Drug tests. Revolving doors of rehabs. On and off the street. Judges, and parole officers — to families waiting and hoping for something to change. When a loved one’s treatment is dictated by external forces, why doesn’t it “work”, and what does it look like when it does?

Dr. Sheila Vakharia — researcher, social worker, and author of The Harm Reduction Gap — has worked inside outpatient treatment centers, drug courts, and needle exchange programs, giving her a rare, ground-level view of what actually helps people survive addiction, what gets in the way, and the power families have.

Together we dig into:

• Why addiction is the only health condition where people are expected to be "cured" before treatment even starts

• The stigma around methadone and buprenorphine — and why they're not "trading one drug for another"

• How the criminal legal system can be both a lifeline and a barrier to real care

• Why courts, insurance gaps, and fear-based messaging keep failing families

• What families can actually do — from local pharmacy advocacy to sharing your story with lawmakers and media

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🎙Guest speaker: Dr. Sheila Vakharia, author and Deputy Director of the Department of Research and Academic Engagement at the Drug Policy Alliance

Episode resources:

• Sheila’s book: The Harm Reduction Gap: Helping Individuals Left Behind by Conventional Drug Prevention and Abstinence-Only Treatment

• Read how you can advocate for your loved one: One parent’s story