Longterm: A Podcast on Recovery – Interview with Tom Horvath, Ph.D.

Longterm: A Podcast on Recovery
Interview with Tom Horvath, Ph.D.
Episode: Understanding Recovery Beyond the Stereotype

YouTube:

https://youtu.be/c3wGl2If6o8?si=8HplQQxea6gMuG7c

Spotify and all other podcast platforms:

https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/tiking/

The host is Ti King. The podcast was described this way:

Dr. Horvath explains that SMART Recovery is a free mutual-help group, similar to AA in its community-driven support. However, it stands apart with its self-empowering philosophy, contrasting with the “powerlessness” approach. SMART Recovery does not require belief in a higher power and supports individuals choosing to reduce harm, moderate, or abstain from substances, allowing for personalized goals. The program teaches a variety of coping and thinking skills, directly helping participants reframe their relationship with addictive behaviors. As Dr. Horvath puts it, participants learn to see the substance not as a solution, but as a problem itself, empowering them to find new coping mechanisms and live more balanced lives. He highlights that while many could benefit from either SMART Recovery or 12-step programs, SMART offers a crucial alternative for those who find 12-step meetings unsuitable.

I was pleased with how this podcast turned out. Somehow the questions asked and the answers that came out (there are no guarantees about that process!) aligned to provide 43 minutes of useful information. I got to cover many of the ideas that I would like the public to know about the process of change from addictive problems.

Although I have never considered podcasts an efficient way to convey information (I’d rather read it), video does allow for intonation and facial expression (duh…). I hope this podcast conveys more depth than the written word alone would.

What remains astonishing to me is how the information we covered is so new to so many people! Is it true that there are more mutual help groups than AA? That even if someone feels powerless over a substance—as some do—they are not powerless in other areas of their lives? That the process of change could happen quickly but often is a back-and-forth learning process requiring persistence and support? That most people will ultimately be successful (even if it takes longer than they would like)? That mutual help is as effective a professional help? That addictive behavior is normal behavior (e.g., eating, mating, bonding; plus any substances or addictive activities you might also be involved with)? That only some addictive behaviors become addictive problems? That one of the problems with “addiction recovery” in the US is that its participants feel like outsiders from society?

On a personal level it was fascinating to be asked, as someone without a history of significant substance problems, do I feel like an “outsider” in the addiction recovery field? I don’t recall being asked this question before. The answer is clearly no. I do not feel different from my clients or the participants in my SMART Recovery meetings. In my view we all are challenged by addictive behaviors that without good management could easily become addictive problems and sometimes do.

If you want a summary of the self-empowering approach, and are into podcasts, you might enjoy this one.

Liked this summary of the podcast on recovery? You might also be interested in: Psychedelic Diaries, an Interview with Tom Horvath, Ph.D.