Dr. Li Interviews Stephen Loyd, MD: Healing Addictions with Compassion and Community

I'm Steve Loyd, and I'm hurting.

With these words, Stephen Loyd, MD, began his first 12-step group meeting. His addiction to pain pills had escalated to about 100 a day by 2004 when his father intervened. “I’m gonna lose my wife, my family, my house and cars,” Dr. Loyd said when confronted. "None of that stuff’s gonna do you any good if you’re dead,” his father said. It was a hard road to recovery, but it led Dr. Loyd on a path that eventually had him rising from addict to Tennessee's "Opioid Czar" from 2016-2018. He is a recognized thought leader and clinician with decades of experience in internal medicine, mental health, and substance abuse service and a tireless activist for those living with addiction and co-occurring mental health disorders. Experiencing addiction first-hand has allowed him to develop a unique approach to patient care, one that is passionate, effective, and impactful.

Loyd connects his successful recovery to the social determinants of health. Loyd addresses addiction as a disease while reducing the stigma associated with treatment and recovery. “I am very fortunate. My father intervened and I received excellent treatment for my addiction. I returned to practicing medicine and eventually became the program director for the Internal Medicine residency program at Quillen College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University.” From there, Loyd joined the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Johnson City, as its Chief of Staff for Education. Within a couple of years, he was appointed Chief of Medicine.

He has also served as Medical Director and Assistance Commissioner for Substance Abuse Services with the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, with an appointment to then-Governor Bill Haslam’s Opioid Workgroup and Public Safety Subcabinet. He is a recognized thought leader and clinician with decades of experience in internal medicine, mental health, and substance abuse service and a tireless activist for those living with addiction and co-occurring mental health disorders.

My own experience dealing with shame helped me connect with people who I would've never been able to reach…. The more we can bring addiction out of the shadows, the more people and families will be healed.