Avoiding the Addiction Affliction

Sometimes, when we are feeling down, we mask our pain behind a smile — or a drug. Dr. Laura Petracek entered her teen years just as her family moved to a new state. She felt distant from everyone she lived with and knew, and she felt invisible. Like many people, she masked her pain. She recounts her journey and discoveries that led her to combine the philosophies and teachings of Alcoholics Anonym...

Looking in the mirror takes courage and the willingness to see what's there, not what we want to be there. Jenn Kautsch talks about that look in the mirror and how it led her to found Sober Sis, a like-minded community of women who are renegotiating their relationship with alcohol, without labels, shame, judgment, or rules. The Sober-Minded Sisterhood is about making a conscious choice to be the b...

When people with mental health and substance use disorders lose their homes and find themselves unsheltered and on the street, recovery becomes difficult, if not impossible. Dan Grellinger talks about the work of Milwaukee, Wisconsin's, Street Angels. Street Angels is a program whose small staff and volunteers travel throughout Milwaukee County providing hot meals, clothing, blankets, tents, NARCA...

Many times, before substance use, there is trauma. Confusing, and sometimes destructive, messages from others about who we are as children affect the way we develop, cope, and mature. Lynn McLaughlin talks about her journey of self discovery, which she calls uncovering. Uncovering the real you takes time, support, and self-forgiveness. Lynn is a co-owner and member of Ebb & Flow Connections Cooper...

If young people are going to work and live in a global society, understanding the impact of other cultures and that history takes place every day across our planet is important for them to learn. Colin Hanson, an educator in the Edgar, Wisconsin, School District, talks about A Walk in Their Shoes , a collaborative effort by north central Wisconsin educators to provide access to powerful speakers w...

It's not uncommon that people are drawn into a field of work because of their life experiences. We know the topic, we lived it, and we can give something back to help others. Jason Shiers talks about his personal road to recovery and the work he has done to help others undo the labels that they have put on themselves or have been given to them by others. Jason is a certified Psychotherapist and Ce...

Anger never knocks on the emotional door without company. According to numerous studies, including one from the Harvard Business Review, expressions of anger have risen dramatically across the culture, and, whether disagreements about politics, the pandemic, other social issues, or even work and personal relationships, anger seems to be the most prevalent emotion expressed. Lynn McLaughlin and Kar...

Are the customs and patterns around alcohol and other drug usage that much different in other places? Juliana, Maria, and Brenda talk about substance use and abuse in their native Brazil. The legal drinking age is different, and so are the consequences. Now in the United States for college, the women compare the culture they were born in with the one they moved to. Other countries and cultures add...

Like all families who have lost a child to drugs, the Rachwals were left asking, "What now?" For Erin Rachwal, her husband Rick, and their youngest son, the answer was to make sure what happened to their son Logan did not happen to another family. More than 100,000 individuals lost their lives last year to a synthetic opioid overdose in the United States. Erin discusses the fight to bring awarenes...

Optimal mental health occurs when we are able to experience and cope with the entire range of human emotions. Lynn McLaughlin and Karen Iverson Riggers talk about why all of the messages we receive across the culture that indicate we should all exist in the "happy zone" all the time are counterproductive to our sense of well-being and mental health. Lynn and Karen are consultants, co-owners, and m...

Not everyone is served equally by the mental health and substance abuse system. Chardé Hollins discusses the obstacles those of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds have accessing substance abuse and mental health treatment and what can be done to level the treatment playing field. Chardé is an independently licensed clinical social worker and the owner of Relevant Connections in Cleveland, Ohi...

Alcohol is a toxin and, far and away, the most commonly abused substance. It can kill all by itself. It also doesn't play well in the sandbox with other drugs. Guida Brown talks about the potentially fatal interactions when combining alcohol with other substances. Guida is a Community Relations Consultant with United States Drug Testing Laboratories. She also is an Adjunct Faculty member with Conc...

Holidays are a time of family gatherings and traditions. Nanci Schiman talks about the challenges the holidays present to people new to recovery. Nanci is a licensed clinical social worker with over 17 years of experience working with adolescents, adults, families, and couples in the mental health field. When substances are as prevalent as holiday decorations, learning to navigate a healthy path i...

Not all losses are resolved; not all endings actually end. Cassondra Frisque, a therapist with Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin, talks about ambiguous loss, which is, simply, loss without closure. We experience many losses in our lifetimes, ambiguous or otherwise, from family members and friends to the substances used if we're recovering. How we handle those losses is unique to each of us. C...

We are witnessing a mental health crisis among our young people that we have never experienced before. Amy Herbst discusses the impact that social media, the pandemic, and developing life skills have played in the rise of young people's depression, anxiety, and stress. Amy is the Vice President of Mental and Behavioral Health at Children's Wisconsin in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We all have a role in h...

It is common practice for medical professionals to run tests to determine the cause and severity of a patient's condition. Guida Brown talks about why that should also be the case when it comes to persons with Substance Use Disorders. Guida is a Community Relations Consultant with United States Drug Testing Laboratories. She is also an Adjunct Faculty member with Concordia University-Wisconsin. Wh...

A little over two years ago, late in the evening, Phyllis Babrove got the phone call that all of us dread and none of us want. Her daughter Sara, who had struggled for most of her adult life with drugs, had died of an accidental overdose. Phyllis shares her daughter's story and her work to try to help other families understand the problems of substance abuse. Phyllis is a Clinical Licensed Social...

Linda Van Tol discusses women's substance use and recovery. Linda is the Medical Assistance Residential Substance Use Disorder Supervisor with ARC Community Services in Madison, Wisconsin. Using a Relational Model of Therapy that helps women with their substance abuse, life roles, cultural expectations, and socioeconomic needs, Linda and ARC provide a safe environment for women to heal and grow. A...

Many therapists, social workers, and even parents have to work around substance abusers' denial that they are using drugs. One of the tools often used to help break through that denial is drug testing. Kimberly Henderson discusses her company's sweat patch testing product and its effectiveness. Kimberly works in Business Development and Sales for PharmChem, Inc. With her background in child protec...

When someone close to us passes away, we grieve. Many times we experience that same sense of loss when someone we didn't know, except through their public persona, passes away. Zoë Page talks about the grieving process and talks about how families who lose a child cope. Zoë works as a Child Life Specialist at Baystate Children's Hospital in Springfield, Massachusetts. We all experience many losses...

Zach spent a long time making poor decisions in Seattle, compounding problems that began at age thirteen with a doctor's prescription for opiates. Homeless in Seattle and using the strongest street opiates he could find, hoping he wouldn't wake up, he eventually ended up in recovery and alive. Zach updates his story telling us about his trip back to Seattle for the first time since he stopped usin...

Veronica King finishes our discussion about people cited for Operating While Impaired. The push for decriminalization and legalization of marijuana has resulted in a significant increase in automobile accidents and fatalities involving cannabis. Countering the often-repeated myths about substances and breaking through the denial is just part of the task all substance abuse counselors have to overc...

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...

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, t...

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 infra...