96: Ask the Expert: Dr. Adi Jaffe, Ph.D. - How the Creator of the #f*ckshame Campaign is Bringing Moderation into the Conversation About Recovery

The Courage to Change: A Recovery Podcast

We’re excited to introduce our new series, Ask the Expert, where your host, Ashley Loeb Blassingame, exchanges views with and picks the brains of industry leading experts.

Our first episode of the series features Dr. Adi Jaffe.

Adi Jaffe, Ph.D. is a #1 best-selling author and a nationally recognized expert on mental health, addiction, relationships and shame. He lectured in the UCLA Psychology department for the better part of a decade and was the Executive-Director and Co-Founder of one of the most progressive mental health treatment facilities in the country - until he started IGNTD.

Dr. Jaffe, through IGNTD, is changing the way people think about, and deal with mental health issues. His passion in the role of shame destroying lives is the philosophy behind IGNTD Recovery and its aim to greatly reduce the stigma of addiction and mental health.

Dr. Jaffe attended UCLA, graduating with a B.A. in psychology. It was during his undergraduate career that Adi began struggling with drug issues himself, eventually leading to a 4 year hiatus from studies and into the Los Angeles drug-dealing world where he became quite successful. During that period of his life, Adi's days looked more like a re-enactment of a beatnik novel or a Quentin Tarantino film than the life of an upper-middle class suburban kid. Following a SWAT team arrest in his apartment, and extended court case and a year-long jail sentence, Adi began rebuilding his life. This eventually led to his attainment of a Ph.D. from UCLA's top-rated doctoral program in psychology, where he graduated with honors. Even before he graduated Dr. Jaffe’s name had become known through his online and academic writing. His views on addiction and his research on the topic have been published in dozens of journals and online publications and he has appeared on numerous television shows and documentaries discussing current topics in addiction and the problem of addiction as a whole.

Dr. Jaffe now writes a blog on Psychology Today, and several other online and print sources. His goal is to bring the latest knowledge about addiction to the people who could benefit from it most – those who are suffering because of it. His writing combines personal experience with a decade’s worth of fine-detail research regarding the mechanisms involved in the addictive process. Dr. Jaffe has been featured in CNN, The Huffington Post, Bustle, Los Angeles Times, KTLA.

Episode Resources

• Dr. Jaffe's Book | The Abstinence Myth
• IGNTD | Hero Program

Connect with Dr. Adi Jaffe

• Dr. Jaffe's Instagram | @dradijaffe
• IGNTD Instagram | @igntd.me
• IGNTD Website | igntd.com

Connect with Us at The Courage to Change

• Podcast Website | lionrock.life/couragetochangepodcast
• Podcast Instagram | @couragetochange_podcast
• Podcast Facebook | @thecouragetochangepodcast
• Podcast Email | [email protected]

Looking for Online Support?

• Lionrock.life provides a variety of aa meetings and aa alternative meetings via Zoom. View Lionrock’s comprehensive meeting schedule here.

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