Radio - Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition

Mar

2022

WLEN Interview with LCMHA / Pathways Engagement Center Recovery Coach Samantha Hollingsworth

Woman’s Voice: The Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition is a diverse group of dedicated community members united around the goal of reducing substance use in Lenawee County. LSAPC members work collaboratively to engage and educate the community in order to promote a healthy Lenawee.

Kathy Williams: This is Kathy Williams. And with me on tonight’s program is Samantha Hollingsworth, and Samantha and I are going to be talking about how language matters. And what that involves is that how you talk to people that are in substance use disorder situations, the words that you use really are impactful. Samantha, welcome to the program.

Samantha Hollingsworth: Thank you, Kathy.

Kathy Williams: So, Samantha, what is it that you actually do involved with the Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition?

Samantha Hollingsworth: I am a certified Peer Recovery Coach at Pathways Recovery Engagement Center.

Kathy Williams: Okay.

Samantha Hollingsworth: We’re closely involved with LSAPC, and it’s a program of the Community Mental Health.

Kathy Williams: And so at Pathways, you pretty much specifically deal with people that are suffering from substance use disorder or in a recovery position?

Samantha Hollingsworth: Yes, yes. We are recovery coaches who have long-term recovery. We find that it helps immensely get through to others going through addiction, and they’re more comfortable speaking with us rather than a counselor or someone who hasn’t been through the things they’ve been through.

Kathy Williams: Well, I think with any kind of mental health issue, it is more beneficial to know that the person you’re sharing with really does know exactly where you’re coming from.

Samantha Hollingsworth: Oh, yes, yes.

Kathy Williams: There’s so many different components that go into, you know, any kind of mental health issue and a substance use disorders are… they cover a broad spectrum right now. There’s so many different kinds of products, I guess would maybe be one word, that are available that cause people to go down these roads.

Samantha Hollingsworth: Yes. And it’s not just… a lot of people think that “Oh, we’re just talking drugs here”. We’re talking alcohol and anything that you could, that can be abused.

Kathy Williams: Right. So, when… the topic of course today is language matters. You know, we talk about bullying and kids and things like that and how words, you know, can cause a lot of harm, but in substance use disorder, it’s the same kind of thing. You have to watch what you say.

Samantha Hollingsworth: Oh yes. Yeah. It can be offensive. But I think the goal is to reduce stigma. It’s a negative bias. And addiction – it’s not a character flaw, it’s not a moral weakness. And that’s the hardest thing is that’s where we’re categorized right now.

Kathy Williams: Right. So give us some examples of what we should say compared to what we shouldn’t say.

Samantha Hollingsworth: Well, for example, instead of “addict,” you might say a “person with substance use disorder”. Instead of “user,” “person with an opioid addiction”. I know it sounds like it’s a lot more to say, but there are correct terms. A “junkie person”, a “person in active use”. A “drunk,” a “person who struggles with alcohol abuse”. Those are the types of words.

Kathy Williams: Right. And of course, a lot of people might be not yet comfortable, you know, you can shorten that up, you know, if you, if you choose.

Samantha Hollingsworth: Right.

Kathy Williams: They were… they choose not to be sober at this point or something like that.

Samantha Hollingsworth: Right. It’s just important to use like supportive, non-judgmental words when you speak of it,

Kathy Williams: Right. And so at Pathways then are there actual classes that help these people, or how does that work?

Samantha Hollingsworth: One of the major things that we do, we hold SMART Recovery Meetings. And a lot of people, we’ve had good feedback on that because a lot of SMART recovery is about not using those titles. We don’t use those words in that meeting if at all possible. It is hard to get around because myself being in active addiction almost eight years, I refer to myself as an addict. I, one of the things that I take pride in and that I’ve helped with is start Celebrate Recovery in Hudson.

Kathy Williams: Okay.

Samantha Hollingsworth: And we announce ourselves during those meetings. And I prefer to say, you know, “and so I’m an addict”, or I say, “I am in recovery from prescription pill addiction”. So as you go farther into it, those kinds of words come to you or how you would like to be referred to as.

Kathy Williams: There you go. Right. Well, and it does take that edge off I think.

Samantha Hollingsworth: Yes.

Kathy Williams: Which people that are in, actively in addictions, it’s not because they want to be there.

Samantha Hollingsworth: Oh no.

Kathy Williams: And so by changing your focus of how you speak to people, it does show more compassion, I think too.

