Resources

The human element of recovery from mental illness and addiction | Apryl Pooley | TEDxMSU

Apryl Pooley shares her story through mental illness and how she rediscovered her passion for learning, teaching, and sharing.

Living With High Functioning Anxiety | Jordan Raskopoulos | TEDxSydney

As a comedian and performer, Jordan Raskopolous does not suffer from stage fright, but away from the lights it’s a different story. In this compelling and funny talk, she shares her insights into what it is like to live with high functioning anxiety and how people like her can be perceived – to be both shy and loud at the same time. A talk many will relate to and one that offers strategies for dealing with it.

After anorexia: Life’s too short to weigh your cornflakes | Catherine Pawley | TEDxLeamingtonSpa

Diagnosed with anorexia nervosa in early 2012 Catherine battled the illness throughout her ‘A’ levels and the first year of her degree which resulted in her taking two gap years to get specialist treatment as an inpatient Eating Disorders Unit. Catherine reveals a deeply honest account into her road to recovery which will hopefully inspire others.

I Am Not A Monster: Schizophrenia | Cecilia McGough | TEDxPSU

Cecilia McGough puts a face to schizophrenia and helps empower college students through the upcoming non-profit Students With Schizophrenia.

Gray Area Drinking | Jolene Park | TEDxCrestmoorParkWomen

In this engaging talk, Jolene Park shares her experience of gray area drinking — the kind of drinking where there’s no rock bottom, but you drink as a way to manage anxiety and then regret how much and how often you drink. Regardless of the cause of anxiety or discomfort in your life, and regardless of whether you’re using alcohol or another substance or behavior as an attempt to manage stress, Jolene uses her expertise as a Functional Nutritionist to explain the importance of replenishing your neurotransmitters in a comprehensive and consistent way, especially if you want to get off the stopping and restarting drinking merry-go-round.

Ethan Nadelmann: Why we need to end the War on Drugs

Is the War on Drugs doing more harm than good? In a bold talk, drug policy reformist Ethan Nadelmann makes an impassioned plea to end the “backward, heartless, disastrous” movement to stamp out the drug trade. He gives two big reasons we should focus on intelligent regulation instead.

Overdose Epidemic: Facing the Hard Truth | Stephen Dass | TEDxUBCO

The fentanyl overdose epidemic is only growing in British Columbia, Canada. With over 900 deaths in 2016 alone, the problem isn’t going away, and society isn’t doing enough to change the situation. Stephen Dass encourages individuals to stop thinking about “them” vs “us”, and to take preemptive steps to support youth with social and mental health services before they reach the point of desperation.

Recover out loud | Tara Conner | TEDxUniversityofNevada

Tara Conner, Miss USA 2006, shares her life-long struggle with addiction and what she has learned from 10 years of sobriety. Addicts are not bad people that need to get good, but sick people that need to get well. In this challenging and at times humorous talk, she calls for a different response to the addiction crisis.

The Stigma of Addiction | Tony Hoffman | TEDxFresnoState

There is a stigma which many assign to drug addicts, even long after they have overcome their addiction. Tony discusses how his first time smoking marijuana led to his eventual drug addiction, homelessness, prison, and finally redemption. Tony Hoffman is the Founder and Director of The Freewheel Project, a non-profit organization that mentors thousands of youth through action sports: BMX, skateboarding and after-school programs. After paroling prison on December 13, 2008, he started living out his dream, with his addiction behind him. Tony is a Former BMX Elite Pro and placed 2nd at the 2016 World Championships in Medellin Colombia in the Masters Pro class.

Listening to shame | Brené Brown

Shame is an unspoken epidemic, the secret behind many forms of broken behavior. Brené Brown, whose earlier talk on vulnerability became a viral hit, explores what can happen when people confront their shame head-on. Her own humor, humanity and vulnerability shine through every word.

Everything you think you know about addiction is wrong | Johann Hari

What really causes addiction — to everything from cocaine to smart-phones? And how can we overcome it? Johann Hari has seen our current methods fail firsthand, as he has watched loved ones struggle to manage their addictions. He started to wonder why we treat addicts the way we do — and if there might be a better way. As he shares in this deeply personal talk, his questions took him around the world, and unearthed some surprising and hopeful ways of thinking about an age-old problem.