In this eye-opening episode of The Confident Sober Women podcast, host Shelby John sits down with award-winning investigative journalist Shoshana Walter, author of Rehab: An American Scandal. Together, they uncover the shocking realities of America’s addiction treatment industry—where compassion and healing sometimes collide with corruption, exploitation, and profit.
Shoshana shares the powerful stories behind her groundbreaking reporting for The Marshall Project and Reveal, which exposed how some court-ordered rehab programs forced people struggling with addiction into unpaid labor—working in factories, warehouses, and even processing plants under the guise of “treatment.” Her work sheds light on the systemic failures in the U.S. recovery landscape and the human cost of unregulated programs that prey on the most vulnerable.
Shelby and Shoshana explore:
- How the opioid epidemic reshaped America’s rehab industry—and where it went wrong
- The dark history of “tough love” recovery programs rooted in Synanon and behavioral modification
- Why unregulated and for-profit treatment centers continue to thrive today
- The legal and ethical gray zones surrounding work-based rehab programs
- The critical role of “recovery capital”—the internal and external supports that make lasting sobriety possible
- The devastating gap in treatment options for mothers and families, and what real reform could look like
This conversation is a must-listen for anyone in recovery, professionals in the mental health and addiction fields, and families seeking treatment for a loved one. It’s a raw, informed, and deeply compassionate discussion about what’s broken—and what hope still exists for creating an addiction recovery system that truly heals.
📘 Learn more about Shoshana Walter and her book on her website https://www.shoshanawalter.com/
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And if you haven't read my memoir, grab a copy of Recovering in Recovery: The Life-Changing Joy of Sobriety wherever books are sold.