Samantha Hollingsworth: Yes. And a lot of people don’t see substance use disorder as a disease, but it is a chronic disease, but it’s also treatable.

Kathy Williams: Exactly. So there are lots of ways that anyone listening out there can find help for themselves or for a loved one. Can you tell us – where can they go for some help?

Samantha Hollingsworth: We’re trying to get our name out there. We’ve been, we’ve been open four and a half years and word is getting around. One of the major things that I had wanted to speak of today is the stigmatizing language in the medical field and the hospital settings. It reduces someone in addiction, their willingness to seek treatment because they feel less than, they feel looked down upon. And I experienced this in the emergency rooms. You hear nurses in the background talking about you. You get that vibe right away from an emergency room physician who may not be as familiar with addiction, but what they hear and what they see when people are coming in seeking pills and demanding, “give me something for pain”. They automatically picture you as that’s what you’re there for. That’s all you want. And I had done my share of shopping for pills. But the first time I went back out of addiction and said, “No opiates, flag me, red letters.” They look at you like, “Are you kidding? We never see this.” but that is a major thing. It… The words that are chosen to be used, it negatively influences the medical providers.

Kathy Williams: Okay.

Samantha Hollingsworth: I’m not for certain because I’m not one, but if they haven’t experienced that with a loved one or someone they know, that’s exactly the take, they, that they’re going to see on it.

Kathy Williams: So, we need to not prejudge how the person got to the situation they’re at.

Samantha Hollingsworth: Right.

Kathy Williams: And choose our words better to let them understand that we’re not prejudging, that we’re really there to just help.

Samantha Hollingsworth: Right. Because language has power.

Kathy Williams: It does.

Samantha Hollingsworth: And it, you know, the words we use frame what people think about that. And stigma… it’s all about discriminating against a group of people or a person for what they’ve gone through or what’s currently happening, and it’s just sad. I’ve tried to, ever since I’ve been in recovery is do anything I could to try to bring awareness to that language. And I mean, even close family members to me will slip up and say, “You know, my daughter’s an addict,” you know, and it’s just like, you kind of cringe after a while. But like I said, I looked at myself as an addict.

Kathy Williams: Oh yeah, right.

Samantha Hollingsworth: But until I started doing the trainings that I’ve done through CMH… But at Pathways, you know, we have a Facebook page. You can find us, the phone number, through CMH or anything. We’re there all through the week overnight and then 24 hours on the weekends. If no one answers, we call right back when we get in to check. We’re there to help with anything we can or point you in the right direction.

Kathy Williams: There you go. Thanks so much, Samantha. Thanks for sharing your story and helping us become more aware of how our, how to choose our words more appropriately.

Samantha Hollingsworth: Well, thank you for having me.

Woman’s Voice: Thank you for listening. This information has been provided by the Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition. Supported by funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration. New messages air on the first and third Monday of each month at 6:15 p.m. You can listen to this program as a podcast under the audio tab on WLEN.com and listen and gather more information at DrugPreventionLenawee.com.

Feb

2022

WLEN Interview with LCMHA / Pathways Engagement Center Program Coordinator Christy Brugger

Show the Transcript

Kathy Williams: This is Kathy Williams and with me on tonight’s program is Christy Brugger. And we are going to be talking about what to look for and what kind of action to take when there’s a possible opioid overdose happening. Christy, tell our listeners a little bit about you.

Christy Brugger: My name is Christy Brugger and I’m a member of the Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition. I also work for Lenawee Community Mental Health Authority as the Program Coordinator for Pathways Engagement Center.

Kathy Williams: So Christy, I know we keep statistical information on what’s going on in Lenawee County, as far as opioid overdoses. And you know, a lot of people might not even know what to look for. Sometimes this happens just out in public and takes people unaware. So, what kind of things are signs that there could be an opioid overdose happening?

Christy Brugger: So, signs would be blue or gray lips or fingers – if someone’s darker complected, their skin might look ashen; pinpoint pupils; deep snoring or gurgling noises; they could have slowed or no breathing at all; and have been going as being unresponsive to pain.

Kathy Williams: Okay. And I don’t understand the logic of people using opioids other than I know some people use it as a pain medication from a severe accident or whatever, but of course we want to be sure that we’re prepared should we run into someone that’s going through something like this. So, what kind of actions should we consider doing?

Christy Brugger: So, I think everyone should carry Narcan.

Kathy Williams: Wow.

