In this episode, Dr. Nick Christian sits down with host, Zach, for a second time and talks about his experiences making music and touring with a country music band and how music fits into his life as an addiction medicine provider. He talks about moving to Austin, Texas, for his residency, where he knew he would be surrounded by other musicians. There, he connected with a band called Fertility House and released an album, Dust. Dr. Christian discusses his involvement with Humans of ATX, promoting humanism through patient encounters using art, and his thoughts on that experience through the lens of being a practitioner. He shares about Community First Village, where he previously lived and helped start a music collective, and how meaningful it is to connect with others through music. He believes that “art allows us to transcend the suffering of human experience” and is therapeutic for both the individual and the relationship that is built through creating art together.   

Dr. Christian shares his thoughts on the importance of self-care and what that means for him. He talks about Health as a Human Right and his belief that addiction is currently the greatest threat to human health in the US. Reflecting back, Dr. Christian offers advice to his younger self and others upcoming in the medical community.

Finally, Dr. Christian talks about R2R Productions, his new podcast venture with co-host Brandon Sands, and their first series, Sonic Buzz, in which they use a particular song to guide each episode’s discussion about substance use and addiction.

Dr. Nicholaus “Nick” Christian is board certified in internal medicine and addiction medicine and serves as a Staff Clinician with the Office of the Clinical Director, NIDA IRP. He received his medical degree and Master of Business Administration from Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine and completed residency training at Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin, where he served as chief resident. He subsequently completed his addiction medicine fellowship at the Yale Program in Addiction Medicine as well as postdoctoral research training through the Veterans Affairs Health Services Research and Development program. Nick brings extensive experience providing inpatient and outpatient addiction care and conducting community-based participatory research with people with addiction who have experienced homelessness. His research interests include engaging marginalized populations in scientific research and improving care for people living with addiction.

Links:

Sonic Buzz by R2R Productions

Dust, album by Fertility House

Community First! Village - Mobile Loaves & Fishes (mlf.org)

Pure Goodness Music Collective, Vol. 1

Health as a Human Right: A Position Paper From the American College of Physicians | Annals of Internal Medicine (acpjournals.org)

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, you are not alone. Treatment is available and recovery is possible. Visit ASAM’s Patient Resources page for more information.

The information shared in this podcast episode is for educational purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice.