How do those who take care of the rest of us take care of themselves? Chaplain Teresa Durbak Sipos discusses how, when surrounded by trauma, those caregivers can take care of their moral and spiritual selves. Teresa serves as a behavioral healthcare chaplain and has taught mental health and addictions nursing for many years at three state universities in Ohio. Teresa is the author of "Integrating Spiritual Healthcare Interventions into Nursing Praxis: An Educational Intervention" and "Spiritual ...
Oct 25, 2023•36 min
Is weed addictive? That’s the question Walter Hendrickson asked himself as he began a thirty-day journey to stop smoking marijuana after nine years of daily use. Walter is chronicling his journey daily on his TikTok account and discusses with us what he has learned so far. Six days of not using at the time of this conversation, Walter’s goal is to make it to one month and see what happens from there. Walter’s TikTok can be followed here: https://www.tiktok.com/@walterooski?_t=8gI2xTdG4vz&_r=...
Oct 18, 2023•33 min
When everything you have done is associated with substance use, how do you have a good time when no longer using? That’s the question Alex Peacock and Nolan Wright asked and why they formed Recess Games USA. The goal, their mission, is “To pair those in the community with people in recovery who are seeking healthy avenues to have good, clean fun while building a meaningful and purposeful life.” It is possible to have fun again. Alex, Nolan, and Recess Games USA can be contacted at https://www.re...
Oct 11, 2023•26 min
As more and more states legalize marijuana and others have a variety of cannabinoid products available, it seems sensible to ask what they are, what they aren’t, and how they might affect young people. Annie von Neupert is Project Coordinator for REACH. REACH, a federal Drug Free Communities coalition, focuses on reducing misuse of alcohol, nicotine, and other substances by youth in Calumet County, Wisconsin. When a product is visible and accessible, young people tend to view it as safe to use. ...
Oct 04, 2023•28 min
A returning panel of women, now entering their senior year in college, discuss navigating their journey through college while also navigating academics, a pandemic, excessive alcohol and other drug use, relationships, and mental health issues. Grace, Aiden, Jackie, and Austyn talk about discovering who they are and where they want to go, made more challenging and complicated by issues around mental health, substance use, and maturity. Remember, every college has a student health center and acces...
Sep 27, 2023•33 min
We’ve all seen the slogans, signs, and bumper stickers. “One Day at a Time,” “K.I.S.S.,” “I’m a Friend of Bill W.,” and dozens more. What do they mean to folks in recovery? Kathy Reiley, a retired attorney and a person with an alcohol use disorder, talks about the meaning of the recovery slogans so frequently seen. One of the keys to recovery is finding a community of like-minded people to connect with. As an attorney, Kathy wants the legal community to know confidential recovery resources are a...
Sep 20, 2023•26 min
Providing world-class, empowering, and transformative interdisciplinary care to women and their children affected by substance use disorders is the mission of the Horizons Program at the University of North Carolina Medical School. Dr. Hendrée Jones, Dr. Elisabeth Johnson, and Chrissy Jones, an alumni of the UNC Horizons Program, discuss the importance of providing substance abuse resources and programs geared towards women and children. Dr. Jones is a licensed psychologist and an internationall...
Sep 13, 2023•32 min
Michael Rebellino is a civil engineer. And a writer. Michael’s stream of consciousness novel, Clean is the fictional story, inspired by true events, of Cameron, an independent, accomplished, and strong-willed young adult caught in the grips of alcoholism and drug addiction. Whoever you are and whatever you’re going through, you’re not alone. And there is hope. There is always hope. Michael's information and his book can be accessed at https://www.michaelrebellino.com/ We're always interested in ...
Sep 06, 2023•34 min
This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs. Or is it? Can drugs long labeled as problematic be used as therapeutic aids? Kevin Franciotti is a Denver-based writer and licensed addiction counselor trained in psychedelic-assisted therapy. He discusses an increasing amount of research indicating that some substances can be beneficial in the treatment of depression, opioid addiction, PTSD, and other brain disorders. Several states have passed laws, or are considering licensing and regulating na...
Aug 30, 2023•35 min
Where is the line between caring about someone else’s pain and caring so much that it affects your own well being? Lynn McLaughlin and Karen Iverson Riggers talk about how to manage empathy in our relationships, especially for those who work in the helping professions. Lynn and Karen are consultants, co-owners, and members of Ebb & Flow Connections Cooperative in Northeast Wisconsin. They can be reached at https://www.ebbandflowcooperative.com. Numerous studies have shown a high rate of comp...
Aug 23, 2023•36 min
How can parents help their children navigate the minefield of growing up without making poor choices around substance use? Jessica Lahey is the author of the New York Times bestselling book, The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed and The Addiction Inoculation: Raising Healthy Kids in a Culture of Dependence. Jessica discusses substance use disorder research and the dialogue needed between parents, teachers, and children to help young people make g...
