Bonus Episode: Why This Conversation on Stigma Matters with Dr. Casey GroverBonus Episode: Why This Conversation on Stigma Matters with Dr. Casey Grover
Naturally High
Jeanne Foot and Dr. Casey Grover share their personal and professional experiences of stigma in addiction and mental health care. They talk about compassionate practice, language, family advocacy and why recovery needs holistic support beyond abstinence.
44:20•13 Jul 2026
Challenging Stigma in Addiction Care with Dr. Casey Grover and Jeanne Foot
Episode Overview
- Stigma in healthcare can lead to people with addiction being denied or minimised in their medical care.
- Addiction is framed as a chronic health condition and a brain-based drive for comfort, not a moral failure.
- Language such as “addict”, “crazy” or “dirty” tests can deepen shame and should be replaced with neutral terms.
- Recovery is highly individual; 12-step groups help some, but others need different or more holistic approaches.
- Compassion, education and practical tools for emotional regulation are key to reducing self-stigma and supporting sustainable recovery.
“Mental health is health.”
What are the common struggles and victories in addiction recovery? This bonus Naturally High episode centres on stigma in addiction and mental health care, featuring a powerful cross‑conversation between Jeanne Foot and emergency physician and addiction specialist Dr. Casey Grover. Jeanne shares her lived experience as a mum advocating for her teenage son in crisis and as someone in long‑term recovery since 1993.
She describes how families were “whispering” about her situation and how that silence deepened shame rather than helping. Dr. Grover adds his frontline view from the emergency department, recalling being taught to make patients with opioid addiction suffer by pushing naloxone aggressively and how he now fights to replace that with warmth, compassion and evidence‑based care. Together, they look squarely at how people with addiction are often treated as less deserving of medical help.
Jeanne talks about alcohol detox being life‑threatening and still under‑medicated, while Dr. Grover explains how language like “dirty” tests or calling people “crazy” quietly reinforces judgement. As Jeanne puts it, “mental health is health”, and addiction is a chronic condition, not a moral failure.
You’ll hear them unpack the idea that the brain is simply “doing exactly what it’s supposed to do” in seeking comfort, and why focusing only on stopping the behaviour misses the deeper drivers like trauma and emotional pain. They discuss the limits and strengths of 12‑step programmes, how recovery paths must be individual, and why self‑stigma can be reduced through education, nervous‑system regulation tools, and genuinely kind care.
The conversation is aimed at anyone touched by addiction: people in recovery, families, clinicians, and those curious about why stigma still lingers in modern healthcare. Jeanne closes by stressing that “we just have to be kinder to one another”, reminding you that change often starts with one person speaking up. How might you show more compassion—to yourself or someone struggling—today?
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