Substance Use Disorder and Their Impact on CommunitySubstance Use Disorder and Their Impact on Community
Addict II Athlete Podcast
A panel with Coach Blu Robinson, Randall Carlisle and Evan Doan talks through substance use disorder, trauma, mental health and harm reduction with Utah students. The discussion focuses on compassionate community responses, accessible treatment and practical ways to support recovery.
1:07:33•13 Feb 2023
From Addict to Athlete: How Communities Can Change the Story on Substance Use
Episode Overview
- Substance use disorder is framed as a chronic, manageable brain condition often linked to trauma, stress and genetics, rather than a moral failing.
- Blu Robinson highlights exercise and movement as powerful tools for healing, building Addict II Athlete into a free, family-inclusive support community.
- The panel stresses that every substance use issue sits alongside mental health concerns, and treatment works best when both are addressed together.
- Non-profit services, Medicaid expansion and peer coaching have greatly increased access to help in Utah, though workforce shortages remain a major barrier.
- Harm reduction strategies like clean syringes, naloxone and medication-assisted treatment are presented as life-saving ways to keep people alive long enough to recover.
“"Addiction substance use is a symptom to something deeper."”
What makes a recovery story truly inspiring? This panel chat from the University of Utah brings together three very different voices who all agree on one thing: substance use disorder is about people, not "problems". Coach Blu Robinson, host of Addict II Athlete and a licensed mental health therapist, joins journalist-turned–Odyssey House advocate Randall Carlisle and USARA’s community organiser Evan Doan.
With a student leadership board firing questions at them, you’ll hear honest, practical talk about what substance use disorder actually is, how it develops, and how communities can respond better. They compare clinical definitions with real-life experience, stressing that "addiction substance use is a symptom to something deeper", often rooted in trauma and stress.
There’s a powerful mix of science (ACES, genetics, chronic disease models) and lived stories, like Randall’s childhood abuse and later alcoholism, or Blu using running and mountain biking to build the Addict II Athlete movement. You’ll also get a blunt look at treatment systems in Utah: Medicaid expansion, long waitlists in the past, workforce shortages, and the sharp contrast between non-profit care and eye-watering £30k-a-month private centres.
Harm reduction comes through strongly too – clean syringes, naloxone, and medication-assisted treatment, framed simply as ways to keep people alive long enough to recover. The tone stays relaxed and occasionally funny, but never dismissive. Students ask about stigma, stress, romantic relationships in recovery, and what actually helps. The answer, repeatedly, is connection, compassion and practical support – from family, peers, and communities willing to see addiction as a health issue rather than a moral failing.
If you’re curious how recovery, policy, and real people intersect, or you’re wondering how to better support someone you care about, this conversation might be exactly what you need. How could your own community shift from judgement to genuine support?
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