The Pulse Of Addiction

Alex Doyle
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Addiction reaches every age, background, and walk of life, The Pulse Of Addiction listens to them all. Hosted from Vancouver Island by a lived experience front line worker Alex Doyle, this raw but hopeful podcast shares real recovery stories and conversations with community leaders, treatment providers, and advocates, connecting what addiction looks like to what sustainable recovery actually takes. Through honest dialogue and practical tools, episodes explore treatment access, relapse, trauma, mental health, and the day‑to‑day work of rebuilding a life. https://pulseofaddiction.lovable.app

  1. Sep 28

    Dr. Larry Smith on Alcohol Recovery, Iron Man Marathon & the Voice of Addiction

    What does it take to keep going when recovery feels like the hardest mile of your life? Dr. Larry Smith joins Alex Doyle on The Pulse Of Addiction for an open conversation about alcohol addiction, recovery, and the marathon mindset. Alex shares more of his own experience than he usually does, making this a personal conversation between two people willing to speak honestly about what it takes to keep showing up. They talk about the voice of addiction, the endurance recovery demands, and why reaching a milestone does not mean the work is over. If you’re rebuilding your life or supporting someone who is, this episode is for you. Dr. Larry SmithWebsite: https://www.drlarrysmithauthor.com/Media and interviews: https://www.drlarrysmithauthor.com/media-interviews Alex Doyle and The Pulse Of AddictionPodcast: https://pulseofaddiction.lovable.app/Cedar Path: https://cedarpath.tech/Bake It Forward: https://www.bakeitforward.net/Rewired Recovery: https://rewiredrecovery.ca/Halo Ridge Recovery: https://haloridgerecovery.com/

  2. Sep 23

    Close to the Fire: Frontline Overdose Work, Trauma & Recovery Tools

    In this solo episode of The Pulse Of Addiction, Alex Doyle talks honestly about what it means to live “close to the fire” as a front‑line worker in the overdose crisis — working and teaching recovery tools while standing beside the very substances that almost killed you. From midnight outreach on Vancouver Island to camping trips where a forgotten cooler turns into mental torture, Alex breaks down how trauma, cravings, compassion fatigue, and vicarious trauma collide for peer workers, outreach teams, medics, and sober companions. You’ll hear the story of a sixteen‑year‑old who overdosed at midnight while family members fought over top of him, and what it feels like to give CPR and Narcan with drugs and alcohol everywhere — without flinching, because it’s “go time” and someone’s kid needs to live. Alex explains how half the brain is using grounding, breathing, and craving‑management tools just to stay sober, while the other half is trying to teach those same tools in real time to the people they’re saving. This episode is for anyone on the front line of addiction, overdose response, harm reduction, and recovery coaching who struggles to “turn off” and have a happy, normal day when work is wall‑to‑wall trauma. If you’re a peer overdose responder, shelter worker, harm‑reduction volunteer, or recovery coach, this conversation names what you’re living with: burnout, secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, and the double life of being both helper and survivor. Alex shares the exact practices he uses to stay clean while working in high‑risk spaces — honest check‑ins, cravings tracking, community support, and faith‑based and evidence‑informed tools that keep his nervous system from snapping. For listeners looking for practical support beyond the podcast, this episode also connects you with Cedar Path, a lived‑experience recovery and aftercare toolkit you can run on your phone, and Halo Ridge Recovery, a private live‑in recovery program in the mountains above Courtenay, BC, offering structured, trauma‑informed care in a discreet setting. Cedar Path: https://cedarpath.techHalo Ridge Recovery: https://haloridgerecovery.com

  3. Sep 21

    From Addiction to Neuroscience: Dr. Judy Grisel on Why the Brain Gets Trapped, Recovery, and the Truth About Cannabis

