The Science and Stigma of Addiction

This presentation will delve into the pervasive issue of stigma surrounding addiction, highlighting its harmful impact on individuals and communities. It also explores the science of addiction, offering insights into the neurobiological and psychiatric factors that underlie this complex condition.

Speaker: James B. Shuler, DO, MS, FACOEP, FAWM, FASAM

Dr. Shuler has lived in Colorado since age 6, growing up in the Fort Collins area.  He attended Colorado Timberline Academy in Durango for high school and after that became an MP in the United States Army.  He then returned to Fort Collins where he was self-employed in a couple of different ventures before attending College at Colorado State University where he did a double major in Botany and Zoology.  After graduating, he attended medical school at Des Moines University where he also received a master’s degree in Healthcare Administration along with his Doctorate in Osteopathic Medicine.  He then attended an internship and residency in Emergency Medicine at Michigan State University in Lansing, Michigan.  He then returned to Colorado and practiced emergency medicine in a wide variety of emergency departments including locum tenens work in multiple states and started an urgent care business with other partners.

Dr. Shuler’s passion for addiction medicine arose from his own recovery from alcoholism over a decade ago.  He began his training at Harmony Foundation and worked under and with several addiction medicine specialists in a variety of practices over the past 9 years.  He is currently dual board-certified in Addiction and Emergency Medicine with a subspecialty fellowship in Wilderness Medicine.  He currently lives with his wife in Lafayette, Colorado, and has two girls, ages 22 and 26, and two stepchildren ages 23 and 28.  He is currently the Medical Director for inpatient addiction treatment at the Foundry in Steamboat, Colorado, Mile High Recovery in Denver, Colorado, and Medical Director for Thrivur Health, and outpatient SUD treatment clinic in Englewood, Colorado.  He was recently the Medical Director for Choice House/Lookout in Boulder, Colorado. Additionally, he has recently been a regional medical director for Front Range Clinics, devoted to outpatient addiction treatment, and currently works with the Denver Recovery Group, another outpatient opioid addiction treatment (OTP) facility and has been the Medical Director for a couple of other OTP’s.

His hobbies include gourmet cooking, as much travel as possible, and a variety of outdoor activities in Colorado.