A Controversial New Way To Think About Addiction | Carrie Wilkens

New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers. --- Wilkens talks about the stigma around substance abuse, potential alternatives to abstinence, and the role of meditation in recovery.   Carrie Wilkens, PhD, is the Co-founder, Co-president and CEO of the Center for Motivation and Change: Foundation for Change, a nonprofit organization with the mission of improving the dissemination of evidence-based ideas and strategies to professionals and loved ones of persons struggling with substance use through the Invitation to Change approach. She is co-author of the book, The Beyond Addiction Workbook for Family and Friends: Evidence-Based Skills to Help a Loved One Make Positive Change and Beyond Addiction: How Science and Kindness Help People Change. In this episode we talk about: The stigma around substance abuse Defining terms: addiction vs. substance use disorder and why it matters How substance use disorder affects our brain How to diagnose a substance abuse disorder Whether there is an alternative to abstinence How we all need to be thoughtful about the relationship we want with substances How and why a substantial percentage of people naturally recover without going to treatment  The strategies to use if you have someone in your life who you think is on a destructive path  What positive communication is and how to practice it How we live in a quick fix society and recovery from substance abuse disorder is a slow process What actually makes people change The role of meditation in recovery—for the patient and the family And the importance of taking care of yourself so you can take care of others Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/carrie-wilkens