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Hosted by Lisa Blanchard and Jesse Chaison of Spectrum Health Systems, this popular podcast discusses addiction and recovery, featuring personal stories, special guests and professional opinion.
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This podcast series addresses topics relevant to families dealing with a loved one's addiction. We are sponsored by AlliesinRecovery.net, *the* premier learning platform for friends/families seeking to become an effective Ally for their loved one. We teach a proven method of intervention that encourages treatment. On AlliesinRecovery.net you'll find eLearning modules, expert hand-tailored guidance, specialized blogs, information on treatment options, and more. Learn about our membership pack ...
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My name is John Marhefka and I am a grateful father in recovery. I have dedicated my life to opening doors, advocating and supporting those who are recovering. I wholeheartedly feel that my success in overcoming barriers was from the support of the peers that have paved the road before me. Peer recovery service centers have played a monumental role…
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Kayla and Isabel discuss the challenges of early recovery. What are realistic expectations to have of our loved ones in this period? What can we do as a family member to support them and, importantly, to keep ourselves in check? It's helpful to know what "early recovery" means -- there's a spectrum that goes from complete abstinence to harm reducti…
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Oy, the holidays. It can be a time full of triggers, for our loved one with substance use disorder, but also for the family member. It's also a time where we can get disconcerting questions about our how our loved ones have been doing. Three family members join Kayla to share wisdom and experiences around the holidays, from answering questions abou…
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It’s incredibly hard to have a loved one who’s experiencing homelessness. Our hosts—Hazel, Kevin, and Greer—join Kayla Solomon to discuss their experiences with their loved ones and offer hard-won advice. They say it’s important to try to create an environment of openness, connection, and availability—up to a point. But it’s also important to have …
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If we're doing too much for our loved ones with substance use disorder, we'll never truly know how capable they are. We need to step back to see their capability and witness their choices, realizing that they have their own motivations and values. CRAFT is about creating a strong connection without necessarily doing things for them. This is a proce…
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Matt Gear shares about the recovery coaching process and its impact on individuals with substance use disorder in our communities. Join Jesse and Lisa on this episode of Airing Addiction!由New England Recovery Center
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It's easy to feel like you have to be perfect with CRAFT, perfect with your loved one to be successful. But perfectionism gets in the way of connection. It can blind us, keep us from seeing our loved one fully. Acknowledging things not going the way you wanted, taking responsibility for behavior that doesn’t work--that’s part of the connection, and…
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What you don’t do – like get caught up in being a superhero, or telling our loved ones what they “should do” – can help your relationships emerge as partnerships. If we develop good relationships, we have power. If we have the capacity to change, we have power. If we have awareness, we can make choices, and that gives us power, too. If we are what …
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Self-care is a pillar of CRAFT; helping yourself is essential to helping your loved one. A lot of CRAFT focuses on a parent trying to help an adult child, so how do we shift things in a partner relationship so we're able to play the starring role in our own lives? Is there room to focus on ourselves when our loved one is not showing up in the relat…
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When your partner suffers from Substance Use Disorder, what are realistic expectations in your relationship? Are your expectations setting you up for frustration? Which of your needs can you meet for yourself? Kayla Solomon and Isabel Cooney explore the often sticky nature of partnership when SUD is involved.…
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A listener writes that she wonders about staying with her husband, who struggles with alcohol but hasn't responded to CRAFT thus far. Would leaving him constitute "natural consequences?" Isabel Cooney and Kayla Solomon examine this important question. Kayla, an IMAGO couples therapist, explains the dynamic of pursuer vs. avoider—which are you with …
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The original CRAFT is outcome-driven and behavioral-based, aimed at getting people into treatment. Allies has made it more connection- and relationship-oriented, focused on listening and communication. The same skill set Allies focuses on -- validating, not arguing, not giving advice or challenging someone's reality or perception -- often works wit…
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On this episode of Airing Addiction: Ralph was a patient at New England Recovery Center December 2021 and was openminded to suggestions and motivated to change his life. He is a powerful testament of putting in the work and getting the positive results. He now works at NERC as a Recovery Specialist helping others just like he was helped. Ralph has …
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What happens to the 30 percent who, in the traditional, research-based CRAFT model, don't make it to treatment in 12 weeks? The Allies version -- "applied" CRAFT -- goes beyond the 12-week version and focuses on change, not just going to treatment. By making changes, starting with yourself, you are engaging in the same work as "treatment." CRAFT fo…
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What do these terms mean? Should we use them? And are they disparaging? "Dry drunk" comes from Alcoholics Anonymous, and refers to someone who's abstinent, but may not obviously be doing more than remaining abstinent. And "manipulation" is often in the eye of the beholder; CRAFT can help take the judgment out of it. The only fact you have is what i…
