News
Healing Appalachia: How a West Virginia music festival uses the power of community to fight stigma
Lavender serves as the board president of Hope in the Hills, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting recovery communities and helping to unite Appalachia in the face of an ongoing addiction crisis. Lavender explained the reason behind the need for the creation of the organization in Huntington, West Virginia in 2016. “We had 26 overdoses in 24 hours, so we got on the global map and became the spearhead for the opioid crisis and what was to come all over the country.”
How to have Conversations with Adults about Substance Use
Feeling connected and accepted is how we thrive as individuals in our families and communities. In conversations about substance use, connection is not just an added bonus—it is a necessity. These conversations can significantly impact an individual’s choices regarding substance use, their ability to support others and their willingness to seek help if they need it.
From Recovery to Radio: Exploring the Role of Music in Navigating Addiction
Roanoke local and lifelong musician, Amanda Bocchi, tells her story of battling opioid addiction and navigating motherhood. As a fierce recovery advocate, Amanda has honed her music to work through personal trauma, transforming her past into artwork that lends hope to the future.
Finding the Right Recovery Community for You
Dr. Noelle Bissell of the New River Valley Department of Health often reminds us, “The opposite of addiction is connection.” This simple yet profound truth underscores the essence of recovery. While there are countless policies, programs, and initiatives designed to support those in recovery, the heart of recovery isn’t found in funding spreadsheets or memorandums of understanding. True recovery is found in the connections we build with others..
Spectrum of Use
Substance use is different for everyone, and the “spectrum of use” model helps us understand the varying levels of benefit and harm and emphasizes the co-occurrence of polysubstance use.
Connection as Prevention
“We have to connect and attach because otherwise we don’t survive” is a direct quote from Gabor Mate, a renowned expert on addiction, trauma, and childhood development. A lot of his work is centered around the relationship between trauma and substance use, as well as the role healing and connection play in someone’s recovery journey.
The Link Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Substance Use Disorder
Even if you have heard about adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) , you may not be aware of how they are common and occur in all communities and cultures. These traumatic events or situations experienced during childhood can have a far-reaching impact on an individual's mental and physical health…
Learning the Lingo
In a recovery ecosystem, you may frequently hear some unusual jargon, lingo, and acronyms that could make these conversations less accessible. And some terms and misuses are associated with stigma. In any case, understanding the lingo can help us “speak the same language” and promote empathy within our community.
Medically-assisted Treatment: Myths vs. Facts
Medically-assisted treatment, or MAT, are medications that can be used in combination with behavioral therapy, or other forms of treatment, to treat Opioid Use Disorder (OUD).
The Truth About Harm Reduction
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) defines harm reduction as an evidence-based approach that saves lives by engaging with people who use drugs and equipping them with the tools and the information to facilitate positive change in their lives. Harm reduction reduces overdose and overdose-related death, decreases the risk of infection and disease, and improves the overall well-being of others.
Naloxone: Myths vs. Facts
Have you heard about the medication that reverses an overdose? Did you wonder if that was true? Have concerns about who should carry it and how to use it?
Change the Conversation
Did you know: simply changing the words we use to talk about and to people with substance use disorder can have a meaningful impact in their likelihood to seek treatment, maintain sobriety, and develop social connections?
Words Matter
Virginia Delegate Jason Ballard introduced a bill that would change the name of the Drug Treatment Court Act to the Recovery Court Act.
Musician Jelly Roll testified before Congress about fentanyl crisis
Jason "Jelly Roll" DeFord delivers an opening statement at a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee hearing about fentanyl awareness and legislative solutions…