Episode 1: What Substance Use Looks Like: Don't Judge a Book by its Cover

Send a textIn our Season 2 premiere, hosts Dr. Farzad Kamyar and Amani Wilson welcome EMPOWERED Peer Recovery Support Specialist Sam Kreton for a candid conversation that challenges prevalent misconceptions about substance use disorders. Drawing from her lived experience and professional expertise, Sam shares powerful insights into how addiction touches lives across all demographic boundaries.This episode dismantles harmful stereotypes through compelling personal narratives and evidence-based discussion. Listeners will gain a more nuanced understanding of substance use disorders, learn to recognize how stigma creates barriers to treatment, and discover how peer support is revolutionizing the recovery landscape.Whether you're in recovery, supporting a loved one, or simply seeking to expand your perspective, this conversation offers valuable insights into the complex realities of addiction and the universal human capacity for transformation.If you live in Southern Nevada, in Reno, Carson City, Churchill County, or Lyon County in Northern Nevada, or in Weber County or Davis County in Utah, and you’re pregnant or recently had a baby and using opioids or stimulants for any reason, there is non-judgmental help available to you. No referral or insurance is required. Visit empoweredmoms.org for information or to request services.If you live outside of these areas, we encourage you to find resources in your community.EMPOWERED Voices is a podcast production of the EMPOWERED program at Roseman University College of Medicine, supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Overdose Data to Action Grant through the Southern Nevada Health District. This project has been funded by grant number NH28CE003534 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by the Southern Nevada Health District, CDC, or the U.S. Government.Hosted by Dr. Farzad Kamyar, and Amani Wilson.Executive Producers are Dr. Andria Peterson and Jason Roth, with production assistance by Rachel Mack.Recorded at the Video Podcast Studio at Canico Media in Las Vegas, Nevada.