A Controversial New Way To Think About Addiction | Carrie Wilkens

Wilkens talks about the stigma around substance abuse, potential alternatives to abstinence, and the role of meditation in recovery.  

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Today’s guest, 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:

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• 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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Additional Resources:

• Download the Ten Percent Happier app today: https://10percenthappier.app.link/install

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