Captured Words/Free Thoughts is an annual, non-profit publication packed with art, poetry and prose inspired and written inside US prisons. Every year a group of volunteers records some of the submissions in audio form to share with the world. An online version of the full magazine (and all previous volumes) is here. If you or someone you know (in prison or out) would like a paper copy, contact me and I'll make sure to send one out (for free). You can reach us by mail at CW/FT, 1201 Larimer St, Suite 3014, Denver, CO, 80204. If you would like to record your loved one's Captured Words/Free Tho ..read more

Captured Words/Free Thoughts is an annual, non-profit publication packed with art, poetry and prose inspired and written inside US prisons. Every year a group of volunteers records some of the submissions in audio form to share with the world. An online version of the full magazine (and all previous volumes) is here. If you or someone you know (in prison or out) would like a paper copy, contact me and I'll make sure to send one out (for free). You can reach us by mail at CW/FT, 1201 Larimer St, Suite 3014, Denver, CO, 80204. If you would like to record your loved one's Captured Words/Free Tho ..read more

The CDC claims that as many as 1 in 68 children are on the autism spectrum. But that might not mean what you think it means. If you don't have much personal experience with someone on the spectrum (or even if you do), you might not understand what autism is, how it works, or how it impacts addiction.  Autism isn't an under-wiring of the brain; it's an overwiring of sorts. And once those of us with it figure out what's going on, it's something that can aid in our success. Support the show ..read more

If we wanted to design a culture from the ground up to maximize both the potential and severity of addiction, we would build it exactly like the United States today.  Once upon a time, humans received contentment and fulfilment from their work, and they often went home feeling connected to their communities and identified with the service or goods they offered for sale. But for the last hundred years we've steadily changed that. Today, 1 in 8 of us in the United States has worked at McDonalds, a job that might pay the bills, but certainly isn't showing anyone how much they are ..read more

Why do humans have such an odd fascination with criminals and outlaws? What happened to all the kings and queens who used to be in charge of everything...where did they go? Why? And what does any of this have to do with drugs? In this episode I pick up where I left off last time by introducing Michel Foucault's concept of panoptic power, which explains why now days we all self-discipline to conform to social regulations. The war on drugs thrives in spaces where most citizens are thoroughly convinced of the stereotypes that surround drug use: immorality, contagion, degradation, the "disease" o ..read more

From 1985-1992, Dr. John Marks managed a clinic where addicted people in parts of England could go to get prescription heroin, cocaine and amphetamine. And just like those who did so before him, and those who came after, he noted improvements in his patients' quality of life and a reduction in their use (and purchase) of street drugs. But in 1992, he was run off by the government when his work gained too much attention, in part by appearing on 60 Minutes and sharing footage of cigarettes spiked with cocaine and heroin being picked up by users from local pharmacies. Today I am joined by Toby S ..read more

Have you ever thought, "dang, I just got out of work and I already dread going back tomorrow!"? Most of us have, and in response we did something to make ourselves feel better, something to take the edge off: we treated ourselves to an ice cream cone or binge watched our favorite Netflix series. That's the norm of 21st Century capitalism. Today's episode is about America's drug problem, but I take a route through a number of related topics including capitalism, leisure time, the "culture industry" (a term coined by Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer), and Marx's alienation. I also cover some t ..read more

This episode is all about America's unhealthily relationships with work and drugs. We live in a world where we are increasingly distracted and secluded, and our daily schedules often consist of punching a clock and returning home. It's no wonder we feel so compelled to use drugs. We are torturing ourselves with capitalism. Benjamin Fong's book, Quick Fixes: Drugs in America from Prohibition to the 21st Century Binge, is available now. His other work is linked below on most pod-catchers. "The Psychedelic Renaissance Is on the Verge of an Uneasy Enlightenment" in Jacobin.   "Monsters of ..read more

Colorado's state prison budget has grown by almost 1300% in the last 35 years; it's now more than a billion dollars-per-year. This week I talk to Christie Donner, founder of the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition. We discuss the current state of prisons in Colorado and across the US, and we spend some time digging into a few specific bills currently being debated by Colorado Legislators, including Good Samaritan Laws, fentanyls, safe use sites, and  education in prison. We also discuss Pell Grants, the school-to-prison pipeline, negative press coverage, and the ongoing staff cris ..read more

This week my partner Dr. Erin Boyce joins me to talk about one of her areas of study, attachment theory. We discuss childhood development, identity formation, the important of strong attachments to parental figures, authenticity, depression, repression, and lots more. For more on Attachment Theory, check out Mary Ainsworth's work. For more on attachment, authenticity and addiction, check out Dr. Gabor Maté's work. The Spectacle of Punishment and Dr. Junkie available at Amazon and B&N ..read more