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Join ASAM Practice Pearls for in-depth discussions on addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery.
Geared toward healthcare professionals and individuals seeking knowledge, this series explores the latest evidence-based approaches to addiction medicine.
Listen to interviews with leading experts as they delve into critical topics and share practical tools you can use to improve patient care and promote public health.
Episodes
Monday Jun 29, 2026
Monday Jun 29, 2026
In this episode of ASAM Practice Pearls, Dr. Stephen Taylor and Dr. Mike Fingerhood discuss the importance of enhancing addiction care through community support and compassionate touch points. They explore how providing access to basic needs can serve as entry points into treatment for individuals struggling with addiction, the effect of compassionate interventions on clinical outcomes, and the challenges related to funding and community acceptance for addiction services.
Monday Jun 15, 2026
Monday Jun 15, 2026
In this episode of ASAM Practice Pearls, Dr. Stephen Taylor hosts Dr. Sarah Wakeman to discuss substance use care in the emergency department, sharing highlights from ASAM's new implementation guide for hospital and emergency department (ED) substance use disorder (SUD) care. Together, they explore the gap between evidence-based addiction treatment and current hospital/ED practice, how frontline non-specialist clinicians can provide effective SUD care, practical implementation models, and how to build seamless care transitions from the ED to ongoing treatment.
Monday Jun 01, 2026
Monday Jun 01, 2026
🎙 Special Series: ASAM's 57th Annual Conference
This episode is part of a special three-part series spotlighting key sessions from ASAM’s 57th Annual Conference.
In this episode of ASAM Practice Pearls, In this episode of ASAM Practice Pearls, Dr. Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar is joined by Drs. Ruth Potee and Ari Kriegsman to explore highlights from their session, The Right Dose, Every Day. Together, they challenge the algorithmic, punitive approaches to methadone treatment, instead promoting individualized, patient-centered care. They share their clinical and philosophical approaches to methadone treatment, including split dosing, missed-dosing protocols, and expanded take-home medications, offering practical insights to help you advocate for your patients and collaborate across care settings.
Read the rest of this entry »Monday May 18, 2026
Monday May 18, 2026
🎙 Special Series: ASAM's 57th Annual Conference
This episode is part of a special three-part series spotlighting key sessions from ASAM’s 57th Annual Conference.
In this episode of ASAM Practice Pearls, In this episode of ASAM Practice Pearls, Dr. Stephen Taylor is joined by Drs. Tessa Steel and Melissa Weimer to discuss highlights from their Annual Conference session, Advanced Management of Alcohol Withdrawal: Case-Based, Evidence-Informed Solutions. Together, they explore the challenges of managing severe and resistant alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS), effective assessment tools, escalation strategies, and care considerations for high-risk or medically complex patients.
Read the rest of this entry »Monday May 04, 2026
Monday May 04, 2026
🎙 Special Series: ASAM's 57th Annual Conference
This episode is part of a special three-part series spotlighting key sessions from ASAM’s 57th Annual Conference.
In this episode of ASAM Practice Pearls, Dr. Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar is joined by Drs. Sara Polley and Daniel Kaufman to explore highlights from their Annual Conference session, Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Addiction Medicine. Together, they discuss how artificial intelligence is reshaping addiction medicine, including the many ways AI is already being used in clinical care. The conversation focuses on informed consent, maintaining clinical judgment, and ethical considerations.
Read the rest of this entry »Monday Apr 20, 2026
Monday Apr 20, 2026
In this episode of ASAM Practice Pearls, Drs. Stephen Taylor and Takeo Toyoshima address the misconception that cannabis is not addictive. They discuss how clinicians can better understand the cannabis products their patients are using, navigate the changing legal landscape, and assess for cannabis use disorder using the “Three Cs” framework. The conversation highlights treatment strategies like motivational interviewing and harm reduction, managing cannabis withdrawal, the risk of psychosis from high-potency products, and emerging pharmacotherapy options. Throughout the episode, they offer practical strategies for keeping patients engaged in care.
Monday Apr 06, 2026
Monday Apr 06, 2026
In this episode of ASAM Practice Pearls, Dr. Stephen Taylor hosts researchers Dr. Kirsten Smith and Katie Hill to explore the rapidly evolving landscape of kratom and 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH). They examine kratom’s complex pharmacology, review current research on kratom and 7-OH, discuss kratom’s addiction potential, withdrawal patterns, and the challenges of kratom in the clinical setting. The episode provides listeners with a basic understanding of kratom and 7-OH products, helping clinicians better understand where to begin when treating patients who use kratom and kratom-derived products.
Monday Mar 23, 2026
Monday Mar 23, 2026
In this episode of ASAM Practice Pearls, Drs. Stephen Taylor and Sharon Stancliff explore the role of social determinants of health (SDoH) in addiction care. They discuss the biopsychosocial model of addiction and emphasize the importance of understanding social factors such as housing, transportation, and economic stability when providing effective care. They highlight the need for clinicians to engage with patients in their environments, advocate for policy changes, and address racial disparities in addiction treatment, offering practical strategies clinicians can use to support patients facing social challenges.
Monday Mar 09, 2026
Monday Mar 09, 2026
In this episode of ASAM Practice Pearls, Drs. Stephen Taylor and Smita Das discuss co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorders (SUD). They explore the most common psychiatric conditions seen alongside addiction, share strategies for distinguishing primary psychiatric disorders from substance-induced symptoms, and review approaches to screening, treatment planning, and integrated care. The conversation highlights practical screening tools, medication considerations, and populations with unique clinical needs, emphasizing the importance of treating both conditions concurrently.
Monday Feb 23, 2026
Monday Feb 23, 2026
In this episode of ASAM Practice Pearls, Drs. Stephen Taylor and Brian Hurley explore contingency management as an evidence-based treatment for substance use disorders. They address common concerns and share practical strategies for implementing contingency management in real-world clinical settings, offering listeners actionable insights and best practices for integrating contingency management into comprehensive care.
Monday Feb 09, 2026
Monday Feb 09, 2026
In the Season 2 premiere of ASAM Practice Pearls, Drs. Stephen Taylor and Jeanmarie Perrone follow up on Season 1’s episode, Emerging Illicit Substances: What Clinicians Need to Know. Together, they discuss how medetomidine has continued to spread to different regions and what has changed over the past year. They explore strategies for managing medetomidine withdrawal, keeping patients safe, and preparing for this growing public health threat.