Dr. Judy Grisel
After first abusing alcohol in middle school, Judy Grisel became a daily drug user, taking every addictive substance she could find on the street, which is where she lived much of the time. Toward the end of that phase of her life, a friend made the astute observation that “...there will never be enough cocaine,” unwittingly describing the hopeless state that substance use disorders create. Users recognize the unworkability of living either with or without, substances. In treatment a few months later, Judy made two fateful decisions: to give abstinence a try and to work to find a cure for addiction. Today she's been clean and sober for over three decades and is a renowned neuroscientist and teacher. Her story weaves brain science with experience to explain what we know about the causes and consequences of addiction. Dr. Grisel attributes much of her success in recovery and neuroscience to many of the same attributes that gave rise to her disordered use and posits that effective strategies to help those struggling with substance abuse will depend more, at least as much on authentic connections as on biomedical advances.
