Daniel Snyder on Self Agency and Personal Responsibility – LPP PODCAST Episode 26

Stanton Peele By: Dr. Stanton Peele

Posted on July 27th, 2020 - Last updated: September 28th, 2023
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Welcome to Episode 26!

On today’s program, Zach Rhoads speaks with Daniel Snyder.

Daniel lives in Langley, British Columbia where he is a project and peer coordinator at Langley Overdose Response. He is also the founding creator of Mindful Hope, a hub of resources regarding harm reduction and sensible drug policy.

15 years ago, Daniel Snyder overcame a heroin addiction. It was only after attending, being perplexed by, and “failing” at 12-step recovery programs that he found SMART Recovery. He is now living his best life, and does not consider himself “in recovery” — a term that he broadly respects, but which he rejects as a descriptor of his own life experience.

Some discussion points from the episode:

  • Daniel’s story of overcoming addiction
  • Re-defining / refining concepts like “recovery” and “relapse”
  • The positive aspects of the harm reduction approach taken by many American counties / cities / states around the U.S. and Canada
  • The downsides of some of these policies (to the extent that “one-size-fits-all” policies lead to unintended consequences
  • The quasi-religion of the disease model of addiction
  • Understanding drug benefits/the reasonable place that drugs (even illicit drugs)  can have in a person’s life.
  • Suggestions for sensible drug policy and a reasonable conceptualization of “addiction”

Sincere thanks to Daniel for this open and honest conversation. We hope it will be of benefit to our listeners.

Please let us know what you think in the comments below.

Stanton Peele

Dr. Stanton Peele, recognized as one of the world's leading addiction experts, developed the Life Process Program after decades of research, writing, and treatment about and for people with addictions. Dr. Peele is the author of 14 books. His work has been published in leading professional journals and popular publications around the globe.

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