WASTED: Beating Alcohol Addiction Through Evidence-Based Treatment
Table of Contents
Introduction
This Nature of Things documentary follows Mike Pond, a Vancouver‑based psychotherapist whose own life‑threatening battle with alcohol upended everything he had built. After two decades of a thriving private practice, alcohol destroyed his career, home, and family, leaving him homeless and struggling through abusive recovery homes, emergency wards, and intensive care before he eventually began to rebuild his life. The only treatment initially offered to him was Alcoholics Anonymous, an abstinence‑based approach that didn’t work for Mike, prompting him to search for alternatives rooted in science and compassion.
Through his journey, Pond became an advocate for compassionate, evidence‑based treatments and harm reduction—believing that any positive change offers people the best chance of recovery rather than rigid, one‑size‑fits‑all methods. The film, directed and co‑produced by his partner Maureen Palmer, weaves his personal experiences together with broader research on addiction and treatment approaches that extend beyond traditional abstinence‑only programs. As Pond shares both the depths of his struggle and the hard‑won wisdom he gathered along the way, WASTED offers a candid, hopeful look at healing and the need for a more humane approach to addiction care.
More from Mike Pond:
Quotes
“Founded in 1935, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) quickly became the go-to and for the longest time, only treatment for alcoholism. Millions credit the program for their sobriety. You can find a meeting pretty well anywhere, anytime. In a field where treatment can cost tens of thousands, it’s free.”
“If you have a drinking problem someone is going to suggest Alcoholics Anonymous and may badger you if you didn’t go to AA or if AA didn’t work for you. So this piles on an experience in addition to having the problem. Now you have to deal with a lot of pressure and a lot of shaming. Making people feel bad about their drinking was never what the founders of AA intended, nor is it great therapy.”
“There isn’t any other diagnosis where it would be okay to get in people’s face and scream at them and shame them and make them feel terrible about themselves. We reserve that one for substance use disorders.”
“Mike discovered an estimated 40% of addicts also suffer from a mental disorder and then shaming can become lethal … alcoholism is a key predictor of suicide.”
“A major American report [PDF] suggests the lack of care given addicted patients might even be medical malpractice. Basically, they describe most physicians as being unqualified to diagnose or treat addiction.”
“Evidence-based treatment, meaning there’s science behind it, is largely absent in addiction treatment. I would estimate that in Canada of those struggling with severe alcohol addiction about 1% are actually being prescribed evidence-based treatments.”
“Scientists now believe [that] addiction is about 60% inherited, 40% environmental. There’s likely no one gene, but more likely, genes that create character traits that increase risk.”
“When we experience something pleasant, our brains are flooded with the neurotransmitter dopamine. This happens in the reward circuitry and extends to the prefrontal cortex, that part of our brain responsible for decision-making.”
Continue Learning
Share This Resource!
Share This Resource!
Brenda H.
BA Psych, Grad. Cert. Addictions & Mental Health
Driven by a deep personal connection to these topics, I created AMH Resources to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and everyday support. I watch, read, and summarize a wide range of free resources to help you navigate the overwhelming amount of information available and find what resonates with your journey.
Share Your Opinion
Your perspective matters. By sharing your honest thoughts, you provide an insight that a simple summary can’t always capture. Whether something truly resonated with you or completely missed the mark, I want to hear about it. Your input helps build a more transparent collection of tools for anyone navigating addiction and mental health topics.
There are no reviews yet. Be the first one to write one.