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On this episode of Airing Addiction: This week we highlight how feeling a sense of belonging can help people on their recovery journey. Program directors Kim Patterson and Ladonne Rogers will share how Peer Recovery Support Centers create community. Building social supports and a caring community is essential for recovery. • We do not recover alone…
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How do you work with anxiety so it's of service to you? Sometimes, anxiety is information akin to intuition, a sign that maybe you need to set up a boundary. At the same time, the only completely accurate fact in moments of anxiety is that you don't know. Part of the work we need to do is getting comfortable with and coping with not-knowing.…
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On this episode of Airing Addiction: This week we highlight the importance of purpose as a motivator for positive change. Kathleen Wise shares her recovery story and how giving back by supporting others at New England Recovery Center helps her find her purpose. Finding purpose in life may be a powerful driver for recovery. • Purpose includes meanin…
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Approach the question of capability with awareness and connection. Look at your own awareness of what they'e capable of or struggling with. You may be doing too much, leaving you unaware of what they can truly do. Do mini-experiments when they want to do things, and collect data. Help them have an opportunity to succeed or fail. Foster connection b…
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On this episode of Airing Addiction: We all need a stable and safe place to call home. - A home provides the foundation for a life in recovery. - Home is a safe, stable, and soft space to land…. even on those really hard days. - Creating safe, affordable housing for all with mental health and substance use conditions supports their recovery. Join h…
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Our hosts speak with Dr. Julie McCarthy, Associate Psychologist at McLean Hospital and Assistant Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School. She completed her bachelor’s degree at Tufts University and clinical psychology doctoral training with a focus on schizophrenia research at the University of Maryland, College Park. She completed her pr…
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On this episode of Airing Addiction: This week we highlight aspects of well-being and their importance to recovery with Katie Heinrich and Sydney Durand from the National Sober Active Community - The Phoenix National Sober Active Community We can strive to be healthier and achieve our wellness goals. • We can overcome challenges related to mental h…
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Celebrate the small victories, so they become bigger. Take yourself out of the story so your loved one can write their own. Trust that they can function on some level. They have the skills they use to navigate the difficult world of substance use, and those skills just need to be translated to a different lifestyle.…
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On this episode of Airing Addiction; Jesse and Lisa will discuss overdose and options available for treatment such as access to mobile MAT care with Regional Program Director Heidi DiRoberto, Director of Nursing Amanda Bouchard, and RSN Mariana Valera. Guest bios: Heidi DiRoberto, LMHC, Regional Executive Director for Spectrum Health Systems Outpat…
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Taking a deliberate break to do nothing is about clearing a space, removing internal clutter and distraction. You can often gain new insight and power to make choices in that space. It's about taking care of yourself, replenishing and healing, and coming up with better ideas than your more anxious or panicked self can.…
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What does it mean to CRAFT? It means slowing things down to look at them in a more complex way, seeing behavior in light of abstinence versus use, using positive reinforcement for positive changes, not focusing on the negative. CRAFT asks you to look at yourself and your reactions, self-talk, and storytelling so that you can step back and make cons…
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When the stakes are low, CRAFT seems easier to use. What do you do when the stakes are high, when danger feels present? Assessing safety -- yours and theirs -- is first. But CRAFT, even in those moments, can help you communicate more effectively while still holding to the boundaries you need. It's tougher in high-stakes situations, so go easy on yo…
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Our hosts address a post from someone whose boyfriend just went to detox. So how does CRAFT come into play now? The reasons someone drank or used drugs before haven't gone away, and they come bubbling to the surface. CRAFT--and the CRAFT community--help you with the process that's begun with this first step of going to treatment.…
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On this episode of Airing Addiction: Sharif Nankoe, MD, MPA, MA, FASAM is the Chief Medical Director for Department of Corrections (DOC) Programs at Spectrum Health Systems, a nonprofit behavioral health organization based in Massachusetts. His area of expertise is the treatment of opioid use disorder in jails and prisons, and he has been involved …
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People around you may want to be helpful, but not know quite how to truly help. They may offer pat answers or tell you to calm down because things aren't so bad. The temptation is to play the short game, to get caught up in the moment and solve the immediate crisis. Instead, learn how to calm your system CRAFT-style, so that you can process and not…
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Your situation is uniquely your own. But as with any illness, it’s not entirely unique—others are also dealing with the illness. Trying strategies to manage your condition is the same thing as using CRAFT for coping with addiction. An important part of CRAFT is the C, which stands for “community.” Don’t be hopeless. Step out and bring the things yo…
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We sometimes hitch our well-being to another person's behavior and emotional state. Strong negative emotions can get in the way of connection. When they happen, notice and respond, but don't derail with the other person. You can see your thoughts as stories -- what story are you telling yourself that produces your emotions? The idea is to turn your…
