The One You Feed

Maia Szalavitz on The Case For Harm Reduction

Sep 14, 2021

Maia Szalavitz, a leading voice on addiction and drug policy, discusses her book, "Undoing Drugs: The Untold Story of Harm Reduction and the Future of Addiction." She advocates for harm reduction as a compassionate alternative to traditional addiction treatments. The conversation examines the complexities of U.S. drug policies and the stigma surrounding addiction. Maia emphasizes individual paths to recovery, challenging the binary approaches of abstinence versus moderation. Her insights advocate for understanding, compassion, and improving quality of life for those affected by addiction.

57:03

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Episode guests

Maia Szalavitz

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Episode notes

Intro

4min

The One You Feed: Compassion in Addiction Recovery

8min

Reevaluating Drug Policies in America

17min

Understanding Harm Reduction and Its Impact

2min

Understanding Recovery: Individual Paths in Addiction

18min

Rethinking Recovery: From Abstinence to Quality of Life

5min

Rethinking Recovery: Harm Reduction vs. Abstinence

5min

Understanding Recovery and Family Impact in Addiction

2min

Maia Szalavitz is an American reporter and New York Times best-selling author who has focused much of her work on the topic of addiction. She has won awards from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Drug Policy Alliance, the American Psychological Association and the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology for her 30 years of groundbreaking writing on addiction, drug policy and neuroscience.

In this episode, Maia and Eric discuss her book, Undoing Drugs: The Untold Story of Harm Reduction and the Future of Addiction.

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In This Interview, Maia Szalavitz and I Discuss The Case for Harm Reduction and…

Her book: Undoing Drugs: The Untold Story of Harm Reduction and the Future of Addiction
What “harm reduction” means in the case of addition
The truth behind why we have the drug policies that we currently have
Differentiating between the terms dependence and addiction
The real problem of addiction being the compulsive behavior that’s ruining your life
The role of moderation in substance use in people in recovery
How to know whether or not moderation or abstinence is right for you
The problem with a binary approach to drug use
The harm reduction recovery approach as any positive change
The difficult but crucial role of being a beginner to learn what’s right for you

Maia Szalavitz Links:

Maia’s Website

Twitter

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If you enjoyed this conversation with Maia Szalavitz, you might also enjoy these other episodes:

Maia Szalavitz on a Different Lens of Addiction (2017)

Judson Brewer on Addiction and the Craving Mind

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