A man, woman and personified microphone standing on a grassy hill overlooking water and an orange sky.

When does it stop being a party and start becoming a problem? Is there a way to steer clear of addiction?

Every Wednesday, Mike McGowan explores substance use disorders with expert guests.

Latest Episodes

Wild Ride to Sobriety

June 25, 2025

The road to success is not lined with empty liquor bottles. Ian Fee shares his story of addiction and redemption. Ian is a successful author and entrepreneur and the creator of Make It Great (MIG). Proudly sober since 2017, he has dedicated himself to personal growth, family, and living a life of purpose and clarity….

Healing From the Inside Out

June 18, 2025

Working with people with substance use disorders means working with the person’s whole self, body, mind, spirit, and environment. Dr. Sarah Nasir talks about her holistic approach to addiction medicine and the challenges that underserved populations face in getting the help they need to discover their whole selves. Dr. Nasir is a dual board-certified family…

Irish Roots

June 11, 2025

Mimi Tallo grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, a northeastern, blue-collar town. She was surrounded by dysfunction, abuse, and addiction. She was also surrounded by relatives she didn’t find out were relatives until she dove into her genealogy. Mimi talks about her upbringing and her father’s life-long belief that he was Sicilian and how it shaped him…

Wild Ride to Sobriety

June 25, 2025

The road to success is not lined with empty liquor bottles. Ian Fee shares his story of addiction and redemption. Ian is a successful author and entrepreneur and the creator of Make It Great (MIG). Proudly sober since 2017, he has dedicated himself to personal growth, family, and living a life of purpose and clarity….

Healing From the Inside Out

June 18, 2025

Working with people with substance use disorders means working with the person’s whole self, body, mind, spirit, and environment. Dr. Sarah Nasir talks about her holistic approach to addiction medicine and the challenges that underserved populations face in getting the help they need to discover their whole selves. Dr. Nasir is a dual board-certified family…

Irish Roots

June 11, 2025

Mimi Tallo grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, a northeastern, blue-collar town. She was surrounded by dysfunction, abuse, and addiction. She was also surrounded by relatives she didn’t find out were relatives until she dove into her genealogy. Mimi talks about her upbringing and her father’s life-long belief that he was Sicilian and how it shaped him…

We Are What We Eat

June 4, 2025

What we feed our bodies has a tremendous effect on our physical and mental health. Lis Schmelzer discusses the importance of being aware of how what we consume affects all our bodies’ systems. She also discusses the role of functional medicine in bringing our bodies and minds into a state of well being. Lis is…

Meet Your Host

Michael McGowan is President of McGowan and Associates, a training and consultation firm specializing in workplace, school, and family issues. He works with helping agencies, companies, schools, parent groups, and students as a trainer, consultant, and motivational speaker.

Mr. McGowan has spent the last twenty-five years working with families and children. He worked as an educator, a family and addiction counselor, an administrator, and a trainer. He has directed state-certified training and rehabilitation programs. And he is host of the national podcast, "Avoiding the Addiction Affliction." During the last twenty years he has given presentations and keynote addresses to tens of thousands of people annually and has trained thousands of social service workers, educators, students, coaches, and administrators worldwide. Additionally, he has worked with the Department of Corrections, professional athletes and teams from the NFL and MLB, and dozens of private companies as a trainer and consultant.

Mike McGowan headshot