Let's Talk Drugs

What does the future look like for veterans recovering after wartime? We investigate promising new approaches to veteran care, including MDMA-assisted therapy, and how these may impact the future for struggling veterans. There is always hope for recovery.

Once the war is over, a new battle begins. Veterans returning home from war face many challenges, including PTSD, coping with injuries, and insufficient resources to help them adjust to day-to-day living outside the military.

For centuries, drugs have been used by soldiers during wartime, often at the encouragement of their leaders. Why was drug use encouraged during war? What drugs are most commonly used during war?

Drugs and alcohol are distinctly involved in sexual assault because they can undermine a person’s ability to give full consent. What is the fallout for survivors of drug-fueled rape, and how can we work together to protect each other from these experiences?

Poppers, ecstasy, cocaine, oh my! Lots of people use drugs to enhance sex. But, what could this mean for your health? We sat down with sex-pert Amy Baldwin to get to the bottom of it.

Can marijuana actually cause problems with learning and memory? What makes each strain different, and what does this mean for the effects? As more and more states legalize medical and recreational marijuana, it is becoming more and more important to get to knows the ins and outs of this prevalent drug.

Hangovers are the worst. Is there any way to cure them? Our friend Dan explains what hangovers are, why they hurt so much, and what we can do to get better, faster. As you head into the new year, make sure you’re armed with drinking facts so that you can have a good time and, most importantly, stay safe.

The opioid crisis affects everyone. We all need to work together to end it. In this episode, we discuss advice for how to help and reasons to hold onto hope in the midst of this epidemic.

Stephanie has spent years of her life struggling with heroin addiction. She overdosed seven times. It’s easy to say she has experienced the current opioid epidemic firsthand. Stephanie describes her struggle, how she overcame it, and what gives her hope for the future of this crisis.

Over-prescribing practices have fed directly into this crisis. Many addicted individuals started with opioid medications like Vicodin. Dr. Stephen Grinstead, a doctor specializing in alternative pain management, describes the medical history behind the epidemic and what doctors are doing now to help.

How has the opioid crisis affected law enforcement and emergency responders? What is being done to keep addicts safe from bad treatment centers? I talked with Detective Nicole Lucas to find out.

To kick off our new series, Lollie describes her own situation that many can relate to –  when drug experimentation turns into overdose. Lollie talks about her first and last time taking Percocet.

Can your brain ever fully recover after drug abuse or addiction? We’ve learned that drugs change your brain, but are these changes permanent? We circle back with Dr. Scott Salomone to discuss what addiction means for the brain and how you can heal.

Alright, let’s dive into the weird drugs: marijuana and psychedelics (mushrooms, acid, and ecstasy). These drugs have stumped researchers, but why? Dr. Ben Romoli explains how these drugs work and why they are so strange.

Dr. Ben Romoli, a neuroscientist studying drug addiction, explains why opioids like heroin and painkillers cause so many overdose deaths; why stimulants like Adderall, cocaine, or meth put your heart at risk; and why depressants like alcohol and benzodiazepines can cause blackouts when you’re using and seizures when you quit.

What really happens when someone takes a drug? What’s going on in their brain to produce such wild effects? We sat down with Dr. Scott Salomone, a resident in psychiatry, to talk about how drugs work in the brain and how these effects could lead to addiction.

Will ecstasy really cause holes in your brain? Does drinking coffee help sober you up after a night of drinking? If marijuana is considered medical, does that mean it’s completely safe? We’ve all heard these rumors, but what does the research say? Listen in to find out!

Does LSD stay in your body forever? If a pill comes from a doctor, does that mean it’s safe? What does an addict look like? It’s important to know the facts when it comes to drugs, so we searched the studies to see if any of these myths had evidence behind them.

Can you get addicted to heroin the first time you use it? Isn’t alcohol only dangerous if you’re addicted to it? Aren’t addicts cured after rehab? We’ve heard these myths many times, but is there any truth to them? Tune in to find out!

Okay, we have a better idea of how our culture has impacted our drinking, but what can we all do about it? Education alone has been proven not to work, so what actually does work, and how can we carry that into our everyday lives?