Abstract Essay, in its fifth season, features Jasmine Bootle as a guest, bringing a courageous and intellectually grounded conversation centered on dismantling the labels and stigma that surround addiction. This episode moves beyond reductionist narratives to examine addiction as a complex intersection of trauma, identity, mental health, and social conditioning, challenging the language and assumptions that often dehumanize those who struggle. Jasmine articulates how stigma reinforces silence and isolation, while compassion, education, and accountability open pathways to recovery and reintegration. Through a reflective and ethically engaged lens, the discussion reframes addiction not as a moral failure but as a human experience that demands understanding, responsibility, and systemic change. Abstract Essay invites listeners to reconsider how words shape outcomes, how empathy reshapes culture, and how confronting stigma is essential to restoring dignity, agency, and hope. from Abstract Essay

Abstract Essay

Daniel Lucas /Sal Cosenza

Abstract Essay, in its fifth season, features Jasmine Bootle as a guest, bringing a courageous and intellectually grounded conversation centered on dismantling the labels and stigma that surround addiction. This episode moves beyond reductionist narratives to examine addiction as a complex intersection of trauma, identity, mental health, and social conditioning, challenging the language and assumptions that often dehumanize those who struggle. Jasmine articulates how stigma reinforces silence and isolation, while compassion, education, and accountability open pathways to recovery and reintegration. Through a reflective and ethically engaged lens, the discussion reframes addiction not as a moral failure but as a human experience that demands understanding, responsibility, and systemic change. Abstract Essay invites listeners to reconsider how words shape outcomes, how empathy reshapes culture, and how confronting stigma is essential to restoring dignity, agency, and hope.

23 minutes Posted Jan 3, 2026 at 8:00 am.

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Jasmine Bootle

Burning Down the labels and stigma around addiction. Providing free support and resources to those who need it. One size does not fit all and I can help guide you to freedom in sobriety.

I was bullied very intensely in my childhood which led me to develop mental health issues. Then my Mom left us with pretty much nothing. I had no coping skills so I began to drink. It was out of control and took me to some dangerous and dark places for 10 years. I got sober after my daughter was born. Sadly my Dad passed away and my family left me with nothing. Being an only child I wasn't even able to speak at his funeral and was kicked out of the family. In this chaos I got addicted to opiates for the next 2 years until my husband overdosed and almost died 3 times from bad fentanyl. So I went to a method clinic and got sober. I have been sober for 5 years. I initially started a resources program for the homeless. Then I started a successful podcast called Everyone is Addicted on YouTube and Roger's Television. This was to bring understanding awareness and give people a voice. I noticed that medical professionals were only offering the old ways to find sobriety and not showing people that there are far more choices so I started Burn it Down a non-profit organization that offers resources to find different proven ways to find sobriety. One size doesn't fit all and I want to help people find a way that works for them.

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