This episode breaks down ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) and the Opioid Risk Tool (ORT) — what these tools were actually designed for, and how they’re often misapplied in pain care to flag patients as “high risk” and deny treatment.

We walk through:
• what ACEs really measure
• how the Opioid Risk Tool was created
• where the sexual trauma question came from
• why these tools were never meant to be used to deny care
• and how trauma history screening is being used against pain patients in practice

The misapplication of these tools is what pushed me to become an advocate in the first place, and we’ve spent years documenting and raising awareness about this issue.

This recording was originally shared privately with our Patreon community in 2024. I’ve now made it public so anyone can hear the full explanation directly, with the research and context included.

If I reference documents or screenshots during this episode, you can find the full video version on our YouTube channel.

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Fair Use Notice:
This episode may include brief quotations, clips, or references to third-party materials for purposes of commentary, criticism, education, and public interest reporting. Such use is made under the Fair Use provisions of Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act.