Katie Witkiewitz's guest appearances

Katie Witkiewitz

Speaking of Psychology

The Addiction Psychologist

Flourishing After Addiction with Carl Erik Fisher

John Kelly

Eric Garland

Peter McGraw

Roland Griffiths

Dacher Keltner

Brian Nosek

Paul Bloom

Maria Konnikova

Benjamin Breen

Maia Szalavitz

Alison Gopnik

Richard Davidson

Mahzarin Banaji

Susan Collins

Pauline Boss

OwlTail

 Six percent of American adults say they are “in recovery” from a problem with alcohol or other drugs, but it’s not always clear exactly what that means. Even among researchers who study the concept, the definition of “recovery” is far from settled: does it require abstinence? does it necessarily involve lofty concepts like spirituality and citizenship? is the main point the absence of problems, or is there more to it than that?Dr. Katie Witkiewitz is a psychology researcher who, for many years, shied away from studying recovery in her academic work. Recently, however, her work on the patterns and predictors of substance use problems has led her back to that loaded term, and she has since arrived at a broader and more encompassing definition of recovery than you might expect. We talk about why she advocates for an expanded and transformed understanding of recovery, how she makes sense of the phenomenon of addiction, and how the research on such foundational questions, while extremely complex, hold out tremendous hope and possibilities for healing.Katie Witkiewitz is Regents' Professor of Psychology and a Scientist at the Center on Alcohol, Substance use, And Addictions (CASAA) at the University of New Mexico. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Washington in 2005. She is also a licensed clinical psychologist and has worked extensively on developing and disseminating a novel psychotherapy for substance use disorder: mindfulness-based relapse prevention. Her website is https://abqresearch.org/ and you can find her on Twitter.In this episode: - A driving commitment for her work: “Everyone's doing the best they can at all times, with what we have in front of us, and there are causes and conditions that bring us to the places where we are." - Katie’s surprising research findings on just how many people do well after treatment for alcohol use problems—including fairly large proportions who improve their well-being in non-abstinent recovery (see her paper What is Recovery?) - Historical perspectives on the definition of recovery (see also this 2019 piece from the recovery science research collaborative)- Upwards of 80% of people with Substance Use Disorder never get treatment. Why? Katie suggests that a lack of nuance about the many paths to recovery might be one important barrier. (see also Andrew Tatarsky on “Harm Reduction Psychotherapy”) - How to talk about an expanded conception of recovery while still respecting and celebrating the benefits of traditional 12-step recovery.- Disparities, paternalism, and racism in the research on substance use disorders, and her thoughts on some ways to ameliorate those problems.- Some practical tips for avoiding common thinking traps about substance use problems, like the “abstinence violation effect” (aka the f*ck-it effect).Sign up for my newsletter for regular updates on new material and other writings.

<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4330112/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Six percent of American adults</a> say they are “in recovery” from a problem with alcohol or other drugs, but it’s not always clear exactly what that means. Even among researchers who study the concept, the definition of “recovery” is far from settled: does it require abstinence? does it necessarily involve lofty concepts like spirituality and citizenship? is the main point the absence of problems, or is there more to it than that?<a href="https://abqresearch.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dr. Katie Witkiewitz</a> is a psychology researcher who, for many years, shied away from studying recovery in her academic work. Recently, however, her work on the patterns and predictors of substance use problems has led her back to that loaded term, and she has since arrived at a broader and more encompassing definition of recovery than you might expect. We talk about why she advocates for an expanded and transformed understanding of recovery, how she makes sense of the phenomenon of addiction, and how the research on such foundational questions, while extremely complex, hold out tremendous hope and possibilities for healing.Katie Witkiewitz is Regents' Professor of Psychology and a Scientist at the Center on Alcohol, Substance use, And Addictions (CASAA) at the University of New Mexico. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Washington in 2005. She is also a licensed clinical psychologist and has worked extensively on developing and disseminating a novel psychotherapy for substance use disorder: mindfulness-based relapse prevention. Her website is <a href="https://abqresearch.org/ " rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://abqresearch.org/</a> and you can <a href="https://twitter.com/KatieWitkiewitz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">find her on Twitter</a>.In this episode: - A driving commitment for her work: “Everyone's doing the best they can at all times, with what we have in front of us, and there are causes and conditions that bring us to the places where we are." - Katie’s surprising research findings on just how many people do well after treatment for alcohol use problems—including fairly large proportions who improve their well-being in non-abstinent recovery (see her paper <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7505137/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">What is Recovery?</a>) - Historical perspectives on the definition of recovery (see also <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Robert-Ashford-2/publication/329655808_Defining_and_Operationalizing_the_Phenomena_of_Recovery_A_Working_Definition_from_the_Recovery_Science_Research_Collaborative/links/5c34cec9a6fdccd6b59c251d/Defining-and-Operationalizing-the-Phenomena-of-Recovery-A-Working-Definition-from-the-Recovery-Science-Research-Collaborative.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this 2019 piece</a> from the recovery science research collaborative) - Upwards of 80% of people with Substance Use Disorder never get treatment. Why? Katie suggests that a lack of nuance about the many paths to recovery might be one important barrier. (see also Andrew Tatarsky on <a href="https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.498.8327&amp;rep=rep1&amp;type=pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">“Harm Reduction Psychotherapy”</a>) - How to talk about an expanded conception of recovery while still respecting and celebrating the benefits of traditional 12-step recovery. - Disparities, paternalism, and racism in the research on substance use disorders, and her thoughts on some ways to ameliorate those problems. - Some practical tips for avoiding common thinking traps about substance use problems, like the “abstinence violation effect” (aka the f*ck-it effect). <a href="https://expert-musician-9548.ck.page/3dd68ba5e1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sign up for my newsletter</a> for regular updates on new material and other writings.

