October 06, 2018

Inside the Opioid Addiction Crisis

Countless Americans have been impacted by the opioid crisis. The addiction effects people from every walk of life. A former addict tells how others can be helped. Then - parents naturally protect their kids from harm. But an expert says being overprotective of your child can cause lifelong problems.

Episode Segments:

American Fix Nearly every American knows someone who has been affected by the opioid crisis. Ryan Hampton, recovering addict, author of American Fix: Inside the Opioid Addiction Crisis - and How to End It shared his story of addiction and recovery. He said 9 out of 10 Americans who need addiction treatment are not able to access it. He believes the nation’s approach to treatment needs to be reformed from the bottom to the top. He said billions of dollars of federal spending aimed at this problem are not making it to local communities
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Kids Need to Be Unhappy Sometimes The impulse for parents to protect their children is strong, but Kevin Leman, PhD, psychologist, author of When Your Kid Is Hurting: Helping Your Child through the Tough Days said that very protection can end up handicapping them for life. He said that rather than seeking to save them from unhappiness or struggle, parents must teach their kids how to cope with and rise above their problems. He discussed the importance of listening and offered techniques to get kids to talk about their problems.
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Eliminating Frivolous Spending Amanda Dixon, Analyst and Senior Reporter at Bankrate.com outlined the results of a recent Bankrate.com survey that found that American households with the lowest incomes spend the most on items they don't need, such as lottery tickets, restaurant food and prepared drinks, like coffee and smoothies. She said even minor changes in a person’s spending can have a dramatic impact on their ability to build an emergency savings fund.
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Guest(s) Appearing on this Episode

Ryan Hampton Ryan Hampton is a national addiction recovery advocate and person in sustained recovery from 10 years of active opioid use. A former White House staffer, he has worked with multiple non-profits and political campaigns. He is a leading voice in America's recovery movement, founder of The Voices Project, and has partnered with Michelle Obama's When We All Vote, a bipartisan initiative to register 1 million new voters who are in recovery by 2020. He has been interviewed by NPR, HLN, Forbes, Slate, the Wall Street Journal, and others. American Fix is his first book. Ryan's Website