Aug 16, 2023•36 min
We know where the drugs come from. We know how the drugs get here. We know how they are made and distributed world wide. Michael Brown explains how current and advancing technologies can aid in the disruption of the flow of fentanyl. Brown is the global director of counter-narcotics technology at Rigaku Analytical Devices . He has a distinguished career spanning more than 32 years as a Special Agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). As Mr. Brown explains, understanding the drug dist...
Aug 09, 2023•30 min
When it comes to substance use disorders, women have traditionally been misunderstood, understudied, and underserved. In her newest feature film, Attention Must Be Paid: Women Lost in the Opioid Crisis, Debra Gonsher Vinik shines a light on the women experiencing opioid abuse. Dr. Gonsher Vinik is a film producer, writer, director, and founder of Diva Communications. She has produced and written twenty-one documentaries, including six Emmy winners. Attention Must Be Paid: Women Lost in the Opioi...
Aug 02, 2023•37 min
Most people spend most of their time at work, and what happens at work is often a leading cause of their stress and anxiety. Michelle Correia-Templin talks about the importance of asking for what you need and forming healthy relationships in the workplace. Michelle is the author of Selling It Right! Getting Result with Integrity and Five Star Teamwork. Michelle is also the President of Get Smart Training, a California-based learning organization with focus on Sales Messaging, Emotional Intellige...
Jul 26, 2023•31 min
William Stoehr’s artwork focuses on victims, witnesses, and survivors of opioid/substance use disorders and the stigma that inhibits prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and recovery. Stigma suffocates discussion, blocks action, causes pain. William Stoehr wants to use his art to normalize the discussion and to help erase the stigma. William discusses his art, his sister’s substance use disorder, which led to her death, and his exhibit, “Art for Hope/Stigma and Survival.” William’s art can be acces...
Jul 19, 2023•35 min
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...
Jul 12, 2023•28 min
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 ...
Jul 05, 2023•31 min
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’...
Jun 28, 2023•32 min
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/provider/dana-emold-ms-lpc-csac/ ...
Jun 21, 2023•31 min
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 St...
Jun 14, 2023•32 min
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.o...
Jun 07, 2023•23 min
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 ...
May 31, 2023•27 min
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 ...
May 24, 2023•27 min
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 glob...
May 17, 2023•30 min
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 sub...
May 10, 2023•32 min
K.J. Aiello describes herself as a mentally ill writer. It is, she says, who she is. After being misdiagnosed in college, K.J. spent a decade and a half wondering who she was and where she fit in. She discusses that journey, her acceptance of her mental illness, and how her life has improved because she simply didn’t care to hide or defend herself anymore. K.J. is a Toronto-based mentally ill writer whose work includes essays, op-eds, and a soon-to-be-released non-fiction book titled The Monster...
May 03, 2023•30 min
When a loved one dies from alcohol or other drug use, everyone is devastated, but everyone copes differently. Melissa Largey talks about her brother Chris’s death from opiates, how she coped with his passing, and how that tragedy has affected her life and relationships moving forward. Professionally, Melissa is a Human Services Case Manager. She is also a wife, daughter, sister, and mom. If you or a loved one needs help due to substance abuse, help is available. There are online Alcoholics Anony...
Apr 26, 2023•24 min
When students are asked what issues they face, mental health problems and drug usage often top the list of concerns. In Door County, Wisconsin, four county high schools formed a coalition called Project 180 to allow students to make a positive difference on these issues in their schools and across their communities. Jody Nelson and Sara Paye are counselors at Southern Door High School in Brussels, Wisconsin. They discuss the success of Project 180, current concerns of the young people, and the e...
Apr 19, 2023•24 min
Many people follow very traditional routes towards recovery of substance use disorders; others, not so much. Patrick Ridge talks about his unique road to recovery and the way he uses his social media visibility to help others. Pat is a member of the Hip Hop group Hyper Crush, Owner of Graceland Ranch Sober Living, Co-Founder Of Ridge Production and the Brand Learning To Lose. Recovery is possible, whatever road you choose. Patrick can be reached at www.learningtolose.com , and links to his vario...
Apr 12, 2023•30 min
According to the Department of Justice, every 68 seconds an American is sexually assaulted. Kylene Spanbauer, Miss Wisconsin 2022, provides education and empowerment through her social impact initiative, No Means No: Sexual Assault Education. Kylene is a Certified Inclusion Ambassador and has received training for ACES, CPIS Crisis Intervention and De-escalation strategies, WCASA Sexual Assault Victim Advocacy School, and AMAZE for prevention educators. She discusses her initiative and work in c...
Apr 05, 2023•25 min
