94: Christina Dent on approaches to addiction that reduce crime and empower families

People are the Answer

Show notes:

In this episode, Christina and Jeffrey chat about her incredible book, Curious: a foster mom’s discovery of an unexpected solution to drugs and addiction, as well as how End It For Good has evolved since their last conversation and the “staircase to recovery” as well as growing support for different types of recovery journeys.

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/me_HTcqo-P4

Learn more:

Host: Jeffrey M. Zucker

Producer: Kait Grey

Editor: Nick Case

Recording date: 7/30/24

Christina:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinabdent/

https://www.instagram.com/christinabdent/

End It For Good:

https://enditforgood.com/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwl4yyBhAgEiwADSEjeHW4zajtl0os_z-LkzXZ8qiH9Bsg3KCUprRz5cqqGWcIWBgdp7iQQxoCxuYQAvD_BwE

https://www.instagram.com/enditforgoodms/

https://www.facebook.com/EndItForGoodMS/

https://twitter.com/EndItForGoodMS

Contact - [e-mail]

Other resources:

Curious: A Foster Mom's Discovery of an Unexpected Solution to Drugs and Addiction - https://www.amazon.com/Curious-Discovery-Unexpected-Solution-Addiction/dp/B0CMCDV8VP/ref=sr_1_1?crid=I74YGFPXBVD9&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.P3QhsNIPa0w36dbtXZtkeddL5vuGou8YhJX21rk2Fp4oIuTI6VB6B2Tl04RrBExAUj3fbibSt7sHFNhbl_PG8WR7g3piyzrNkgBPKsIGP25p3bZt7kTYUwCoM1IFI513gaanjpKxqe-toAexq4Nct3GxwRbmVk3n_VZEyYg_BEwvck3vZ3BGAMh7hMWEV7lOUlkhyIhDk4UndTOYgB9GiniXJgAm_VvaDgpW4ygmPek.C6h21av_RSPCGELOw1AgGMEGPLZtC3j3BRHaRVauIco&dib_tag=se&keywords=Curious%3A+A+Foster+Mom%27s+Discovery+of+an+Unexpected+Solution+to+Drugs+and+Addiction&qid=1715710051&sprefix=curious+a+foster+mom%27s+discovery+of+an+unexpected+solution+to+drugs+and+addiction%2Caps%2C113&sr=8-1

Bio:

Christina is an author, TEDx speaker, and perpetual question-asker. She grew up in a conservative, Christian home and earned a degree in Biblical Studies with an emphasis in Christian Ministry from Belhaven University.

As a young adult, Christina assumed she had a solid understanding of how the world works. That changed when she and her husband became foster parents in 2014. The neat bow she had tied around her mental box of how the world works began to unravel.

What had previously been a category of people in her mind, people addicted to drugs, now had a name, face, and an infant son sleeping in the extra bedroom down the hall. Her foster care experience gave her an up-close look at the realities of addiction, drug use, and the far-reaching impact of our drug laws.

This became the catalyst for months of reading, questions, and listening as she tried to reconcile her beliefs as a Christian with the pain and suffering she saw first-hand. What she learned changed her mind. The laws she thought were the answer to keep people from using drugs she now saw as causing more harm than help to people made in God’s image.

Christina founded End It For Good out of her desire to invite others to listen to the voices directly impacted by our drug laws. She hopes that more people will explore the root causes of drug-related harm and consider a different approach. She wrote the book Curious: A Foster Mom's Discovery of an Unexpected Solution to Drugs and Addiction to share her story and the research and experiences that changed her mind about the best path forward to help people thrive, even in a world where harmful drugs exist.

Christina is married to her college sweetheart Thomas, and they live in Ridgeland, MS, with their three sons. On the weekends, you can find her biking, in a hammock reading a biography, or playing board games with the family.

Chapters:

0:00 - Intro

3:40 - End It For Good

5:47 - How Has EIFG Evolved?

10:33 - Curious

23:17 - Curious on Audio Book

26:16 - Origin Story

32:29 - Life After Publishing Curious

39:39 - Sentencing in Real Time

47:34 - Regulated Vs Street Drugs

52:33 - Rehabbing Yourself

57:53 - Staircase to Recovery

1:04:17 - Transcending Religion

1:12:50 - Engagement Around Curious

1:16:11 - When Work Affected Change

1:20:45 - Snap Your Fingers

1:23:37 - How to Support