    What makes addiction so hard to escape—and why do some people become vulnerable long before they ever take a substance? In this episode of The Pulse of Addiction, Alex Doyle sits down with Dr. Judy Grisel, a behavioral neuroscientist, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Bucknell University, and author of the New York Times bestselling book Never Enough: The Neuroscience and Experience of Addiction. Dr. Grisel brings together decades of scientific research and lived experience to talk honestly about addiction, recovery, the brain, vulnerability, and what people often misunderstand about substance use.bucknell+1 Judy’s journey is not only academic. After experiencing addiction herself as a young person and finding recovery in her twenties, she went on to earn a doctorate in behavioral neuroscience and build a career studying the biological roots of addiction. Her work explores why some people are more vulnerable to substance use disorders, including the roles of genetics, stress, sex differences, brain development, and environment.radio.wpsu+1 We also talk about cannabis, adolescent brain development, the difference between information and fear-based messaging, and why clear science matters in a world where people are surrounded by strong opinions and mixed messages. Dr. Grisel is the founder and director of TrueDrugs and TrueWeed, a nonprofit research and education initiative built to make science more accessible and help young people make informed, healthy choices around addictive substances and behaviours. TrueWeed is the first project in the larger TrueDrugs initiative, with future education projects planned around opioids, alcohol, and other addictions.bucknell+1 This is a conversation about the science—but it is also about hope. Addiction is not a moral failure. Understanding the brain, the person, and the conditions around them can help us create better conversations, better support, and more realistic paths toward recovery. The Pulse of Addiction is hosted by Alex Doyle, a person with lived experience of addiction, homelessness, recovery, treatment, peer support, and street-level outreach on Vancouver Island. The show shares real conversations about addiction, recovery, relapse, family, trauma, treatment access, harm reduction, outreach, and rebuilding a life. If this conversation helps you, please follow the show, share it with someone who may need it, and keep the conversation going. Bucknell University faculty page: Dr. Judy Grisel — Professor of Psychology TrueWeed: trueweed.org TrueWeed project at Bucknell: TrueWeed: Research-based cannabis education TrueDrugs: Learn about the TrueDrugs education project TikTok: @trueweed.tt Instagram: @trueweed.ig X: @TrueWeed_x Bluesky: @trueweed.bsky.social LinkedIn: Search for TrueDrugs Book: Never Enough: The Neuroscience and Experience of Addiction by Judith Grisel TrueWeed’s stated purpose is to translate scientific research about cannabis into accessible information that supports healthier decision-making; it operates within Grisel’s broader TrueDrugs nonprofit research-and-education project.bucknell+1 Listen on Spotify: The Pulse of Addiction Podcast website: pulseofaddiction.lovable.app Halo Ridge Recovery: haloridgerecovery.com Halo Ridge — Client, Family & Interventionist support: Learn more Bake It Forward: bakeitforward.net

  4. Sep 21

    Brad McLeod (The Sober Motivator) on Building a 1M‑Person Sobriety Community

    Brad McLeod is the creator and host of Sober Motivation: Sharing Sobriety Stories, one of the top‑rated recovery podcasts helping people quit drinking, stay sober, and build lives they’re proud of. In this conversation, Brad and Alex talk about: Why he started Sober Motivation out of his own early‑recovery loneliness and confusion What he’s learned from interviewing hundreds of people about quitting alcohol, relapse, shame, and rebuilding their lives How carrying other people’s stories has changed his sense of responsibility — to his listeners, to his own recovery, and to the wider sober community This episode is for anyone who uses recovery podcasts as part of their daily routine and wants to hear from the guy who’s been quietly holding up a microphone to other people’s truth for years. Brad / Sober Motivation Sober Motivation podcast:https://www.sobermotivation.com/podcastsobermotivation Sober Motivation on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/sober-motivation-sharing-sobriety-stories/id1650658049podcasts.apple Sober Motivation community & app:https://www.sobermotivation.comsobermotivation Alex / The Pulse of Addiction The Pulse of Addiction on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/69xIjWXGwEMYgFEPOItiZpopen.spotify Bake It Forward (bakery + outreach + recovery tools):https://www.bakeitforward.netbakeitforward Cedar Path (self‑paced recovery and aftercare):https://cedarpath.techbakeitforward Sage Recovery Cloud (operations platform for recovery orgs):https://sagerecoverycloud.lifesagerecoverycloud Private recovery center Halo Ridge Recovery (live‑in private recovery, Courtenay, BC):https://haloridgerecovery.com

  5. Sep 14

    Grey Area Drinking and Alcohol-Free Living: Kate Bee of The Sober School

    Kate Bee is the founder of The Sober School, a former BBC journalist, and a woman in long-term recovery who got sober in 2013 without waiting for a Hollywood rock bottom. She coaches women through grey-area drinking, early sobriety, and alcohol-free living when the old “you’re an alcoholic or you’re fine” story does not fit. On this episode of The Pulse of Addiction, host Alex sits down with Kate about the 5 p.m. wine loop, hangover shame, Getting Unstuck, and what actually happens when “I don’t think I have a problem” stops working. We talk grey-zone drinking, wine-as-self-care culture, online recovery for women who do not see themselves in traditional rooms, and the line between a course and needing more help. If you are sober-curious, stuck in Dry January repeats, or already in recovery and still thinking about drinking all the time, this one is for you. Guest: Kate Bee, founder of The Sober SchoolGuest links: thesoberschool.com · The Sober School Podcast Host: Alex — recovering opiate addict, recovery coach, The Pulse of AddictionShow: Listen on Spotify · pulseofaddiction.lovable.appBake It Forward: bakeitforward.netCedar Path: cedarpath.tech

  6. Sep 14

    Prison, Addiction, and Getting Out: Sean Lizée on Angel On My Arm and Recovery After Incarceration

    This one is not a Q-and-A. It is two people in recovery who did time at different points in life, sitting down and talking like people who have actually been in a cell. Sean Lizée is an actor, a father, and the author of Angel On My Arm: The Prison Letters, written from real handwritten letters during incarceration. Host Alex is a recovering opiate addict who spent years unhoused on Vancouver Island. They did not run a polished interview. They shot the shit. Prison. Using. Getting out. Fatherhood. Shame. What recovery looks like when the walls come down and nobody is counting you anymore. Sean’s book goes through heartbreak, addiction, trauma, homelessness, suicide ideation, and the fight to stay human inside. This episode is about the part after the letters: two recovering addicts comparing notes on doing time, staying sober, and finding each other through recovery instead of through the system. If you have done time, love someone who has, or are trying to stay clean on the outside, this is the honest version. Guest: Sean Lizée, author of Angel On My Arm: The Prison LettersLink: angelonmyarm.com Pulse of Addiction Resources: Bake It Forward:https://bakeitforward.net Cedar Path (recovery/wellness tools):https://cedarpath.tech