What is recovery? With Dr. Katie Witkiewitz

Most definitions of recovery from addiction require abstinence from the problem substance. Dr. Katie Witkiewitz discusses the limitations of abstinence-based models of recovery and describe why non-abstinent models may have a positive public health impact. Namely, Katie's research suggests that many people regain functioning in interpersonal, occupational, and health domains without achieving full abstinence, and that these definitions actually prevent people from seeking treatment. Katie outlines the benefits of incorporating non-abstinent recovery options alongside the dominant abstinent model, and also shares NIAAA's preliminary definition of recovery from alcohol. Dr. Katie Witkiewitz is the Regent's Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of New Mexico. She is also a Scientist at the Center on Alcoholism, Substance Abuse &amp; Addictions (CASAA), and the Technology Committee Chair for the Society of Addiction Psychology. 

Most definitions of recovery from addiction require abstinence from the problem substance. Dr. Katie Witkiewitz discusses the limitations of abstinence-based models of recovery and describe why non-abstinent models may have a positive public health impact. Namely, Katie's research suggests that many people regain functioning in interpersonal, occupational, and health domains without achieving full abstinence, and that these definitions actually prevent people from seeking treatment. Katie outlines the benefits of incorporating non-abstinent recovery options alongside the dominant abstinent model, and also shares NIAAA's preliminary definition of recovery from alcohol. Dr. Katie Witkiewitz is the Regent's Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of New Mexico. She is also a Scientist at the Center on Alcoholism, Substance Abuse &amp; Addictions (CASAA), and the Technology Committee Chair for the Society of Addiction Psychology.

Dr. Katie Witkiewitz - Non-abstinent Recovery

Drinking is ubiquitous in American culture today. It’s hard to go out and not see people imbibing. In the midst of all this booze, there is a burgeoning movement in the opposite direction: Sobriety is having a moment in the spotlight. For the sober-curious crowd, this can mean taking a break from alcohol for a set period or it can mean quitting altogether. Either way, according to addiction researcher and psychologist Katie Witkiewitz, PhD, stopping drinking even for a short period can be beneficial because it allows us time to explore our relationship with alcohol with a clear head. Join us online August 6-8 for APA 2020 Virtual.

Drinking is ubiquitous in American culture today. It’s hard to go out and not see people imbibing. In the midst of all this booze, there is a burgeoning movement in the opposite direction: Sobriety is having a moment in the spotlight. For the sober-curious crowd, this can mean taking a break from alcohol for a set period or it can mean quitting altogether. Either way, according to addiction researcher and psychologist Katie Witkiewitz, PhD, stopping drinking even for a short period can be beneficial because it allows us time to explore our relationship with alcohol with a clear head. <a href="https://convention.apa.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Join us online August 6-8 for APA 2020 Virtual</a>.

Sober Curious? with Katie Witkiewitz, PhD