logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2021
8m 41s

What causes opioid addiction, and why is...

TED
About this episode
In the 1980s and 90s, pharmaceutical companies began to market opioid painkillers aggressively, while actively downplaying their addictive potential. The number of prescriptions skyrocketed, and so did cases of addiction, beginning a crisis that continues today. What makes opioids so addictive? Mike Davis explains what we can do to reverse the skyrocketing rates of addiction and overdose. [Directed by Good Bad Habits, narrated by Addison Anderson, music by Landon Trimble/ Playdate].

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Jul 8
How to talk about your body without shame (w/ Anita Rao) | from How to Be a Better Human
Why is having the sex talk, admitting you passed gas, or being open about your body hair so seemingly uncomfortable for all of us? Journalist and host of the podcast, Embodied, Anita Rao, joins Chris this week to discuss why having open conversations about taboo topics like sex, ... Show More
34m 58s
Jul 1
Interview: 1 simple question that could improve women's health | Meryam Sugulle
There's a reliable indicator of a woman's future likelihood of cardiovascular disease — but it rarely gets asked about, says obstetrician and researcher Meryam Sugulle. She delves into the role of the placenta in pregnancy, how it can predict health outcomes and the single questi ... Show More
34m 47s
Jun 24
Why do some bodies respond differently to disease? | Erika Moore
TED Fellow and equity bioengineer Erika Moore investigates how cells controlling inflammation behave differently depending on a patient's background. By focusing on the "who" behind the disease, Moore is uncovering why certain diseases disproportionately affect certain ethnicitie ... Show More
5m 42s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2022
What we need to understand about opioids | Body Stuff
When we are in pain, we often turn to over-the-counter medications like acetaminophen. Sometimes, however, we’re prescribed opioid painkillers, and there’s a perception that this will be a more effective treatment, because opiods are the “strongest” treatment.  But a lot of what ... Show More
30m 54s
Mar 2016
Opioid Prescribing: Rising to the Challenge
An opioid abuse epidemic now plagues US healthcare. It was caused, in part, by overzealous advocacy for controlling chronic pain resulting in overuse of narcotics. There are now 2 million Americans addicted to opioids. The approach for treating chronic pain must change. In this p ... Show More
23 m
Jan 2024
What to know about opioids
There have been drastic changes made in the regulation of opioids for medical treatment in the past few decades. However, with advent of fentanyl and carfentanil addiction, overdose-related death continues to increase. In this episode, our guests discuss continued regulation of o ... Show More
26m 12s
Oct 2022
Are Psychedelics The Solution To The Opioid Crisis? with Deborah Mash
This episode is brought to you by Cozy Earth, InisdeTracker, and Rupa Health. If you or a loved one struggle with addiction, this is an episode you’re going to want to listen to. Many of our current pharmaceuticals stem from compounds discovered in plant medicines. And many benef ... Show More
1h 20m
Oct 2021
Pushing Painkillers | An Untapped Market | S53-E1
Doctors once shied away from using opioids to treat chronic pain, citing the risk of addiction. But in the 1970s, a new generation of doctors started to argue that opioids should be reconsidered, and that allowing terminal patients to suffer in agony is torturous. As the palliati ... Show More
42m 33s
Feb 2023
How Do We Treat Opioid Addiction?
Mark Parrino has been involved with the delivery of health care and treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) since 1974. As the president of the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence, Inc. (AATOD), he works with treatment providers across the country to devel ... Show More
56m 33s
Aug 2021
Dr. Anna Lembke: Understanding & Treating Addiction
This episode I interview Dr. Anna Lembke, M.D., Chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Lembke is a psychiatrist expert in treating addictions of all kinds: drugs, alcohol, food, sex, video games, gambling, foo ... Show More
1h 59m
Oct 2020
Former NBA player Chris Herren discusses overcoming drug abuse and using WHOOP to combat addiction.
Chris Herren was a high school and college basketball star who eventually made his way to the NBA, but also saw his career and life derailed by drug and alcohol abuse. Now 12 years sober, Chris is one of the leading addiction prevention and recovery advocates in the country and u ... Show More
50m 32s
Oct 2018
Treating America's Opioid Addiction Part 3: Searching for Meaning in Kensington
“We should never, ever forget that addiction treatment is a search for meaning in a place other than using drugs.” —Nancy Campbell, historian of drug addiction (This is the third and final chapter of a three-part series. See Part 1 and Part 2.) In the final chapter of this series ... Show More
55m 23s