Podcast
Thriving with Addiction with Dr. Jonathan Avery
Hosted by Dr. Jonathan Avery · EN
Thriving with Addiction is a podcast about addiction, recovery, and mental health hosted by addiction psychiatrist Dr. Jonathan Avery. Through conversations with leading experts, people in recovery, families affected by addiction, and clinicians on the front lines, the show explores how individuals and families can better understand addiction and move toward lasting healing.
Topics include addiction and recovery, mental health, the brain and behavior, treatment and healing, the impact of addiction on families, and the evolving science of recovery and wellbeing.
Through his podcast, writing, and clinical work, Dr. Avery helps individuals struggling with substances, their families, and the clinicians who care for them move toward hope and healing.
Dr. Jonathan Avery is the Vice Chair for Addiction Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine and the Medical Director of the NBA’s Anti-Drug Program. His work focuses on improving how healthcare professionals, patients, and families understand substance use disorders and respond with effective treatment, compassion, and evidence-based care.
His expertise has been featured in The New York Times, Time Magazine, and on Next Question with Katie Couric. His upcoming book, Thriving with Addiction: A New Roadmap for Lasting Recovery and Health (Prometheus Books, Fall 2026), is now available for preorder.
20episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Ambien Addiction Almost Destroyed Her Life: Laura Cathcart Robbins
3d ago00:41:00Summary readyLaura Cathcart Robbins is the best-selling author of the Atria/Simon & Schuster memoir Stash, My Life In Hiding, and host of the popular podcast Only One In The Room. Laura has been featured on MSNBC, The Tameron Hall Show, C-SPAN, and Dr. Phil, and her work has appeared in The New York Times, Oprah Daily, Good Housekeeping, Today.com, Huffpo, and more. In 2024, Laura’s New York Times Modern Love essay was turned into an episode of the Modern Love Podcast, and she was named the SDWF Memoirist Of The Year. A TEDx speaker, Laura currently sits on the advisory boards of the San Diego Writers’ Festival and The Buckley School’s nationally recognized DEI Board Committee. Find out more about her on her website, lauracathcartrobbins.com, or you can look for her on Instagram at @lauracathcartrobbins.Follow Thriving with Addiction:www.thrivingwithaddiction.comwww.instagram.com/jonathanaverymdx.com/jonathanaverymdwww.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-avery-md
Summary
The Rapid Rise of Gambling Addiction with Tim Fong
1w ago00:38:29Summary readyDr. Timothy Fong is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA.Dr. Fong completed his undergraduate and medical school at Northwestern University in Chicago. He then came to UCLA and finished his residency in adult general psychiatry in 2002 and was the first accredited addiction psychiatry fellow at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute (2002-2004).He is the co-director of the UCLA Gambling Studies Program (UGSP). The purpose of this program is to examine the underlying causes and clinical characteristics of gambling disorder in order to develop effective, evidence-based treatment strategies.Since 2009, he has been the director of the UCLA Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship, a one-year accredited program that provides clinical training in addiction psychiatry.Finally, he is part of the faculty leadership of the UCLA Cannabis Research Initiative, a multidisciplinary effort to examine the full impact of cannabis on the body, mind and brain.Follow Thriving with Addiction:www.thrivingwithaddiction.comwww.instagram.com/jonathanaverymdx.com/jonathanaverymdwww.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-avery-md
Summary
When the Parent Drinks: One Therapist’s Journey From Childhood Chaos to Family Healing
2w ago00:35:06Summary readyDr. Kibby McMahon is a clinical psychologist, CEO of KulaMind, and host of "A Little Help For Our Friends" podcast, specializing in helping people who have loved ones struggling with mental health or addiction. With training from Columbia, Duke, and Weill Cornell, she combines her clinical expertise in Dialectical Behavior Therapy and other evidence-based CBT's with personal experience to support families affected by behavioral health issues. Follow Thriving with Addiction:www.thrivingwithaddiction.comwww.instagram.com/jonathanaverymdx.com/jonathanaverymdwww.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-avery-md
Summary
What We Get Wrong About Cannabis with Yasmin Hurd
3w ago00:38:01Summary readyDr. Yasmin Hurd is the Ward-Coleman Chair of Translational Neuroscience and the Director of the Addiction Institute at Mount Sinai.Dr. Hurd's multidisciplinary research investigates the neurobiology underlying substance use disorders and related psychiatric illnesses. A translational approach is used to examine molecular and neurochemical events in the human brain and comparable animal models in order to ascertain neurobiological correlates of behavior. A major focus of the research focuses on opioid abuse and the developmental effects of cannabis. The group also conducts human clinical trials towards developing novel therapies for opioid use disorder. Based on her accomplishments Dr. Hurd was inducted into both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine.Follow Thriving with Addiction:www.thrivingwithaddiction.comwww.instagram.com/jonathanaverymdx.com/jonathanaverymdwww.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-avery-md
Summary
Sobriety That Lasts: The 9 Essential Truths with Laura McKowen
