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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
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/carrie-wilkens
