Hosted by Noah Emery, PhD, and Samuel Acuff, PhD, the show serves as a dynamic platform where clinicians, researchers, students, and policymakers in the field of addiction come together to highlight relevant work, discuss key issues, and share evidence-based insights that enhance prevention, treatment, and recovery.
To date, The Addiction Psychologist has released 65 episodes, freely available on all major streaming platforms and the SoAP website. The podcast has reached over 100,000 total listens, averaging more than 1,500 per episode, across 148 countries. Episodes are regularly incorporated into addiction training courses worldwide, offering an enduring educational resource for students and professionals alike.
The show’s mission is simple but impactful: make high-quality, empirically informed content accessible to all. Recognizing the demands of modern life, SoAP sought to create a mechanism for passive learning, an opportunity for listeners to engage with cutting-edge addiction science while commuting, cooking, or taking a walk. Each episode blends scientific rigor with practical application, helping bridge the divide between academic research and real-world implementation.
Episodes are released once a month and feature conversations with leaders in addiction science and clinical practice. Each episode focuses on a specific topic in addiction psychology, such as treatment innovation, prevention, policy, or emerging research and explores related themes of training, mentorship, and professional development. Guests also share their academic career path, offering insight into how they arrived at their current work. At the conclusion of every episode, guests are invited to summarize key take-home messages tailored to specific audience members that might be listening—individuals in recovery or interested in making a change, practitioners, policymakers, and members of underserved communities, ensuring that the content resonates broadly and remains actionable.
Beyond its reach, The Addiction Psychologist has become a model of public scholarship. By amplifying diverse voices, including early-career researchers and underrepresented scholars, the podcast fosters connection and collaboration across the addiction field. It exemplifies how divisions can leverage accessible media to enhance member engagement, promote continuing education, and translate science for communities worldwide.
SoAP invites APA members and listeners from all backgrounds to tune in, learn, and contribute to future episodes. Suggestions for topics or guest nominations can be sent to The Addiction Psychologist via email or Blueskyopens in new window.
Through The Addiction Psychologist, SoAP continues to advance its mission to promote advances in research, professional training, and clinical practice within the broad range of addictive behaviors. The podcast embodies this mission by promoting evidence-based understanding of addiction, supporting professional development, and enhancing public access to psychological science.