Episode 235: Dr. Robb Kelly | Understanding and Treating Addiction

In this episode, we discuss the latest in the science of addiction medicine with Doctor Robb Kelly. Robb earned his Ph.D. in Psychology at Oxford University in 1984 and today lectures on addiction medicine at the University of Texas-San Antonio. He founded the Robb Kelly Recovery Group to help people suffering from addiction find recovery and purposeful lives, and his memoir Daddy, Daddy, Please Stop Drinking, chronicles his personal experience with alcoholism and recovery.

What we discussed

    • The biological predisposition to becoming an alcoholic.
    • Robb’s realization that alcohol wasn’t the problem, rather it was how he thought about alcohol that was the problem.
    • Neuro-linguistic programming.
    • Somatic experiencing.
    • Brain spotting.
    • Importance of community and connection.
    • The role that trauma plays in addiction and recovery.
    • Overcoming the stigma of addiction and recovery.
    • Defining addiction.
    • The difference between an alcoholic and a heavy drinker.
    • Harm reduction.
    • What’s behind the opioid epidemic.
    • Services that are provided by the Rob Kelley Recovery Group.

Links