Alternative Approaches to Addiction Recovery with Stanton Peele

On this week’s special episode of the IGNTD Recovery podcast, I have special guest Stanton Peele joining me. Now, Stanton is one of those people who is hard to over-inflate the amount of influence he’s had on the addiction field. I’ve been at this for 10-12 years and by the time I got started, Staten had already written around seven books on addiction! In fact, in 1975, he wrote his first book, Love and Addiction, a whole year before I was born.

Here’s why I really want you to tune into this episode: I never claimed to invent this non-traditional approach of looking at addiction that I believe so strongly in. Stanton’s way of doing things has been a lead into all the work I’ve been able to do. He’s one of these people that, if you’re going to look into and understand other approaches to addiction, you absolutely have to know about his concepts — and today, we thoroughly discuss his main beliefs when it comes to overcoming addiction, why he believes you should not label yourself an addict, as well as his books and his online recovery center, the Life Process Program.

Topics Discussed:

[:42] About my guest today: Stanton Peele.

[2:57] If you, or somebody you know, is struggling with addiction visit TheAbstinenceMyth.com and IGNTDRecovery.com.

[4:28] The interview portion of the podcast!

[4:40] Stanton’s and my backgrounds.

[6:07] Stanton gives a breakdown of his main beliefs when it comes to overcoming addiction.

[10:32] Why you should not label yourself an addict.

[15:25] What originally drove Stanton into writing and teaching about recovery and addiction, and how he broke the stigma around writing about addiction, having not been addicted to drugs or alcohol himself.

[19:39] The negative effects of living your entire life as an “addict.”

[24:30] What’s in Stanton’s world right now? New things he’s up to in the world of addiction.

[28:18] The main message Stanton is spreading about addiction.

[32:44] Stanton speaks about the policy that prevents those with drug convictions from getting a federal loan to go to college and how the Life Process Program is completely opposite of that. And my own experience pursuing my psychologist license.

[36:36] Some of the leading names in non-traditional recovery in addiction.

[38:39] Stanton summarizes his thoughts on addiction and how he introduces the topic to others.

[40:04] Thanking Stanton Peele for joining us this episode.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Love and Addiction, by Stanton Peele and Archie Brodsky

Stanton Peele’s Amazon Book page

TheAbstinenceMyth.com (Pay for shipping and I will send you the book for free!)

IGNTDRecovery.com

Stanton Peele’s Psychology Today articles

“Calling Bull%&@$ on Addiction Treatment Bullies” (my Psychology Today article)

Stanton Peele’s Life Process Program

Alan Marlatt