  7. Sep 14

    Rural Recovery Community Centers: Darrell Keim on Peer Support in Idaho and Washington

    Rural addiction recovery looks different when there is no detox down the street, no NA bar, and no Uber to a meeting. Darrell Keim, Executive Director of the Latah Recovery Center in Moscow, Idaho, and the Whitman Recovery Community Center in Pullman, Washington, sits down with Alex on The Pulse of Addiction to talk about building peer-run recovery community organizations in places most systems forget. Darrell is a dedicated advocate, not a person in recovery himself. He has spent years standing up rural drop-in centers where people in recovery and family members run the rooms: recovery coaching, peer support, anonymous groups, harm reduction, naloxone, re-entry from jail, student recovery, and a place to land after treatment instead of a shelter bed. In this episode we get into: Why rural and frontier communities still lose people between treatment, crisis, and real life How a peer-run recovery community center works when you are not “in recovery” but you are in the room every day Funding fights, NIMBY pushback, and what it takes to keep the lights on The gap between “you finished treatment” and “you have a life” If you live in a small town, a campus town, or anywhere that recovery still means driving two hours, this one is for you. Guest: Darrell Keim, Latah Recovery Center / Whitman Recovery Community CenterLinks: latahrecoverycenter.org · whitmanrecoverycommunity.org Pulse of Addiction Resources: Bake It Forward:https://bakeitforward.net Cedar Path (recovery/wellness tools):https://cedarpath.tech

  8. Sep 7

    Jason Rilogio on Peer‑Run Recovery, Reentry, and Building FAVOR Laurel Highlands (Pennsylvania Recovery Story 2026)

    In this episode of The Pulse of Addiction, host Alex talks with Jason Rilogio, Founder and Executive Director of FAVOR Laurel Highlands, a fully peer‑run Recovery Community Organization (RCO) in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Jason shares his journey from early chaos and getting clean in 2010 to building a recovery community center, weaving peer support into reentry, and helping shape statewide policy as a Certified Recovery Specialist (CRS) and Certified Peer Specialist (CPS). They talk honestly about: What a recovery community center actually looks like on the ground — drop‑in space, mutual‑aid groups, sober socials, wellness programs, and peer mentoring in a region hit hard by opioids and economic decline How Bridging the Gap connects people leaving jail to recovery housing, employment support, and ongoing peer services through partnerships with probation, parole, and local nonprofits The reality of being a peer leader and recovery ecosystem coordinator — building recovery capital, training peers, and pushing for peer‑supported services in mental health, substance use, and justice systems The gaps that still exist in rural recovery, from transportation and housing to long‑term behavioral health care and stigma in small towns What second chances should actually look like for people with lived experience who want to work in child care, recovery housing, treatment, and community leadership without being permanently defined by their past This conversation is for anyone interested in peer recovery support, reentry after incarceration, recovery community organizations, rural addiction recovery, and the day‑to‑day work of turning personal recovery into community infrastructure. Keywords naturally woven in: peer recovery, recovery community center, reentry program, sober living, addiction recovery Pennsylvania, recovery coaching, lived experience, harm reduction, behavioral health, rural recovery, opioid recovery, substance use disorder support. FAVOR Laurel Highlands (Recovery Community Center, Johnstown PA):https://www.favorlaurelhighlands.org Contact / leadership page (Jason as Executive Director):https://www.favorlaurelhighlands.org/contact/ Bridging the Gap reentry initiative (Cambria County, PA):https://www.jbhknowledgeexchange.org/meet-the-cossup-grantees/cambria-county-pa You can also find Jason via LinkedIn under “Jason Rilogio – Founder Executive Director, FAVOR Laurel Highlands” and through Pennsylvania peer support and behavioral health commission pages where he’s listed as a recovery ecosystem leader. The Pulse of Addiction on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/69xIjWXGwEMYgFEPOItiZp Show site:https://pulseofaddiction.lovable.app Bake It Forward:https://bakeitforward.net Cedar Path:https://cedarpath.tech Guest links – Jason Rilogio / FAVOR Laurel HighlandsHost & show links – Alex / The Pulse of Addiction

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About

Addiction reaches every age, background, and walk of life, The Pulse Of Addiction listens to them all. Hosted from Vancouver Island by a lived experience front line worker Alex Doyle, this raw but hopeful podcast shares real recovery stories and conversations with community leaders, treatment providers, and advocates, connecting what addiction looks like to what sustainable recovery actually takes. Through honest dialogue and practical tools, episodes explore treatment access, relapse, trauma, mental health, and the day‑to‑day work of rebuilding a life. https://pulseofaddiction.lovable.app

Information

  • Creator
    Alex Doyle
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    40
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Alex Doyle
  • Show Website
    The Pulse Of Addiction