Ten Percent Happier
September 20, 2023

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.  

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:

  • 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

Additional Resources: