What Healthcare Gets Wrong About Addiction With Dr. Emma

Sonia sits down with Dr. Emma Kay, professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing and a nationally recognized researcher focused on HIV care, substance use, harm reduction, and recovery. Together, they unpack the intersection of addiction, stigma, and healthcare systems, and explore how a more compassionate, whole-person approach can change outcomes. Sonia guides this conversation to help reframe how we think about recovery, disclosure, and what meaningful care actually looks like in practice. The discussion moves beyond surface-level conversations about addiction and into the realities people face navigating HIV, substance use, and medical systems that often prioritize one condition over another. Questions emerge around why patients don’t disclose substance use, how stigma subtly shows up in healthcare settings, whether abstinence-only models are limiting recovery options, and what happens when providers assume noncompliance. It also touches on the gap between medical innovation and lived patient experience, especially when it comes to trust, access, and education. The conversation highlights how recovery is often non-linear, why patient autonomy matters, and how small behavioral shifts can represent meaningful progress. It also sheds light on systemic barriers including cost, lack of education in medical training, and disparities tied to race, geography, and socioeconomic status. The contrast between rapid advancements in HIV treatment and the slower evolution of addiction care reveals where healthcare systems are still falling short. Sonia and Dr. Kay also talk about—what it actually looks like when patients feel seen, heard, and respected versus judged or dismissed. From early moments in an HIV clinic filled with unexpected vulnerability to broader reflections on stigma and resilience, the episode brings forward the emotional and relational side of care that often gets overlooked in clinical conversations. This is Sisters in Sobriety, the support community that helps women change their relationship with alcohol. Check out our substack for extra tips, tricks and resources. Highlights 00:00 Introduction to Dr. Emma Kay and her work 01:00 Dr. Kay’s non-traditional path into social work and research 02:30 First experiences in an HIV clinic and shifting perspectives 04:00 Understanding HIV as a chronic condition vs stigma 05:30 The overlap between HIV and substance use 06:30 Risk factors and misconceptions about HIV transmission 07:30 Early experiences with patient vulnerability and resilience 09:00 Abstinence-based models vs harm reduction realities 10:30 Lack of harm reduction resources in certain regions 11:30 Why patients don’t disclose substance use 12:30 Gaps in education around harm reduction 13:30 What relational harm reduction actually means 15:00 Key principles: autonomy, humanism, pragmatism 16:30 Incremental progress and redefining success in recovery 17:30 Why recovery is rarely linear 19:00 Whole-person care and addressing underlying needs 21:00 Subtle stigma in healthcare settings 22:30 Misconceptions about adherence and drug use 24:00 Harm reduction vs abstinence models 25:30 Aging population with HIV and comorbidities 27:00 Treating HIV like any other chronic condition 28:30 Innovation in HIV care vs addiction care 30:00 Disparities in overdose rates and access to care 32:00 Trust gaps in marginalized communities 34:00 The role of community-led solutions 35:00 Cost barriers and access to life-saving resources Dr. Emma's Links https://scholars.uab.edu/5926-emma-kay https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmasophiakay/ SIS Links 💌 Sisters In Sobriety Substack – where the magic (and the mocktail recipes) happen 📬 Sisters In Sobriety Email 📸 Sisters In Sobriety Instagram 🌐 Kathleen’s Website Kathleen does not endorse any products mentioned in this podcast 📸 Kathleen’s Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.