Christy Brugger: That’s a very important piece because even if you do come upon somebody and think that they might be overdosing and you administer Narcan, it will not hurt them if that’s not the case for them.

Kathy Williams: Okay. That’s good to know. And there are places where you can get the Narcan at no additional cost too. I believe there was a handout not long ago.

Christy Brugger: Yes. So the day of HOPE…

Kathy Williams: Which will be coming up later this summer.

Christy Brugger: Yes. That was a big one. There were plenty of people from the community that day. I do know soon come there will be other events that I will be able to let you know about in the future where we will be training people to administer.

Kathy Williams: Okay. Oh, there you go. And cause it’s kind of similar to an Epipen, isn’t it? Only it’s nasal?

Christy Brugger: Yes. It’s yes, it’s actually quite simple.

Kathy Williams: Okay.

Christy Brugger: Simple as that: one little spray in the nose and a couple of minutes later, a spray in the other nostril.

Kathy Williams: There you go. So I know there’s an acronym for action that you should take. Can you run us through that?

Christy Brugger: So the first one is arouse: it’s like the three S’s: you Shout their name, you want to Shake their shoulders, and it Sternal rub. So that’s when you realize if they’re unresponsive to pain or not. A sternal rub is simply taking your knuckles, putting it into somebody’s chest, rubbing vigorously up and down. That is painful. So most of the time people will arouse from that. The second is check for the signs of overdose, which we talked about, the, you know, the bluish lips and fingernails, the unresponsive pain, deep snoring… Third, you want to call 911.

Kathy Williams: Okay.

Christy Brugger: And then fourth would be giving that Narcan, whether it be intermuscular or through the nose. You can next, you can start doing rescue breaths. You can give two breaths initially, and then maybe a breath every five seconds for about 30 seconds or even start CPR if you know how to do that, and then you want to repeat giving the Narcan again. So you would give the Narcan in one nostril and you’d give it a minute or two and you would give it in the other. And then you want to make sure that you put them in the safety, the recovery position, which is on their side.

Kathy Williams: Okay.

Christy Brugger: And then it’s also really important to remember that Narcan only lasts for anywhere from 30 to 120 minutes, depending on how much the person has in their system. So if you find someone, it’s imperative that you call 911 because they can just, after 30 minutes they can go right back into overdosing again.

Kathy Williams: Even without administering more drugs, they could do that?

Christy Brugger: Yes.

Kathy Williams: So there you go. So you’re not done when you, when you’ve administered the Narcan, that’s just saved them temporarily.

Christy Brugger: Yes.

Kathy Williams: I did not realize that. Christy, you know, we talk a lot about how this particular epidemic has really grown nationwide. And so I know that there are support groups out there to help people that are having problems with opioid use or any kind of substance use. And of course they can always refer to the Lenawee Community Health, Mental Health for some help.

Christy Brugger: Yes.

Kathy Williams: And also for the Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition, they can get more information about overdose, opioid overdose and ways to take action on the DrugPreventionLenawee.com on that website.

Christy Brugger: Yes.

Kathy Williams: So lots of good information out there. Lots of ways that we can be more aware and help our, our neighbors and a family and friends to not have this be the end of their journey.

Christy Brugger: Absolutely.

Kathy Williams: Thanks so much, Christie. We appreciate you.

Christy Brugger: Thank you.

Feb

2022

WLEN Interview with Boys and Girls Club of Lenawee Director of Youth Prevention and Outreach Amanda Olguin

Show the Transcript

Kathy Williams: This is Kathy Williams. And with me on tonight’s program is Amanda Olguin. And Amanda is the Director of Youth Prevention and Outreach at the Boys and Girls Club of Lenawee. Amanda, we’re going to be talking about a fairly new program that you have going on there, correct?

Amanda Olguin: Yeah, the Transitions Program, which is… we’re going into our second year actually, of the program.

Kathy Williams: And, tell our listeners then what’s all involved in the program: Is there age brackets? How’s that work?

Amanda Olguin: Yeah, so our Transitions Program is a State Opioid Response Grant-funded program through the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. And through that program, we provide substance use prevention to teens ages 13 to 19 throughout Lenawee County.

Kathy Williams: So, I know you have the club in Adrian, you have other locations then?

Amanda Olguin: So, we have the club in Adrian, and then we do have a club in Hudson as well.

Kathy Williams: Okay. Do kids come from all the other areas though then to the Adrian club for different events and such?

Amanda Olguin: Yeah, so we’re open to anyone. Any students throughout Lenawee County can come to any of our clubs or both of our locations.

