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
Pillars of Success
In the 1980s when drugs were seemingly everywhere and parents couldn’t take their children to parks for fear their children would step on heroin needles, Switzerland decided to try a different approach to their drug problem. Now, forty years later, Simone Schär talks about the country’s collaborative effort and Switzerland’s Four-Pillar Policy. Simone Schär is a studied psychologist and head of department at CONTACT Foundation. To work with people who use or abuse substances was always something, Simone says, that fascinated her. After working seventeen years in the repressive system of the incarcerated (carceral) environment, Simone wanted to see how the totally different approach of harm reduction works. Through the collaboration and cooperation of the public, treatment professionals, law enforcement, and politicians, Swiss crime is down, drug usage is down, drug-related death is down, infectious disease is down, and the parks and streets are relatively free of drug use and drug paraphernalia. Simone can be reached at [email protected], and information about CONTACT can be accessed at https://www.contact-suchthilfe.ch/fr/contact-fondationaideaddiction/ (The website is in French and German.)
Surround Yourself With Angels
Mark Murphy lost his twenty-one-year-old daughter Lizzie to fentanyl poisoning. He has worked tirelessly to try to make sure other families don’t experience a similar loss. An Ohio native, Mark has traveled the country to share his experiences and learn from those who are trying to stop the flow of fentanyl into the US. Mark shares his observations about the dangers of fentanyl and what is being done, and not done, to stem the flood of drugs into and across the country. A media report of one of those trips to Cochise County, Arizona, can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Tei0aOSqdI. More than 100,000 individuals lost their lives last year to a synthetic opioid overdose in the United States. If you want to know what you can do locally, get involved, support prevention activities, call or email legislators, ask your local school what they are doing to educate the students, and, most of all, talk to your children.
Bring Your Whole Self To Work
A recent study has shown that mental health has worsened for thirty-four percent of American workers. Dr. Uma Kedharnath talks about how workplaces are addressing the mental health concerns of their workers. Dr. Kedharnath received her doctorate in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Colorado State University and is currently an Associate Professor of Management at the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater. Taking the steps to address mental health is not only good for the employee; it’s good for the business and good for the culture, too. Dr. Kedharnath can be reached at [email protected]. Help for your mental health is available. Nationally, you can start your search at https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/find-help.
Relationship Obstacles and Deal Breakers
What happens in a relationship when partners don’t see eye to eye on important issues? What happens when, over time, values and opinions change? Dana Emold, a Clinical Therapist and Certified Substance Abuse Counselor with LifeStance Health, discusses relationship roadblocks and deal breakers. People and relationships change over time. That change can be anticipated and embraced, but it needs to be communicated, too. Dana can be reached at https://lifestance.com/
Mending the Hole in Your Heart
Jack Quehl was successful in almost everything he did. Sports, academics, friends. On September 20, 2021, a decision to use a drug laced with fentanyl ended Jack’s life. Stephanie and Tom Quehl talk about their son’s life, his tragic passing, and lessons they learned about fentanyl poisoning. The Jack Quehl Foundation’s mission is to educate communities about the threat of fentanyl poisoning. More than 100,000 individuals lost their lives last year to a synthetic opioid overdose in the United States. Stephanie and Tom Quehl can be reached at https://www.doitforjack.org. If you want to know what you can do locally, get involved, support prevention activities, call or email legislators, ask your local schools what they are doing to educate the students, and, most of all, talk to your children.
Treating Everyone Like They Can Succeed
It isn’t easy to ask for help to overcome opioid dependency or, for that matter, to offer that help. Amy Molinski, a Peer Support Specialist with Community Medical Services, talks about working with community partners to decrease overdoses. Battling the stigma of drug usage and reaching out to people where they live, teams of professionals have seen a 21% decrease in overdoses in the communities they work in. Amy and Community Medical Services can be reached at https://communitymedicalservices.org. To learn more about the Milwaukee Overdose Response Initiative (MORI) you can watch a short YouTube video here: https://youtu.be/qUZboqFsklY
Working to Make Things Better
Representative Tip McGuire, from Wisconsin Assembly District 64, discusses the proposed legislation allowing fourteen year olds to serve alcohol and other pertinent addiction and mental illness issues. While traveling the state as part of the Joint Finance Committee, Representative McGuire has seen and heard the people ask that government work together to help with the problems citizens and communities face. Representative McGuire believes a combination of education, treatment, and interdiction will make the difference in making our communities healthier places to live. Representative McGuire can be reached at [email protected]
Letter of Reckoning
Cletus was fishing when his father called about a letter in the mail. Cletus had sold drugs to an undercover police officer and was now facing numerous charges. His life changed in a heartbeat. He talks about what led to his using, his dealing, and the other mistakes he made along the way. More importantly, he discusses what he learned from those mistakes and how he found his way back. If you or a loved one needs help due to substance use disorder, help is available. There are online Alcoholics Anonymous meetings every day at https://aa-intergroup.org/meetings/. A registry of Al-Anon meetings for friends and families of those who are afflicted with substance use disorders can be found at https://al-anon.org. In Southeastern Wisconsin you can find AA meetings here: https://mtg.area75.org/meetings.html?dist=7 and NA meetings here: https://namilwaukee.org/meetings/
Imagine What You Can Do
The old saying is, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” Melvin Adams shares his recipe for lemonade. Melvin grew up in poverty, with an abusive father in Houston, Texas. He was challenged early on with extremely negative circumstances. Even though Melvin was only 5’8”, he became a two-time NCAA All-American basketball player and the team captain of the World Famous Harlem Globetrotters. Melvin Adams knows firsthand how to achieve great things despite challenging circumstances. Now a globetrotting motivational speaker, Melvin can be reached at and booked through https://topyouthspeakers.com/speakers-topics/melvin-adams
Incurable Hope
Every family that experiences addiction and mental illness searches endlessly for answers to their pain and hopes to stumble upon a survival guide. Lisa Gennosa discusses her journey as she tried to cope with her son Tyler’s illness. Lisa is the author of Incurable Hope: A Memoir and Survival Guide for Coping with a Loved One’s Addiction. Lisa is a practicing Physician Assistant. She is a dedicated wife and mother who grew up the third child of a liquor and narcotics agent. She discusses how substance use disorder, mental illness, and trauma can collide with the legal, medical, and treatment systems. Lisa’s book, blog, and contact information can be found at www.lisagennosa.com.
