Ep 45 - We have a special guest with us today: Dr. Aaron Weiner. Dr. Weiner is a board-certified psychologist and addiction specialist who works nationally on addiction, behavioral health, and the impact of drug policies on public health. His expertise comes from directing hospital addiction services, along with experience in private practice, combining clinical experience with current research.

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Dr. Weiner is also a past president of the Society of Addiction Psychology and serves as an addiction policy advisor for the American Psychological Association. He’s on the Science Advisory Board for the Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions, and his insights have been featured in Newsweek, USA Today, The Chicago Tribune, The Guardian, Psychology Today, and The New York Times.

Welcome, Dr. Weiner! It’s so great to have you with us. Today, we’re going to discuss levels of care, we want people to understand when someone might need a different level of care and how to be aware of where they are on that spectrum. For example, some people may have a habit like drinking one or two drinks a day. Sometimes that requires a higher level of care, and sometimes it doesn’t. We’re all unique, and it’s important to know when something might need more attention.

Dr. Aaron Weiner's website
https://www.weinerphd.com/

Say Goodbye And Imagine shares the firsthand victories of those who have broken free from the psychological slavery of alcohol or other substances. Our greatest hope is to share these stories of triumph so you can draw inspiration and courage from their stories. But our podcast doesn't just offer hope—it showcases the real, tangible outcomes of lives transformed by faith and the collective strength of a community that believes in second chances.

Warning: our Say Goodbye And Imagine podcast is a little different. We don’t use words that create shame or a negative identity. So, in our podcast we don’t use vocabulary like alcoholic or alcoholism, alcohol addiction or alcohol recovery, recovery or recovering, sober or sobriety, addict or addiction, powerless or powerlessness, and other words that take away our identity in God. Since we are remade in the image of God, we seek an identity that is empowering through Him. Although we respect and honor groups like AA (Alcoholics Anonymous), Celebrate Recovery, and sober rehabilitation centers, our topics tend to be very individual, focusing on the unique journey of each participant. What is not unique is the common thread of the power of the Holy Spirit at work in each episode.

If you desire to quit drinking or have been searching for ways to reconnect with God, then please tune in. Hear the amazing success stories of Christians just like you who decided to choose freedom from alcohol or other substances. Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) “For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Rose Ann Forte is the host of Say Goodbye and Imagine. Rose Ann had reached a point in her own life when she realized that alcohol was stealing from her and understood that God had a much better plan for her. Today she is the bestselling author of The Plans He has for Me Daily Devotional. Through her podcast, blog articles, books, public speaking, Choose Freedom Program, YouTube and TikTok videos, and Choose Freedom coaching and church mentor programs, Rose Ann loves to share her experience of transformation with others and discuss the power of the Holy Spirit and God’s foundational principles behind renewing your mind.