Kathy Williams: So, Amanda, for the Transitions Program itself then, what kind of materials are you using? What’s the direction of the instructions for that?

Amanda Olguin: Yeah, so we use a program called Life Skills Training. And in that program, we use social-emotional skills and we build life skills. So we go through six different units. We teach students goal setting, we do effective communication, stress management, relationship building, budget, and time management. So, those are just a few of the skills we go over. So we’re really setting them up for success later in life.

Kathy Williams: Okay. So, and that is an important part of you know, steering kids away from drug use of course, is to empower them with better tools, I guess you could say, or just a better attitude about their lives, basically.

Amanda Olguin: Absolutely. We know, just looking at research that it’s really important that we’re building up protective factors for these kids. So they’re going into life and they have these skills to manage life, really.

Kathy Williams: Right, right.

Amanda Olguin: And the stresses that come along with it. So, we’re building those skills and giving them protective factors to reduce their risk of becoming addicted to substances.

Kathy Williams: Well, and I would think that with all the extra stress of the last couple years with the shutdowns and everything, that these kind of tools probably even come into play even more than before, because they’re actually learning how to live differently in their everyday lives right now.

Amanda Olguin: Absolutely. I mean, kids are really stressed right now. It’s been a stressful time for adults and especially kids who haven’t been able to socially interact the way they are used to. So yes, these… this class can help a lot with just helping them manage the stresses they’re experiencing right now.

Kathy Williams: Well, and the Boys and Girls Club offers a good side-by-side I would maybe say, as far as, counseling, peer advocacy, that kind of stuff.

Amanda Olguin: Yeah, absolutely. It’s a great place where they can come connect with their peers. We have really positive adult role models at the club that they can connect with. And having those adults in youth’s lives is really important. We run different programs, so we’re helping build their confidence, and their self-esteem, and leadership skills, giving homework help, so…

Kathy Williams: That’s what I was going to say: extra tutoring assistance and such too.

Amanda Olguin: Yeah, extra tutoring. So, we have a lot of different programs we run for students.

Kathy Williams: Well it’s a great place for kids to go. Do they go just after school?

Amanda Olguin: Yeah, it’s after school so we are open after school: 2:45 until 7:00 PM.

Kathy Williams: Okay, and that’s got to help with taking a little bit of those stressors also off the parents, that they know their kids are in a safe place, a safe environment, and that they are getting their schoolwork done or, you know, that kind of thing. So the parent, you know, kind of, doesn’t have to worry about that quite as much.

Amanda Olguin: Yeah, absolutely. We give them a place for their kids to go instead of going home or going who knows where after school, right?

Kathy Williams: Yeah, who knows where. Right.

Amanda Olguin: We give them a nice, safe place to go. They get a meal, so we do feed them dinner. So, we send them home, hopefully happy and fed.

Kathy Williams: There you go. Well, and that’s important because if kids aren’t fed, they can’t, they don’t learn.

Amanda Olguin: Yeah.

Kathy Williams: They’re distracted by hunger.

Amanda Olguin: Absolutely.

Kathy Williams: That’s one of the things that I know we have some great organizations in our county that are all trying to alleviate hunger and make sure that our students are fed. Especially during the, you know, the different school breaks and such trying to send snacks home on weekends and all that kind of stuff.

Amanda Olguin: Yeah, absolutely. And we certainly try to do that too. We have food that we can send home on the weekend for any kids that need it, and half days we provide them lunch and dinner. So we make sure they’re taken care of.

Kathy Williams: There you go. Well, Amanda, if our listeners are interested in finding out more about the Transitions Program or even how they could be involved in the Boys and Girls Club of Lenawee, how can they do that?

Amanda Olguin: Yeah, so you can call us at (517) 266-9775. You can email me about the Transitions Program: aolguin@bgclenawee.org. Or you can find us on Facebook @BoysAndGirlsClubOfLenawee.

Kathy Williams: There you go. Well, thanks so much. And Amanda, we appreciate you talking with us about the Boys and Girls Club and their Transitions Program.

Amanda Olguin: Yeah, thank you so much for having me.

Jan

2022

WLEN Interview with LCMHA / Pathways Engagement Center Program Manager Kellie Niese

Show the Transcript

Kathy Williams: This is Kathy Williams and with me tonight is Kellie Niese and she is the project manager for Pathways Engagement Center. She’s also the HRSA grant Recovery Coordinator. Kellie, got a great topic tonight. We’re going to be talking about your crisis stabilization group.

