Should You Take Drugs in Recovery? A Top Addiction Doctor Explains

In this episode, Zac sits down with Release Recovery’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Michael McCormick, for a candid, nuanced conversation about one of the most controversial questions in recovery: can drugs ever help sobriety?

Together, they break down three major categories of medications – benzodiazepines, stimulants, and opioid medications like Suboxone, methadone, and Vivitrol – and explain how each works in the brain, why they can be both lifesaving and dangerous, and how clinicians decide, case by case, when medication is part of recovery and when it becomes a risk.

Dr. McCormick challenges black-and-white thinking about “being sober,” addresses the stigma many people face in the rooms of recovery, and shares how careful monitoring, individualized care, and real behavioral change are essential if medication is used at all.

This is not a pro-drug or anti-drug episode – it’s an honest, clinically grounded exploration of the gray area where medicine, addiction, and recovery meet.

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If you or anyone you know is struggling, please do not hesitate to contact Release Recovery:(914) 588-6564 releaserecovery.com@releaserecovery

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