“I was drinking alcohol, I was smoking cigarettes, I was snorting cocaine, I was snorting crystal meth, and I was freebasing—all in the same day. And I was a complete wreck,” says Joe Polish.

A former addict turned successful entrepreneur, Mr. Polish is the founder of Genius Recovery, a nonprofit that’s trying to change how society approaches addiction, and Genius Network, a network of high-achieving entrepreneurs.

In this episode, we explore what’s broken in our society, what’s fueling the opioid crisis that is killing 100,000 Americans a year, and how to rebuild connection, community, and purpose.

“Don’t ask the question ‘why the addiction?’” he says. Instead ask: why the pain?

All addiction is a response to trauma, Mr. Polish says, and that’s where the focus of recovery should be.

Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.