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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

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