Overcoming Shame, Embracing Intimacy, and Why Abstinence Isn’t Always The Answer — Adi Jaffe

Adi Jaffe is a best-selling author, highly sought-after speaker, and nationally recognized expert on mental health and relationships. He was a UCLA lecturer in the Psychology department for the better part of a decade and was the Executive-Director and Co-Founder of one of the most progressive mental health treatment facilities in the country - until he started IGNTD. During his undergraduate career at UCLA, Adi struggled with drug issues and was immersed in the drug-dealing world in Los Angeles. He used his challenges to turn it all around and now has a tool to connect with others and help them find their own inspiration and power. He speaks with us today about his relationship with addiction, intimacy, and building trust within himself and others. Adi gives his expert advice on overcoming shame and leaning into mental health and wellness, and resources on how to further explore his cutting-edge and powerful programs.   What You’ll Hear In This Episode: Sherry and Carla may have the same birthday and a lot of other similarities, but they find one glaring difference — Carla is a cat person and loves their independent nature, and Sherry will take all the slobbery, excitable dogs. Which one are you? A Love Fix Question about how to support a needy friend while still setting and maintaining your own boundaries. Adi talks openly about his addiction to meth and arrest that eventually led to his rock bottom moment of reckoning. He also explains why he defines addiction as a syndrome rather than a disease, and the four factors that come heavily into play. Adi’s IGNTD program shows others that it’s never too late to change your path and work towards healing and redemption, along with resources from Sherry and Carla on overcoming codependency and gaining confidence. We talk with Adi about how addiction and issues with intimacy and sexual addiction go hand in hand, and how his harm reduction model doesn’t always call for abstinence as the answer. Adi opens up about the ups and downs in his own relationship, and how he and his wife worked through things, built trust, and now have a quicker and more direct path to conflict resolution. Our advice for someone whose partner is not willing to do the work. Adi’s book The Abstinence Myth is a new approach for overcoming addiction without shame, judgement, or rules.   Tweetables: “When you find something you are passionate about, it changes the world.” - Adi “For all of us, the work is internal. We all have to work on ourselves, but not everybody does.” - Adi “If someone doesn’t want to be with you and they make it clear, they are giving you a gift. They are allowing you to untangle yourself from something keeping you anchored.” - Adi   Connect with Us!   The Love Fix | @thelovefixpodcast Wake up Recovery for Codependency, Love Addiction, and Toxic Relationships — $1 trial membership    The Love Fix Relationship Quiz      Get professional online counseling with BetterHelp by clicking here. Thanks to BetterHelp for sponsoring this episode.   Sherry Website | Instagram | Facebook | Love Smacked | Wake Up Recovery for Codependents    Carla Website | Instagram | Facebook | Contagious Love | Online Dating Bootcamp    Adi Jaffe Instagram | Tedx Talk | IGNTD | The Abstinence Myth    Find Out More:  Co-Dependents Anonymous  Al-Anon