When does it stop being a party and start becoming a problem? Is there a way to steer clear of addiction?
Every Wednesday, Mike McGowan explores substance use disorders with expert guests.
Episodes
Making Your Own Music
In a time when many people seem to acquire their self worth through social media followers and likes, Vanessa McGowan talks about letting our priorities guide our choices and decisions as we cope with life’s challenges. Vanessa is a New Zealand-born musician, writer, and entrepreneur based in Nashville, Tennessee, and Door County, Wisconsin. Vanessa’s “Musician’s Hierarchy of Needs” has implications for those in recovery as well as for those just trying to live their best lives. Vanessa’s contact information, her blog, her writings, and her music can be accessed at https://vanessamcgowan.com
Heritage
Raised just outside Frankfurt, Germany, Stella Terner was allowed to sample alcohol from a young age by dipping her finger in her parent’s beer and wine. She could buy beer at sixteen. The norm during her teenage years was to not drink to excess but to have a glass of wine with dinner. Now at the University of Mannheim, the same cultural norms are in place: no drinking to get drunk, no drinking just to drink. Stella compares the culture of alcohol consumption she grew up with with her observations as a foreign exchange student in the United States and the American drinking culture. Other countries and cultures address alcohol and other drug usage differently than in the US. What a culture allows is often what happens. If you or a loved one has a substance use disorder, help is available. Locally, resources can be found at 211 Wisconsin: https://211wisconsin.communityos.org. You can also find AA meetings here: https://mtg.area75.org/meetings.html?dist=7 and NA meetings here: https://namilwaukee.org/meetings/
Deja Brew
What would our country be like if average Americans drank three times as much alcohol as they do today? We don’t have to imagine; that’s the way it used to be. Travis Spangenburg discusses the rise of the Temperance movement in our country and the many parallels to the issues in our culture today. Travis is the Creative and Production Manager at the American Prohibition Museum in Savannah, Georgia. He talks about the role heavy alcohol consumption played in the lives of average Americans and the adverse effects on families, health, and, especially, women and children. Information about the American Prohibition Museum can be found at https://www.americanprohibitionmuseum.com
The Changing Face of Addiction Treatment
There isn’t just one way to treat opioid dependency. Dr. Selahattin Kurter discusses harm reduction, medication for addiction treatment, and his clinic’s work with clients with substance use disorders. The key to success is treating all of the issues concurrently and using all of the tools available. Selahattin Kurter, MD, is the Executive Director of West Grove Clinic. Dr. Kurter is one of Milwaukee’s leading experts in the field of Addiction Medicine. He carries a dual board certification in Addiction Medicine as well as Psychiatry and Neurology and has extensive experience working with clients with substance use issues. He and the West Grove Clinic can be reached at https://www.westgroveclinic.com. If you need help with your substance misuse or that of a loved one, help is available. To contact the Hope Council on Alcohol & Other Drug Abuse, call 262-658-8166, or explore their website at https://www.hopecouncil.org.
Everyone Working Together
Kenosha County Executive Samantha Kerkman and Kenosha County’s Behavioral Health Manager Kari Foss discuss the ongoing opioid epidemic and efforts to address that and other substance abuse issues in Kenosha County, Wisconsin. Ms. Kerkman and Ms. Foss propose that working together to bring the county resources to those who need them, where they live, is what will make the difference in the lives of those they serve. The Mental Health and Substance Resource Center in Kenosha County can be reached at 262-764-8555, Kenosha Human Development Services – (khds.org), and all of the Kenosha County services can be viewed at https://www.kenoshacounty.org.
If you or a loved one needs help, it is available. To contact the Hope Council on Alcohol & Other Drug Abuse, call 262-658-8166, or explore their website at https://www.hopecouncil.org. You can also find AA meetings here: https://mtg.area75.org/meetings.html?dist=7 and NA meetings here: https://www.sefana.net/meetings.php
Not Your Local Coffee Shop
The coffee shops of Amsterdam in the Netherlands are legendary but not for their coffee. Other countries and cultures address drug usage differently than in the United States. Paul Bierman talks about the coffee shops of Amsterdam, where, despite it being illegal, cannabis usage is allowed. Paul Bierman is a professional trainer and founder of Tourist Run Amsterdam, and on this podcast he discusses the evolution and effects of the drug tolerance policy in the Netherlands. He gives a variety of tours of the Netherlands capital city, including the Coffee House Tour. The Coffee House Tours and others can be accessed at https://touristrunamsterdam.com/
Paul is also a professional trainer who helps people develop their public speaking skills. His trainings are unique, insightful, and entertaining. He can be reached at www.entertrainer.nl (The web site is in Dutch, but Paul trains in English for those companies who have English-speaking employees.)
An All of the Above Approach
Congressman Bryan Steil discusses the ongoing opiate epidemic and what the federal government is doing to address the flood of fentanyl analogs coming into the country while also assisting those in need. Representative Steil believes it’s a combination of education, interdiction, legislation, and treatment that will make the difference in stemming the tide of the opiate epidemic. Congressman Steil represents Wisconsin’s First Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. Congressman Steil can be reached at https://steil.house.gov. If you or a loved one needs help, it is available. To contact the Hope Council on Alcohol & Other Drug Abuse, call 262-658-8166, or explore their website at https://www.hopecouncil.org. You can also find AA meetings here: https://mtg.area75.org/meetings.html?dist=7 and NA meetings here: https://namilwaukee.org/meetings/
The Drugs Aren’t the Problem, It’s Me
Zach’s problem with opiates started at age thirteen with a doctor’s prescription. By the time he finally got into long-term recovery he was homeless and using the strongest street opiates he could find, hoping to not wake up. Zach’s ongoing story is one of resilience, hope, and life. Recovery is possible. If you or a loved one needs help, it is available. To contact the Hope Council on Alcohol & Other Drug Abuse, call 262-658-8166, or explore their website at https://www.hopecouncil.org. You can also find AA meetings here: https://mtg.area75.org/meetings.html?dist=7 and NA meetings here: https://namilwaukee.org/meetings/
Changing Future Stories
Cade Reddington and Logan Rachwal are two of the more than 100,000 individuals who lost their lives last year to a synthetic opioid overdose in the United States. Their moms, Michelle Kullmann and Erin Rachwal, discuss their fight to bring awareness to this epidemic and their own personal battles with their grief due to their sons’ deadly fentanyl overdoses. If you or a loved one has a substance use disorder, help is available. Locally, resources can be found at 211 Wisconsin: https://211wisconsin.communityos.org. You can also find AA meetings here: https://mtg.area75.org/meetings.html?dist=7 and NA meetings here: https://namilwaukee.org/meetings/
On the Street Where You Live
It doesn’t matter where you live, drugs are available. Detective Mike Osmond, an Investigator with the Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office, discusses the prevalence and increase in street drug usage, overdose deaths, and fentanyl. It’s the partnership of law enforcement, education, and treatment that Detective Osmond believes makes a difference in communities. The Wisconsin Alliance for Drug Endangered Children can be reached at http://www.wisconsindec.org/home.html. Detective Osmond can be reached through the Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office.
