Adi’s Guest Appearance on Cleaning Up the Mental Mess with Dr. Caroline Leaf: An Unconventional But Highly Effective Method to Overcoming Addiction

This week on the podcast, I'm doing something that I've never done before! I'm bringing you an interview conducted by somebody else and featuring me as a guest. And that somebody else is Dr. Caroline Leaf, who I recently had the pleasure to sit down with and talk to!

This week on the podcast, I’m doing something that I’ve never done before! I’m bringing you an interview conducted by somebody else and featuring me as a guest. And that somebody else is Dr. Caroline Leaf, who I recently had the pleasure to sit down with and talk to!

Dr. Caroline Leaf is a mental health advocate and does some incredible work. She is a cognitive neuroscientist, bestselling author, and mental health and mind expert. In her podcast, CLEANING UP THE MENTAL MESS with Dr. Caroline Leaf, we revisited my story and explored some unique aspects of it that you may have not heard before. She was an amazing interviewer and I think you’re going to get a lot out of this episode!

We talk about my personal story with addiction, how to help someone you know who is struggling with addiction, how addictions develop, why abstinence is ineffective, and how to find healing if you, yourself, are struggling with addiction.

IGNTD Specials:

Free IGNTD Recovery Workshop

New IGNTD Recovery Live Online Support Groups

The Abstinence Myth, by Dr. Adi Jaffe — Get the book for free here! Just cover shipping!

IGNTD Hero Program

Family SOS Workshop

Topics Discussed:

[:35] About today’s special episode.

[1:58] Dr. Caroline Leaf introduces me as a guest on her podcast, CLEANING UP THE MENTAL MESS.

[4:00] Dr. Caroline Leaf welcomes me to her podcast.

[4:50] Telling the story of the time I was encouraged to not tell others my story.

[10:54] Telling my story of my addiction and the experiences that made me want to change.

[24:10] Why going to jail was a gift for me.

[27:57] How I handled my time in jail.

[30:36] Talking about the process of reconnecting with my parents during this time.

[33:37] Sharing about my initial time after jail: from rich drug dealer to broke with no job.

[34:22] Why I decided to go to school after jail and what the transition was like from jail to college.

[39:10] Why people go to substance abuse and how my approach to overcoming addiction is different than the traditional approach.

[48:32] What a confirmation bias is and how it relates to addiction.

[50:03] How I get to the ‘why’ with my patients.

[51:47] The key to creating change.

[52:56] The hard work that goes into overcoming addiction and why it is all about the ‘why.’

[53:44] What you can do as a friend or a family member to help someone with an addiction through the process of recovery. I also cover the principles behind IGNTD and how my program works.

[59:18] If you’re not the one struggling, here’s how you can help.

[1:02:06] Sharing an example from a patient and his family that I work with and how I’ve helped them through this process.

[1:08:37] Summarizing a quick, practical how-to for someone who is an addict.

[1:12:14] The advice I would give to someone who may be pressured to say they are an addict at a support group they’re attending.

[1:13:27] The importance of finding the tools that work for you.

[1:13:59] What keeps me awake at night and what gets me up in the morning.

[1:14:51] Dr. Caroline Leaf inquires where to find more of my work online.

[1:15:15] Dr. Caroline Leaf wraps up the podcast!

Mentioned in this Episode:

CLEANING UP THE MENTAL MESS with Dr. Caroline Leaf

The Abstinence Myth, by Dr. Adi Jaffe — Get the book for free here! Just cover shipping!

IGNTD Hero Program