people. Mission: Disseminate culturally based principles, values, and teachings to support healthy community development and servant leadership, and to support healing from alcohol, substance abuse, co-occurring disorders, and intergenerational trauma.”  - the book, The Red Road to WellbrietySign up for my newsletter and immediately receive my own free guide to the many pathways to recovery, as well as regular updates on new interviews, material, and other writings.