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
Our Youth Are Not a Token
We hear it all the time: “Nothing works.” “Kids will be kids.” “They’re going to do it anyway.” Those statements, often repeated by adults, about prevention education for our youth could not be more wrong. Annie Lisowski is a Professor of Youth Development with the University of Wisconsin Extension. She discusses the role of prevention in helping our youth make good decisions and avoid the pitfalls of previous generations. Information about the Buffalo County Partnership and their youth development programs can be accessed at: https://buffalo.extension.wisc.edu/4hyd/yd/
The Way Home
Sr. Elise Cholewinski is a member of the community of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Cross in Green Bay, Wisconsin. She discusses the role of spirituality in recovery and the many opportunities for reflection offered through the Jesuit Retreat House in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Reflection often brings us face to face with the issues we’ve tried to avoid but need to look at so we may forgive ourselves. For information about the retreats offered at the Jesuit Retreat House on Lake Winnebago, go to https://www.jesuitretreathouse.org
A Power Greater Than Ourselves
Spirituality plays a large role for many individuals in recovery. Three women, Beth, Nanci, and Sharon, talk about the importance of spirituality in their lives, their recovery, and how they stay connected to that power greater than themselves. 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/
Choices Have Consequences
Over the past two years alcohol consumption increased dramatically. Mark Sommerhauser discusses the role alcohol consumption played in people’s lives during the pandemic. Many people chose to deal with their isolation, increased stress, and anxiety by drinking more alcohol. In Wisconsin, all seventy two counties reported increases in excessive drinking. Mr. Sommerhauser is Communications Director/Policy Researcher for the Wisconsin Policy Forum. Their research can be accessed at https://wispolicyforum.org. If you are concerned about your use, you can reach out for help. It can start with a phone call: 262-564-6611. You can also find AA meetings here: https://mtg.area75.org/meetings.html?dist=7 and NA meetings here: https://namilwaukee.org/meetings/
Love You Kiddo
Best selling author Jarrett J. Krosoczka talks about growing up in a family coping with opioid addiction. Over nine million children in the United States under the age of 17 live in households with at least one parent who has a substance use disorder. Substance abuse wreaks havoc on the entire family, and, most tragically, the children. Jarrett J. Krosoczka is a New York Times bestselling author/illustrator behind more than forty books for young readers, including his wildly popular Lunch Lady graphic novels, select volumes of the Star Wars™: Jedi Academy series, and the graphic novel we discuss today, Hey, Kiddo, which was a National Book Award Finalist. Jarrett can reached at StudioJJK.com. Jarrett also signs books ordered from his local indie book seller: https://www.highfivebooks.org/product/hey-kiddo-signed-jarrett-krosoczka/548
See Me, Hear Me, Help Me
Anna Bunker discusses the mental health crisis among young people in our country. A forty percent rise in emergency room visits for young women who have attempted suicide and a demand for mental health treatment that has not been met are indicators of a burgeoning mental health crisis for our youth. Anna Bunker is Prevention Education Manager and Youth/Teen Advocate at Reach Counseling Services in Neenah, Wisconsin, and a Youth and Teen Support Specialist at NAMI in Wisconsin’s Fox Valley. If you need help with substance use or mental health problems, help is available. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Kenosha County can be reached at 262-652-3606 or [email protected]. To contact the Hope Council on Alcohol & Other Drug Abuse, call 262-658-8166, or email them at [email protected]. Learn more about the agency’s services at hopecouncil.org
My Cup is Full
Amanda began drinking at age twelve. At twenty she knew she had to stop so she could keep on living. She talks about navigating a path to sobriety using online meetings, sponsors, and a growing recovering community. Healthy, happy, and dedicated to her recovery program, Amanda keeps her cup of water close and her support system closer. If you are concerned about your use, you can call: 262-564-6611. You can also find AA meetings here: https://mtg.area75.org/meetings.html?dist=7 and NA meetings here: https://namilwaukee.org/meetings/
Kids and Chemicals
When young people use substances, lots of things happen, all of them bad. Substance abuse adversely affects an adolescent’s physical, emotional, and social development. Dr. Michelle Maloney and Dr. Sean LeNoue discuss the impact substance use disorders have on adolescents and their families. Michelle Maloney, PhD, is Executive Director of Addiction Services for Rogers Behavioral Health system. Sean LeNoue, MD, is the Associate Medical Director for the Regional Division at Rogers Behavioral Health. They can be reached at https://rogersbh.org.
The Worst Nightmare
Cade Reddington, an eighteen-year-old college freshman at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee passed away after taking a pill he didn’t know was one hundred percent fentanyl. His mother Michelle Kullmann talks about Cade’s life, his tragic passing, and her fight to make sure no other mother wakes up to this nightmare. If you or a loved one has a substance use disorder, help is available. The documentary Michelle mentions is, dead on arrival, and can be viewed on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJgPmrLjkuo. 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/
Staying the Course
Over 100,000 Americans died from drug overdose in the past year. Paul Krupski talks about the ongoing epidemic of opiate use, the prevalence of fentanyl in street drugs, and what works to stem the tide. Mr. Krupski is the Director of Opioid Initiatives with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. He can be reached at https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/people/krupski-paul. Resilient Wisconsin can be found at https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/resilient/index.htm. If you or a loved one needs help with a substance use disorder, help is available. Locally, you can reach 211 Wisconsin at 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/
