The Weight of Air: A Conversation with Addiction Expert David Poses

Please join us for a night of conversation between critically acclaimed author, speaker, activist, and addiction expert David Poses and Graduate School of Social Service Assistant Professor Sameena Azhar, Ph.D.

Topics of Discussion

• Increasing overdose rates through the pandemic
• Availability of buprenorphine vs. methadone
• Decriminalization of substance use
• Role of Big Pharma in perpetuating opioid addiction

There will be time at the end for a Q&A session with the audience.

About the Speaker
Poses is focused on evidence-based addiction treatment, drug policy, and harm reduction. His writing has been published by the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and New York Daily News (among others), and he’s appeared on various TV and radio shows and podcasts. He is the author of The Weight of Air: A Story of the Lies about Addiction and the Truth about Recovery. It is a memoir of a double life, fueled by addiction and mental illness.

Depression was Poses’ gateway to heroin/opioid addiction. He started using at 16 and kept his struggle hidden long after he got sober with buprenorphine at age 32. Ten years later, in 2018, he realized his silence was working against the changes he wanted to see in the world. How could he expect anyone else to talk openly about their addiction or mental health issues if he denied his? Poses set out on a mission to share his experiences with the world through his books, public speaking, and bylined articles for major media. Poses lives in New York with his wife, kids, and many instruments he can’t really play.