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Good fortune or bad luck? When someone is cited for Operating While Impaired, how they view the arrest depends on their perspective. Veronica King discusses facilitating the Group Dynamics class for first-time offenders. Veronica is a Social Worker and Clinical Substance Abuse Counselor who instructs Group Dynamics classes at Gateway Technical College for those who have been convicted of Operating While Impaired (also known as Driving Under the Influence). Veronica holds a Master’s of Science degree from Chicago State University, is a Doctoral candidate, and is the President of the Kenosha NAACP. If you need help for your substance abuse issues, 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. You can also find AA meetings here: https://mtg.area75.org/meetings.html?dist=7 and NA meetings here: https://sefa-na.org/meetings

A returning panel of college women, Grace, Aiden, Viv, Jackie, and Haley, discuss navigating through their first two years of college with a mix of pandemic, alcohol, other drug use, and mental health issues, on top of the academic expectations. As mental health concerns and drug use have risen across the country with young people, getting help for those issues is more challenging, they believe, than it needs to be. Every college has a student health center and access to counseling, and if the assistance you receive is not adequate, please keep asking and looking. In Kenosha, 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://sefa-na.org/meetings

Diane Yager, a teacher, hall of fame coach, and mentor in Seneca, Wisconsin, coordinates one of the longest-running school wellness programs in the country. By focusing on mental health and alcohol and other drug prevention, the goal is to empower the students in her small rural school district to make good decisions. By utilizing generations of students in leadership roles, Diane created an infrastructure that serves as a model for what schools can do to address serious mental health and substance use issues in a caring, supportive environment. As a teacher, coach, and mentor, Diane inspired her students to live their best lives and to help others along the way. 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://sefa-na.org/meetings

When the worst happens and a loved one is unconscious, not breathing, overdosed, and close to death, the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) team responds. Nick Eschmann discusses the role of EMS in the ongoing health crisis caused by substance abuse. Nick is the Division Chief of Emergency Medical Services for the Kenosha (Wisconsin) Fire Department. He is passionately committed to giving people one more chance at life. Emergency Medical Services in Kenosha can be contacted at https://www.kenosha.org/departments/fire-department/divisions/emergency-medical-services. If you need help with your substance misuse or that of a loved one, help is available. As Nick says, “No one needs to die from this disease.” To contact the Hope Council on Alcohol & Other Drug Abuse, call 262-658-8166, or explore their website at https://www.hopecouncil.org.

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

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/

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

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.

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

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.)

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://www.sefana.net/meetings.php

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://www.sefana.net/meetings.php

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://www.sefana.net/meetings.php

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.

How do you cope with losing someone you love to an overdose death? Jason Fritz talks about the life and legacy of his brother Terry, who passed away with a needle in his lap, alone, in his car, across the street from a police station. Jason is a Treatment Advocate and Business Development Officer with the Recovery Centers of America. Information about he memorial golf tournament Jason talks about is at https://www.terryfritzmemorial.org

Are suffering, long-term pain, and surrender necessary before individuals address their substance abuse? Dr. Peg O’Connor echos the sentiments of the philosopher William James and says “absolutely not.” Peg O’Connor, PhD, is a Professor of Philosophy at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota. She believes that philosophy helped her address her addiction and aided in her recovery. Dr. O’Connor’s expertise has been featured on BBC’s Free Thinking and Canadian Public Radio’s On Drugs podcast, as well as in print and online publications ranging from The New York Times, The Chronicle of Higher Education and Cosmo. Dr. O’Connor is the author of numerous books, including her new one, Higher and Friendly Powers: Transforming Addiction and Suffering (Wildhouse Publications, 2022). For more information go to: https://pegoconnorauthor.com

How does a person overcome dropping out of school, substance abuse, and a mountain of trouble? Tiffany talks about how she has turned her life around. She chose life and recovery. Her infectious optimism and determination are the foundations of her recovery, 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://www.sefana.net/meetings.php

Less structure, more down time, and the availability of almost every chemical you can think of, including some you’ve never heard of, presents summer challenges for families. Shauna Blackledge, a Community Impact Coordinator with the United Way of Door County, talks about how to help young people make good decisions about alcohol and other drugs during the summer. Shauna and the Door County AOD Coalition can be reached.

The average teenager spends more time in front of a device’s screen than sleeping. As technology becomes more prevalent, the development of life skills are being delayed or lost. Gretchen Pederson discusses what she sees happening to the youth she works with as a school counselor and why she sponsored an evening for her community to discuss the effects of screen time on teenagers. Gretchen is a School Counselor with the Boyceville School District in Boyceville, Wisconsin. The film she showed to her community, Screenagers Next Chapter, can be previewed at https://www.screenagersmovie.com/about-screenagers-next-chapter

Alcohol consumption rose substantially during the pandemic. Tragically, yet predictably, alcohol-induced and alcohol-related deaths also rose. Maureen Busalacchi and Felice Borisy-Rudin of the Wisconsin Alcohol Policy Project discuss the implications of that rise and what communities can do to address the issue, which costs our businesses economically, strains our helping systems, and leaves many families mourning the loss of loved ones. Maureen is the Director, and Felice is a Policy Analyst with the Wisconsin Alcohol Policy Project. They can be reached at https://www.mcw.edu/departments/comprehensive-injury-center/wi-alcohol-policy-project.