Addiction Is a Common Disease in America

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Almost 20 million people in america over the age of 12 battled a substance use disorder. Opioid overdose deaths were around eight thousand in 19 99, but rose to forty seven thousand in two thousand 17. Alcohol is the third leading cause of preventable deaths in the us. About ten percent of the people over 18 are in recovery from a substance abuse issue.

"Addiction doesn't have to be a bummer!," quoth addictionologist Erin Parisi, who has some uplifting and hopeful tales from her professional life. But content warning: it's definitely not a day in the park. Tune in for some info on alcohol dependence, smoking, opiates, behavioral addictions, how addiction can futz with your reward systems, some sobering statistics, what we can learn from rat parties, how childhood experiences can set the stage for substance dependence later, how many people are in recovery, what to do if a friend or loved one seems to have a problem, how to tell if you might have a problem, enjoying your grandpa's casserole, cuddling babies and more.

Erin Parisi's website: www.erincanhelp.com

To find publicly-funded treatment centers in your state, call 1-800-622-HELP or go to www.findtreatment.samhsa.gov

For sliding scale therapy, look into openpathcollective.org

Donations were made to: DrugAbuse.gov and EndtheBacklog.org

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Sound editing by Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam Media & Steven Ray Morris

Theme song by Nick Thorburn