How Trauma Fuels Addiction & The 4 Pillars for Recovery with Joe Polish

Have you ever wondered if you have an addiction? Maybe you have openly struggled with one or know someone with one?

As an addiction medicine physician, there are more people than the studies estimate who live with an addiction, either because they don’t know yet or because no one is asking them the questions to have it be documented.

People pull me aside at social events and want to ask me if they have an addiction to their prescription pills for sleep, anxiety or pain or to things like work, exercise and adrenaline. 

I wanted to share this specific episode on addiction and its antidote connection because the risk for addictions is higher than ever. 

Our modern world - with increased isolation, social media dependency, and decreased authentic community - creates conditions that make addiction more likely. The increasing rates of anxiety, depression, and overwhelm in our society mean more people are vulnerable to using addictive behaviors as coping mechanisms. In fact, it is a hidden epidemic. Many people are "functional addicts" without recognizing it because society normalizes various addictive behaviors. This makes it critical for each of us to understand the underlying patterns that drive addiction. Whether it is to be mindful of our own vulnerability or to navigate recovery with better success than the traditional approaches, addiction is something we all need to understand now. 

I'm honored to share a powerful conversation with Joe Polish, founder of Genius Network® and Genius Recovery. Joe's journey from nearly losing everything to addiction to becoming one of the world's most connected entrepreneurs offers hope and practical wisdom for anyone touched by addiction - whether personally or through loved ones. We will be answering the question, “How does creating genuine connection and safety accelerate healing from addiction?”

In this episode, you'll discover:

• How addiction is a survival strategy to disconnect from the pain of stored trauma in the body
• The four essential pillars for sustainable recovery: community, biochemistry, environment, and trauma work
• Why unlearning harmful patterns is often more important than learning new ones
• Practical tools to move from shame into courage
• How to build genuine connections that will buffer us from an addiction and support long-term healing for those in recovery

For more information and show notes, please visit our website: https://biologyoftrauma.com/biology-of-trauma-podcast/