Kellie Niese: Right.

Kathy Williams: Tell us, tell our listeners, what is that all about?

Kellie Niese: So the Crisis Stabilization group is a work group of the bigger prevention coalition in Lenawee County.

Kathy Williams: Okay.

Kellie Niese: And it’s a group that’s been stalled over the last couple years, secondary to the COVID pandemic, but really it is involving law enforcement and first responders, and access points in our community to people that are in crisis for mental health and substance use disorder.

Kathy Williams: Well I know we talked about the overdose issues recently. I know a lot of people are shocked at how much that happens in our little community.

Kellie Niese: Right. In parallel with the COVID pandemic, the incidence of overdose, substance use disorder have actually increased. I was talking to you about just the last month we had 11 overdoses in Lenawee County with Narcan administration and one overdose death. So it is a problem that’s pertinent here in Adrian.

Kathy Williams: So the goal of this group then, like you just kind of said, is to breach a stop gap moment where we’re kind of losing track of people when they could need the help the most, and possibly be… maybe a little bit more interested in finding out some changes they could make?

Kellie Niese: Right. It’s meeting people where their need is the highest. So, at that point when they’re struggling and don’t have anywhere to go and might encounter law enforcement or EMS, instead of taking them to jail or some sort of punitive process that follows their encounter with law enforcement, actually directing them to someplace that they can get help, whether that’s the engagement center, whether that’s Lenawee Community Mental Health, whether that’s the emergency department. But the goal of this group is to get the emergency department, first responders, and law enforcement, all kind of working together to get that person to a place of help.

Kathy Williams: That’s one of the things too, that they get at Pathways Engagement Center is they have some peer support…

Kellie Niese: That’s right.

Kathy Williams: That maybe might even encourage them taking advantage of more of these other opportunities.

Kellie Niese: Right. Someone that has been in their shoes with substance use disorder and has come out the other side with success can definitely kind of walk that path with a person in crisis that’s going through it right now and take them and help them, guide them to a place of recovery and support.

Kathy Williams: So the different groups then that are involved in the Crisis Stabilization group, what kind of entities are those?

Kellie Niese: Well, I’m actually really excited. We had a really good response from Lenawee County. We have the Adrian Police Department, Michigan State Patrol, Lenawee County Jail is involved with a jail release program that gets people connected to substance use disorder treatment, ProMedica ER, and CMH access.

Kathy Williams: Okay.

Kellie Niese: So, really all the groups that kind of touch folks when they’re in trouble or in crisis, they’re all kind of working together to create a plan to move forward.

Kathy Williams: Didn’t you also mention to me off air that the Probation Department is involved.

Kellie Niese: Right. So substance use disorder has two treatment programs through Lenawee County: Drug Court and Sobriety Court.

Kathy Williams: Okay.

Kellie Niese: And so we’re really hoping to get the probation officers involved in this process too, to make sure that people that are in those programs have the support that they need.

Kathy Williams: You know, the sad part is is that over the last couple of years, there is more signs of depression in our community.

Kellie Niese: Yeah.

Kathy Williams: And of course, then drug use and alcohol use people think might help get them through things, but in essence, they end up falling down a sad rabbit hole.

Kellie Niese: Yeah. I feel like the pandemic has affected our community in so many ways, and just people have stopped going out. And so that means people are kind of isolated and they’re not reaching out for help even more than before.

Kathy Williams: Right.

Kellie Niese: And so I do think the need is higher during this time; like I just think that we need to reinvigorate our efforts to kind of engage people and let people know the resources that are already available out in our community.

Kathy Williams: Well and become more social face-to-face…

Kellie Niese: Right.

Kathy Williams: And not social media. You know, I think that the human interaction has, you know, has been sidelined by all this. And yet that’s where you get your best support is in a face-to-face.

Kellie Niese: Right.

Kathy Williams: And that’s why the Pathways Engagement Center is so important in our community.

Kellie Niese: It is. Isolation is a huge symptom of substance use disorder.

Kathy Williams: Right.

Kellie Niese: It’s an easy way for people with in crisis to cope, is just to kind of pull away from everything. And so at Pathways, we really do work to re-engage and reconnect with people and kind of instill that hope in them that they may be missing.

Kathy Williams: There you go. Kelly, if our listeners want to find out more about the Crisis Stabilization group, can they find that out through the LCMHA site or Pathways, how would they call?

