Busting Down Barriers: Adi Jaffe | OYNB 032

When you look closely at the stigmas that are attached to people who are labeled alcoholics, it’s easy to understand why many people who struggle with alcohol fail to seek help, even if they might otherwise do so. All sorts of negative traits are attributed to alcoholics, and the perception of alcoholism as a chronic condition that never goes away means that the stigma can follow the person for life, throwing up barriers in the way of achieving success.  “Alcohol struggles do not equal alcoholism.”  Today’s guest, Adi Jaffe, understands those barriers from personal experience. After his own struggles with addiction, Adi ended up in jail and rehab, then found that he was met with numerous barriers after he was free and had completed rehab. Unable to find a job, Adi turned to the next best thing – school. He threw himself into studying addiction and became an expert in the field.  In today’s episode, Adi shares some of the things he’s learned about addiction through study, work and personal experience. He explains that just because someone struggles with alcohol, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they suffer from alcoholism. They often just need to find a way to change their relationship with alcohol, which is what we advocate at One Year No Beer. Adi also talks about the importance of how people who struggle with alcohol are treated, pointing to studies that show that people tend to react in different ways depending upon how others perceive them. He stresses the importance of removing stigma and giving people who struggle with addiction more options, which increases the possibility that those people will do better moving forward.  LINKS & RESOURCES:  OYNB Website: https://www.oneyearnobeer.com/  OYNB Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Oneyearnobeer/  OYNB Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/199505820380513/  OYNB Twitter: https://twitter.com/oynbuk/  OYNB Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oneyearnobeer/    ADI JAFFE’S RESOURCES:  TedX Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9xFJ_hqzDQ IGNTD: http://www.igntd.com/  IGNTD Recovery: http://www.igntd.com/igntd-recovery/