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How do you make good decisions when the fear of your loved one’s death colors everything? If you’re stuck in a bad dynamic, your only option is to do things differently. CRAFT tools can help you change the dynamic over time, and help your loved one stay alive. It involves facing the fear, and implementing CRAFT on your own terms, in your own time.…
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It can be easy to dismiss things that don't work immediately, to give up and say, "Now what?" That's usually the wrong strategy. Instead, see every day as a new one, and remember that CRAFT takes practice and time. See CRAFT methods as tools for life, for all relationships. Stepping back, listening effectively, giving people respect and power, self…
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Our hosts discuss examples of "the craft of CRAFT" and the art of changing our messaging with subtlety and compassion to communicate better with our loved ones. It's about finding thoughtful ways to express boundaries and explain your needs and requests without criticizing. And keep in mind that the conversation will continue.…
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Christina Dent discusses her new book, Curious: A Foster Mom's Discovery of an Unexpected Solution to Drugs and Addiction. Christina grew up in a conservative Christian home. Her views of addiction changed dramatically when she and her husband became foster parents. Christina founded the non-profit End It For Good to invite others to listen to the …
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Danny is a person in recovery originally from Oklahoma who relocated to Massachusetts three years ago. While his recovery journey began in August of 2000, his first experience with treatment was at an eating disorder unit at 15 years old. He continues his recovery journey in Worcester and in his new hometown of Charlton, MA where he and his husband…
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Laurie asks co-host Kayla questions about the role of a therapist in addressing substance use disorder. Kayla Solomon is a social worker in private practice in Northampton, Mass. Her specialty in addiction began right after college when she was hired as a methadone counselor in Brooklyn. She has worked in Intensive Outpatient Programs, clinics, res…
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Jim is a Recovery Support Assistant at Alyssa’s Place in Gardner, MA and will be sharing his recovery story with the hope that it will help others on their own journey to recovery. Join Jesse and Lisa as Jim shares his experience, only on Airing Addiction!由New England Recovery Center
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Our hosts have a conversation with Bill Carruthers, who describes himself as "a person in long-term recovery." He is also a Certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioner; a Certified Peer Specialist for Mental Health, Addictive Disease, and Whole Health; and a Forensic Peer Mentor. He has done hundreds of presentations and workshops, and works …
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A listener asks about their son's marijuana use: is it a problem? With a substance that also had medicinal uses but can also create issues, more questions arise. Are there benefits? Is the person functioning and communicating well? Are they connecting with people? The answers lie in working on communication, in helping the person understand for the…
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Our hosts discuss the situation of a family whose loved one wants to do fentanyl detox at home. What's involved in detoxing? How does it work? And should they let their loved one do it this way?
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If you're forced to have limited contact, it can be hard to handle the unknown. It's important to learn how to be in contact in simple ways, and to calm your system down to respond well and strengthen the connection. Use humor; find ways to connect with who they are and what they like -- reminding them of who they are becomes a bridge and connectio…
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A Worcester native, Chris has experienced many triumphs and hardships throughout this life and is hoping by sharing his story he will help inspire and educate others on the often-misunderstood world of #mentalhealth. Tune in to listen to Chris's story with your hosts Jesse and Lisa. Only on Airing Addiction!…
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In a sort of CRAFT primer, our hosts define and discuss "agency" -- the sense of control you have -- and how it works for your loved one and for you. The goal is to feed positivity so they feel agency and can make better decisions. You foster agency in someone else by calming down and gaining more agency of your own.…
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It’s important to CRAFT that you become a complex thinker – not just black/white or good/bad, but looking at a bigger picture to see a range of possibilities and hold more than one truth. To, as Kayla says, “heal into wholeness,” it’s important to become more yourself by experiencing all the feelings and thoughts you may have, to hold them and see …
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You hear it a lot -- "allow for natural consequences." But what does that really mean? Natural consequences are the things you sometimes shield your loved one from -- whether it's a small conversation with someone who's upset with them, or something much larger. If something endangers life or well-being, different rules apply. But allowing the cons…
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Our hosts discuss and offer advice on two stories and questions covered in the Allies in Recovery blog. First is a look at a woman who took a stand with her older sister -- who then dropped out of sight. Second is a family whose loved one experienced seizures during withdrawal, but wanted to stay alone while detoxing.…
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You can become an agent of change by changing yourself. How do you step back, take space, change the dance from the usual interactions? You can't do that if you're moving too fast to assess things. Remember that change starts slowly; make small changes, and let them accumulate over time. Crisis that happens all the time is actually chronic behavior…
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