Substance use and suicide are often discussed separately, but this episode of Beyond Substance makes clear that they frequently overlap in ways that can be dangerous when missed. Hosts Dean Babcock and Jodi Miller examine that intersection through data, clinical insight, and lived experience, showing why people struggling with both need to be seen, understood, and treated more completely.

Segment 1: Professional Interview Summary
Holly Hartman brings a systems-level view to the conversation, grounded in decades of nursing, behavioral health, risk management, and suicide prevention work. She explains that suicide risk among people with substance use disorders is shaped by more than one factor. Trauma, chronic pain, co-occurring mental health conditions, cumulative losses, and hopelessness all complicate the picture. She stresses that people do not arrive at crisis in a vacuum, and that providers need to better understand what happened long before the treatment encounter.

Segment 2: Personal Story Summary
Zainab’s story gives listeners a close look at what the overlap between substance use and suicidal thoughts can feel like from the inside. She describes isolating herself, feeling hopeless, and talking about wanting to die, even in social settings where others might not have realized how much pain she was carrying. As the emotional pressure intensified, smoking, alcohol, and self-harm became ways of coping and numbing thoughts that felt overwhelming.


#BeyondSubstance #SuicidePrevention #SubstanceUseDisorder #MentalHealthAwareness #AddictionRecovery #RecoveryIsPossible #SuicideAwareness #BehavioralHealth #TraumaInformedCare #MentalHealthMatters #HopeAndHealing #SupportSavesLives #LivedExperience #CommunitySupport #ShawnPNeal




Podcast Information:

• Hosted by: Dean Babcock & Jodi Miller
• "A Look at the Numbers" Host: Allie Martin
• Executive Producer: Shawn P Neal
• Produced and Mixed at AdvoCast Leadership Advisory's Studio236

Beyond Substance explores substance use prevention, treatment, recovery, public health, and the people working to build healthier communities through informed conversations and evidence-based perspectives.

Topics:
Substance Use, Recovery, Prevention, Public Health, Mental Health, Community Health, Healthcare, Education

Hashtags:
#BeyondSubstance #SubstanceUse #Recovery #RecoveryMatters #Prevention #PublicHealth #MentalHealth #CommunityHealth #Healthcare #HealthEducation