Trapped: Understanding Addiction

Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay, and thank you for coming back.
In this episode, I talk to Dr. Noel Vest about his journey through addiction, incarceration, and, ultimately, recovery. Dr. Vest discusses the early influences on his drug use, his first experiences with drugs and alcohol, and how his addiction landed him in prison. He goes on to describe his path to recovery through education in prison and beyond and explains how finding one’s passion and committing oneself to a cause can lead to a lifetime of fulfillment.

Dr. Noel Vest is an Instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at the Stanford School of Medicine and an advocate for social justice issues and public policy concerning prison reentry. His research focuses on the intersection of mental health and substance use disorders. He is also involved in several initiatives, like Unlock Higher Education, that promote opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals.

In this episode, I discuss addiction in the LGBTQIA+ community with Dr. Brian Hurley, Medical Director of the Division of Substance Abuse Prevention and Control for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and President-Elect of the American Society of Addiction Medicine Board of Directors. Dr. Hurley reviews the data we have on the prevalence of use disorders in sexual and gender minorities, what risk factors might predispose individuals to the development of an addiction, and why engaging with patients in a respectful and inclusive manner is essential to successful treatment.

Dr. Hurley is board-certified in psychiatry, addiction psychiatry, and addiction medicine, and he has previously served on the board of GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBT Equality and as the chair of the LGBT Advisory Committee to the American Medical Association’s Board of Trustees.

Medical professionals bear an enormous responsibility taking care of patients and are often held to a higher standard than other members of society. However, they are human and are therefore also susceptible to the development of addiction, especially given the stresses they are placed under. In this episode, I speak with Dr. Michael Sprintz about substance use disorders in healthcare professionals. Dr. Sprintz is triple board-certified in anesthesiology, pain medicine, and addiction medicine and has struggled with addiction himself, giving him a unique understanding of this topic. He talks about why he first started using substances and how accepting who he was and being authentic was key to his long-term recovery.

Dr. Michael Sprintz is a physician, entrepreneur, author, consultant, public speaker and a national expert on the intersection of chronic pain and addiction. He received training at top tier institutions including Johns Hopkins Hospital and MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Sprintz founded the Sprintz Center for Pain and Recovery, located in Texas, in 2013 and at the same time started a software company, Cellarian, which automates medical documentation to give providers more quality time for their patients. Dr. Sprintz has consulted for organizations in the pharmacology, biotechnology, and medical device spaces. He is currently on an FDA advisory committee and is also active in local and national medical societies, working to create and support policies that help patients and providers become their own best advocates and re-engage and protect their healthcare relationships.

An estimated 50 million adults suffer from chronic pain in the U.S., which can interfere with their ability to work, take part in normal activities, or enjoy life. The treatment of chronic pain is complex, even more so if a person struggles with a coexisting substance use disorder. In this episode, I speak with Dr. Gregory Rudolf about the various treatment options for chronic pain, the problem of opioid-induced hyperalgesia in patients on long-term opioids, and how a holistic approach with active patient participation yields the best results.

Dr. Rudolf works in a multidisciplinary pain management specialty clinic at Swedish Health Services in Seattle. He is board certified in pain medicine, addiction medicine, and medical acupuncture. He is also certified and residency-trained in family medicine and brings a longitudinal, whole-person perspective to his work with patients who suffer from chronic pain and substance use disorders. He is the current chair of the American Society of Addiction Medicine Pain and Addiction Committee and the President of the Washington Society of Addiction Medicine. He is also on the clinical faculty of the University of Washington School of Medicine.

In this episode, I talk to Dr. Snehal Bhatt about the use of psychedelics in the treatment of substance use disorders. Dr. Bhatt was one of the principal investigators for an exciting study demonstrating the ability of psilocybin to reduce heavy drinking in patients with alcohol use disorder. He reviews the history of psychedelic use in medicine, discusses their future therapeutic potential, and goes over the results of his psilocybin trial.

Dr. Bhatt is the Chief of Addiction Psychiatry and Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. Dr. Bhatt’s work focuses on improving access to addiction treatment in communities across New Mexico, novel pharmacological treatments for substance use disorders, and medical education.