The Shield

Join us as Wade Meadows walks us through his journey of addiction and recovery, and how his experience led him to his current career.  Wade Meadows has worked in the field of addiction treatment since 2016. He currently works as a Business Development Representative for Florida Springs Wellness and Recovery Center. Wade discusses how several internal fears developed at a young age and impacted mul...

Join us as Abi Famurewa, the epidemiologist for the Addiction Prevention Coalition, discusses growing up in Nigeria, how substance use impacted her family, and how she found her way to APC.  Abi primarily works on a five year SAMHSA grant, SPF-PFS, which focuses on providing education and prevention services in the City of Birmingham. Abi is originally from Nigeria, but moved to the United States...

Join us as Drew Callner takes us through his years of active addiction, moving to Alabama, and finally finding a community where he no longer felt like an outsider.  Drew Callner is an award-winning filmmaker, who moved to Alabama from his hometown, Seattle, Washington. Drew discusses what his early substance use looked like as a teenager. Then, Drew walks us through the progression of his substan...

Ms. Eve Gunn is a Mental Health Coordinator with Tarrant City Schools. Ms. Gunn discusses how the social, health, and racial disparities impact her high school students.  Ms. Gunn, who never intended to become a social worker and work in a school setting, shares with us about how she found her way into this career path. She discusses her advocacy for her students, and the passion she has for helpi...

Join us as UAB’s Dr. Burel Goodin discusses how his experience watching football players recover from injuries sparked his interest in pain, and how he started researching the many factor that impact someone’s experience with pain and recovery. Dr. Goodin discusses his research as it relates to how health disparities and health inequities impact how people feel and manage pain.  Dr. Goodin also ta...

The Honorable Shanta Owens is a Circuit Court judge for the 10th Judicial Circuit of Alabama. She previously presided over  the Jefferson County Drug Court program. Judge Owens tells us about her journey from Selma, Alabama to her experience as a drug court judge.    Judge Owens shares with us how she became the Chairperson of the Addiction Prevention Coalition’s Executive Board. She also shares w...

John Bayles is the Program Director for the Recovery Resource Center, and he is in long-term recovery. John shares his story about finding purpose in his life, how his recovery overlaps with his work, and the important role of certified peer support specialist in all aspects of treatment and recovery.   John also shares about his work at the Recovery Resource Center. The Recovery Resource Center i...

Join us as Dr. Ellen Eaton, an infectious disease physician with UAB Medicine, discusses her work with people with substance use disorders, stigma in medicine, and the future of harm reduction. For more content, make sure to check us out on Instagram and YouTube! https://www.instagram.com/addictionpreventioncoalition/ https://www.youtube.com/@AddictionCoalition

Today’s conversation is with Tyler Currier, APC Board Member and sales professional for Truckstop.com . Addiction follows a similar plot line for everyone in its destructive path. Without help, addiction leads to the same ending for all. Recovery, on the other hand, is beautifully unpredictable. Beyond offering a new lease on life, recovery provides opportunities for redemption, rebirth, and purpo...

Today’s conversation is with Raven Johnson, the Director of Student Initiatives at APC. Raven has taken her experiences with substance use as a young adult, and used these experiences to drive her work in the community, especially with students. Join us as Raven takes us through her journey of recovery that has fueled her passionate work at APC.  For more content, make sure to check us out on Inst...

Today's conversation is with Lauren Sisler, ESPN Sports Broadcaster and APC Board Member. People are often able to hide the pain they are in and how they choose to manage that pain.  Even members of the same household might be fooled for years.  Such was the dynamic in Lauren's family.  While away at college as a freshman, Lauren is faced with the most devastating news a child could rece...

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