Episode 98

Use, Misuse or Addiction? (feat. Jay Shfiman)

Published on: 16th June, 2021

We've normalized some addictions and stigmatized others. How many times have you said "I'm addicted to carbs" and then perhaps at other times judged someone for their smoking habit? We all have habits! Some can be health supportive, some destructive but they're all habits. To discuss the nuances of this often tricky subject, Jenn sits down with Jay Shifman of Choose Your Struggle. Discussing substance use, misuse and addiction, Jenn and Jay work to redefine addiction and what we think of as addicts as well as treatment. Do yourself a favor and listen to this one twice, first thinking of those around you and again, focusing on yourself. This is one to be shared! Let's change the conversation.  

Outline:

  • Welcome back & intro today's topic
  • Meet Jay Shifman, today's featured guest
  • Jay's story - from ADHD diagnosis to Bipolar Disorder diagnosis, 2 suicide attempts, treatment center, checked himself out, eventually studied psychology, working in politics then became a public speaker and created Choose Your Struggle
    • Choose your struggle's 2 main goals: ending stigma around substance misuse & mental health and providing honest education around drug use, addiction & mental health. 
  • Second opinions - so common in some areas of health, rarely with mental health
  • The BS story we've been told about drug use
  • The problem with the concept "once an addict, always an addict"
  • Why the anonymous component of treatment & recovery is so detrimental
  • What's next? How do we rethink treatment?
  • What to do if you or someone you know is struggling
    • The 2 greatest indicators of an impending overdose
    • Choosing a treatment center
  • Addict vs addictive personality
    • Working out
    • Jay's mom's Diet Cherry Dr. Pepper
  • The addict could be anyone, even you vs. it's science & brain chemistry
    • We've normalized some addictions & stigmatized others
    • Contributing factors
  • Final thought from Jay
  • Final thought from Jenn

Links:
Become a Member
Connect with us! FB Page & Private FB Group & Jenn's Instagram
Take the free Weight Loss Profile, Jenn will send you a Menu Plan
Jay's Website, IG, FB & Podcast
Jenn's Aloe

Quotes:
"Substance use, misuse and addiction are a spectrum, a very wide spectrum." - Jay Shifman
"Probably 4-6% of people who use substances struggle with addiction...we would think, from what we hear, it's 100%; not true, it's 4-6%." - Jay Shifman
"The three most harmful substances, based on the number of people who die each year because of them, are all legal. They are alcohol, nicotine and sugar."  - Jay Shifman
"My relationship to sugar is not that dissimilar to what my relationship was when I was struggling with drug addiction." - Jay Shifman
"We look down on those who struggle instead of seeing them like someone who has cancer, an issue that needs to be treated by a doctor, we see them as a moral failure, someone who needs to be fixed." - Jay Shifman
"Community is the most important thing you can have in recovery." - Jay Shifman
"If you have one parent who struggles with any kind of overt addiction, you are 5  times more likely to struggle yourself. If you have two parents, you are 9 times more likely." - Jay Shifman
"Not all use is misuse." - Jay Shifman

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About the Podcast

Salad With a Side of Fries Nutrition, Wellness & Weight Loss
What to eat and when to cheat! Let's decipher between all the “diets” out there. You know what to do but it itsn't working. In fact, your diet could be making you fatter.

Ever wondered if cryo-freezing your fat cells would really work? Should you try acupuncture? A hypnotist? If you do, how do you know if someone’s good?

Salad with a Side of Fries is the podcast that will answer all these questions and more! Talking wellness and weight loss for real life, because most of us are going to drink, eat out, skip the grocery store and who wants a life without fries or dessert?! Host Jenn Trepeck’s expertise as an optimal health coach, in practice for over a decade, along with experts in various modalities will clear up the myths, mis-information, bad science and marketing to reveal the truth of HOW TO EAT and HOW TO CHEAT!*



*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This podcast, its content and guests are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

About your host

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Jennifer Trepeck

“My passion for nutrition and helping others stems from “kicking my food issues” with my own weight management saga.” ~ Jenn

I believe that the greatest accountability is paying it forward! That’s why I teach the nutrition education we are all supposed to know but no one ever taught us, along with the science behind food, fitness, and health.

After I graduated from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, I founded Better Life Now LLC while working full-time in hedge funds. In 2019, I took my practice from side-hustle to full-time self-employment and launched my podcast, Salad With a Side of Fries. On the show, we offer science-based tips and tricks for how to achieve wellness and weight loss for real life – because who wants a life without fries or dessert?!

Topics we tackle on the podcast include debunking fad diets, food myths, misinformation in marketing, bad science, and general nutrition. I encourage guests whose expertise is different from my own focus on weight management to bring their unique, fact-based perspectives to talk about subjects they are educated in and passionate about.

Due to my decade-long experience of working with clients, I have gained insight into the health and food industry and the how-tos of building a business.

Some specific health and wellness topics I can speak to include debunking fad diets, exposing the BS we are fed by the food and diet industry, how the people around us can positively and negatively impact our health journey, and shifting mindsets in order to overcome inappropriate barometers of success to instead achieve happy, healthy, and meaningful change.

On the subject of business, I can help you by teaching my critical pieces every entrepreneur should know, how to make your side-hustle into your full-time job, ways to sustainably achieve success without burning out, contemporary networking, and how to prioritize wellness while pursuing your projects.

When I find some free time, I’m typically working out at Physique57, discovering hidden gem restaurants in NYC, or traveling to spend time with friends and family.

I’d love to have an in-depth conversation with you, whether it’s leveling up in business or debunking food myths!