Apr 1400:33:19Summary readyLaura is the author of the bestselling memoir We Are The Luckiest: The Surprising Magic of a Sober Life and Push Off From Here: Nine Essential Truths to Get You Through Life (and Everything Else).Her work explores the intersection of addiction, recovery, emotional sobriety, and the complexities of relationships. She has written for The New York Times and has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, The Atlantic, The TODAY Show, and more.In 2020, she founded The Luckiest Club, a global sobriety support community, and she writes Love Story, a popular Substack newsletter about sobriety, relationships, recovery, and writing. She is currently working on her third book.Website: lauramckowen.comInstagram: @Laura_McKowenLinkedIn: @lauramckowenFollow Thriving with Addiction:www.thrivingwithaddiction.comwww.instagram.com/jonathanaverymdx.com/jonathanaverymdwww.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-avery-md
Summary
Healing the Modern Brain with Dr. Drew Ramsey
Apr 700:37:15Summary readyDREW RAMSEY, MD is a board-certified psychiatrist, author, and leading voice in Nutritional Psychiatry and integrative mental health. He is a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and the founder of the Brain Food Clinic and Spruce Mental Health. For twenty years, he served as an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University, where he taught and supervised psychotherapy and nutritional psychiatry.Dr. Ramsey has authored four previous books, including the international bestseller Eat to Beat Depression and Anxiety and three e-courses. He is a dynamic speaker, podcast host and educator who has delivered three TEDx talks and his work has been featured by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Today Show, NPR and other notable outlets. He lives in Jackson, WY with his wife and family. Learn more at www.DrewRamseyMD.comFollow Thriving with Addiction:www.thrivingwithaddiction.comwww.instagram.com/jonathanaverymdx.com/jonathanaverymdwww.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-avery-md
Summary
Quitting Cannabis Changed Her Life: Lindsey Metselaar on Sobriety, Relationships, and Motherhood
Mar 3100:33:46Summary readyLindsey Metselaar is a native New Yorker and host of We Met At Acme podcast, which has amassed over 10 million downloads since its creation in 2017. We Met At Acme is a dating podcast that delves into sex, relationships, and vulnerability, with some hilarious anecdotes along the way. Lindsey also has a food blog called Don't Expect Salads (@dontexpectsalads) with over 100,000 followers. Since creating We Met At Acme, Lindsey has expanded to touring over the country and also continues to host mixers and events around NYC.Follow Thriving with Addiction:www.thrivingwithaddiction.comwww.instagram.com/jonathanaverymdx.com/jonathanaverymdwww.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-avery-md
Summary
The Truth About Sex Addiction with Kenneth Rosenberg MD
Mar 2400:37:47Summary readyKenneth Paul Rosenberg, MD is a general and addiction psychiatrist in Manhattan, specializing in sexual compulsivity and is the co-editor of the text Behavioral Addictions (2014, Elsevier Press). He is the author of two books for the public, Infidelity: Why Men and Women Cheat (2018, publisher Hachette) and Bedlam (2019, publisher Penguin Random House). Dr. Rosenberg teaches at Weill Cornell Medical Center where he has been a voluntary faculty member for the past 40 years. He is also a filmmaker recognized by Emmy, Columbia duPont and Peabody awards, and one of his films was shortlisted for an Oscar. He is the winner of the Exemplary Psychiatrist Award of the National Alliance for Mental Illness, and the proud recipient of the AAAP Arts and Advocacy Award.Follow Thriving with Addiction:www.thrivingwithaddiction.comwww.instagram.com/jonathanaverymdx.com/jonathanaverymdwww.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-avery-md
Summary
UFC Fighter Jared Gordon on Recovery Without a Finish Line
Mar 1700:36:58Summary readyJared Gordon is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the UFC’s lightweight division. A New York native, he began wrestling as a child and transitioned to MMA after a standout amateur career. Known for his durability, high pace, and well-rounded skill set, he is widely respected for his work ethic, resilience, and longevity in one of the sport’s deepest weight classes. He is also open about his recovery journey and has become an outspoken advocate for mental health, using his platform to challenge stigma in combat sports.https://www.instagram.com/jaredflashgordon/?hl=enhttps://jaredflashgordon.com/Follow Thriving with Addiction:www.thrivingwithaddiction.comwww.instagram.com/jonathanaverymdx.com/jonathanaverymdwww.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-avery-md
Summary
How AI Is Hijacking Our Brains with Tim Requarth
Mar 1000:36:47Summary readyTim Requarth is the author of the newsletter The Third Hemisphere, a neuroscientist’s field notes on how AI is (or isn’t) rewiring our brains. A contributing writer at Slate and a columnist at The Transmitter, his work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Nation, The New Republic, Foreign Policy, and Scientific American, among others. He received his PhD in neuroscience from Columbia University, and for nine years he directed NeuWrite, an international network of workshops for scientists and writers. He was a 2018 UC Berkeley-11th Hour Food & Farming Journalism Fellow and is a 2019-2020 Brown Institute for Media Innovation “magic grant” recipient. His essay, The Final Five Percent, won the National Association of Science Writers 2020 Science in Society Journalism Award in the Longform Narratives category, and appeared in Best American Science & Nature Writing 2020. He’s currently a Research Assistant Professor of Neuroscience & Physiology and Director of Graduate Science Writing at the Vilcek Institute of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, where he studies how AI affects cognition and education.Follow Thriving with Addiction:www.thrivingwithaddiction.comwww.instagram.com/jonathanaverymdx.com/jonathanaverymdwww.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-avery-md
Summary