The Real Dope Podcast

meridith elliott powell
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  • Mental Health
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The Real Dope How Did You Get Here? Real Stories, Real Solutions, Real Hope. A show for anyone who loves, supports and suffers from and with loving an addict. This is a show dedicted not to addiction, but to support, help and provide concrete ideas for those who suffer the pain of loving addict.

  1. 2d ago

    The Unwritten Rules of Enabling

    No one hands you a rulebook when addiction moves into your house. You just learn to live by it. In this episode, Meridith and Beth name the unwritten rules that took over their childhood home and, later, their own marriages: the addict comes first, the family's resources go to the addiction before anything else, you handle everything and feel nothing, and you never, ever talk about it. They trace these rules back three generations and show how easily they get passed down without a single conversation. If you have ever wondered why you cannot stop overfunctioning or keeping the peace at your own expense, this episode names exactly why.

  2. Jul 14

    Are We Fueling Addiction in Our Children?

    Every generation faces its own perfect storm. For today's kids, it is the loss of community, the loss of trust, and thirteen hours a day on a smartphone. In this episode, Meridith and Beth dig into Jonathan Haidt's research on the anxious generation and ask a hard question: are we raising children who will self-medicate their way into addiction? They talk about what kids lose when they stop playing outside unsupervised, why constant screen access is undermining their ability to cope, and what parents can actually do, starting today, to build resilience instead of anxiety. This is not a lecture on banning phones. It is a conversation about raising kids who can handle discomfort, failure, and real life.

  3. Jul 7

    Anxiety and the Addict in Your Life

    Hypervigilance is not a personality trait. It is a survival response to living with active addiction. In this episode, Meridith and Beth trace anxiety back to its roots: the sleepless nights, the constant phone checks, the inability to sit still at dinner with friends. They talk candidly about how anxiety shows up in the body long after the addict is gone, why it steals your ability to think, create, and connect, and what actually helped them move through it: movement, honesty, humor, and letting go of what they could not control. If you have ever wondered whether you are just wired anxious or carrying something real, this episode gives you the answer.

  4. May 21

    Why Is It So Difficult to Stop Enabling?

    You know enabling isn't helping. So why can't you stop? In this episode, Meridith and Beth get honest about the fear, compassion, habit, and emotional payoff that keeps enablers locked in. They also share the first practical steps to begin breaking the cycle, including the one question that can change everything.

  5. May 14

    The Slow Build of Enabling

    You didn't wake up one day and decide to become an enabler. It happened slowly, one small compromise at a time. In this episode, Meridith and Beth walk through the stages of how enabling takes hold, from helping to protecting to living in fear, and why understanding that progression is the first step to getting out.

  6. May 7

    Shame

    Shame is the silent force that keeps enablers hiding, covering, and spiraling deeper. In this raw and honest conversation, Meridith and Beth dig into where shame begins, how it evolves, and why the only way out is to drag it into the light. If you've ever felt responsible for someone else's behavior, this one is for you.

  7. Apr 30

    Discussion on The New York Times Ethicist Column Letter

    A woman writes to the New York Times Ethicist asking whether it's ethical to spend her retirement savings on herself while her financially irresponsible cousin faces homelessness. Meridith and Beth see something else entirely: a textbook case of enabling. This episode explores how enabling shows up outside of chemical addiction, why helping can become harm, and what it means to finally put yourself first.

  8. Apr 23

    Denial

    Denial isn't just the addict's problem. It's yours too. In this episode, Meridith and Beth unpack what denial really looks like for the enabler, why it protects you at first, and why it ultimately costs you everything. From unconscious cover-ups at dinner parties to displaced anger and physical illness, they trace the quiet, dangerous ways denial takes hold, and what it finally takes to break free.

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About

The Real Dope How Did You Get Here? Real Stories, Real Solutions, Real Hope. A show for anyone who loves, supports and suffers from and with loving an addict. This is a show dedicted not to addiction, but to support, help and provide concrete ideas for those who suffer the pain of loving addict.

Information

  • Creator
    meridith elliott powell
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    22
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025
  • Show Website
    The Real Dope Podcast