Kenneth Anderson
Kenneth Anderson
VOCAL - Self Medication
VOCAL - Self Medication
VOCAL - Self Medication
Friday 11th November 2011
Eric and Hiawatha from VOCAL discuss harm reduction, while Dr. Khantzian explains the self-medication hypothesis of addiction.
62 minutes
Informative
Empowering
Hopeful
Compassionate
Thought-provoking
About this podcast
Author:
Kenneth Anderson
Overview:
Categories:
Innovative Treatments & Recovery Paths
Sobriety Toolkit
Family Recovery from Addiction
Navigating Intimate Relationships
Nutritional Pathways to Recovery
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Get the buttons here!VOCAL and Self-Medication: Real Talk on Addiction and Harm Reduction
You know, maybe heroin use, where the girlfriend always dies and the dude ends up in jail. And so a user's union gives people a chance to create new paradigms, or you know new examples of living as a drug user and say: you know what, I'm a drug user and I don't steal, I don't cheat people I might be dependent on.
What happens when you bring together grassroots activism and pioneering academic theories on addiction? You get a compelling episode of Harm Reduction Radio, hosted by Kenneth Anderson. In this episode, you'll hear from Eric and Hiawatha, representatives of VOCAL, a Brooklyn-based organization dedicated to harm reduction and social justice.
They share their front-line experiences in helping those affected by drug use and the drug war, shedding light on overdose prevention, relapse prevention, and the need to change the stigmatizing language around drug users. They also tackle the heavy subject of the prison industrial complex and its devastating impact on communities and families. Switching gears, the episode then welcomes Dr. Edward Khantzian from Harvard University, who dives into his self-medication hypothesis of addiction. Dr.
Khantzian explains how people often turn to addictive substances to relieve psychological suffering, albeit temporarily, and how this ultimately backfires. He offers insights into how clinicians can guide patients toward healthier coping mechanisms. The conversation also touches on the frequent co-occurrence of mental illness and substance abuse, emphasizing the importance of addressing nicotine dependence from a harm reduction perspective. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the multi-faceted approaches to addiction treatment.
It offers valuable perspectives on both grassroots activism and academic theories, making it a rich resource for understanding the complexities of addiction and harm reduction.