Kellie Niese: Both. So LCMHA’s site – the website – and also the prevention coalition website both have links to the work groups there. If not, they can reach out to Lenawee County Community Health which is (517) 263-8905.

Kathy Williams: Oh, thanks so much, Kelly. It’s an interesting group and we hope that our community sees great results from it.

Kellie Niese: Great. Thank you so much for giving me an opportunity to talk.

Jan

2022

WLEN Interview with Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition Coordinator Madeline DeMarco

Show the Transcript

Kathy Williams: This is Kathy Williams. And with me tonight is Madeline DeMarco, and Madeline is with the Lenawee Community Mental Health Authority as well as the Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition. And Madeline, we’ve talked a few times now about mental health and substance abuse issues, and I think that the subject we’re going to talk about right now that for January is kind of exciting. Let’s have a dry month.

Madeline DeMarco: Thanks for having me, Kathy. You’re absolutely right. We’re talking all about Dry January today, which is a growing trend where folks make a pledge to not drink alcohol for the full month of January. And this started really as kind of a reaction to all the holiday partying and luxuries that we enjoy during December. So, kind of like a New Year’s resolution to just kind of reset and make some healthy choices for yourself.

Kathy Williams: Yeah, I mean it’s like every month you can have something different, but what a great idea to just kind of, like you said, reset. Let’s just take January off. We’re not going to have anything with alcohol in it, but we can do some creative mixing that doesn’t include liquor. So there’s lots of benefits for a Dry January.

Madeline DeMarco: Yes. And the first thing that I want to say is that Dry January is really for everybody. It’s not just for folks that have, you know, an alcohol use disorder or something more serious. But it’s really a personal and kind of individual wellness challenge that anybody can do. And we love it because, like you said, it has a ton of health benefits. So, if you abstain from alcohol, it can lead to things like better sleep and having higher energy levels. You know, so you’ll do better at work, stay awake better, those sorts of things. It can strengthen your immune system, which we’re all looking for during these times.

Kathy Williams: Exactly.

Madeline DeMarco: You can see improved skin health, so your skin will be less dry, less redness… Some people say that, you know, acne and things can clear up. You might reach a healthier weight. And there’s some non-physical things as well. You know, you can save money. We all know what it’s like to look at your wallet at the end of a night out at the bar. It’s not always pretty.

Kathy Williams: Yep.

Madeline DeMarco: So, you can save some money and you’ll be more socially connected to the people around you too. You know, when you’re not always worrying about showing up to a place and immediately ordering your drink and kind of mindlessly drinking it, you can really be more connected to your friends and family when you’re not drinking. And you’ll have a clearer mind too, because you won’t be impaired by the alcohol.

Kathy Williams: Exactly. And it gives you a chance maybe to reevaluate: Do I need to have those drinks? Do, you know, can I fill that time in other ways and still have a fun evening without several glasses of whatever?

Madeline DeMarco: When you see, yeah, that, you know, “I didn’t have alcohol and I felt great the next morning,” you didn’t have to deal with the hangover or any of those substances, like you said, you might realize that, “Yeah, I feel better when I don’t drink” and that might lead to some more long-term lifestyle changes as well.

Kathy Williams: So, there’s a lot of tips that we can give people to succeed in their January, Dry January.

Madeline DeMarco: So some of the things that we recommend to help with your success in your Dry January is to number one, tell folks what you’re doing. Tell your family and friends, tell your neighbors, tell your coworkers, so that they can help keep you accountable. You know, if you tell someone: “Hey, I’m trying not to drink.” and then five minutes later you go to order a glass of wine, you know, your friends and family can kind of say: “Hey, wait a minute. Didn’t you just say…?”

Kathy Williams: Exactly, they love to call you out.

Kathy Williams: Exactly. And you can also recruit folks to do it with you. It’s always easier to do things when we’re in a group and we can support each other. And if folks around you, aren’t drinking, then you’ll be less likely to drink as well. Some other things that you can do include things like identifying the things that maybe normally encourage you to drink alcohol and try to make some new habits around that. So, for example, if you normally go to the bar every Thursday night, maybe call a friend during that time or go to the gym instead so that you’re not tempted to drink. And then you can also experience with, or experiment, with some mocktails or some non-alcoholic drinks as well. So, you can still treat yourself.

Kathy Williams: Right. Well, and there’s so many different ways that you can make a non-alcoholic drink. I know just by eliminating vodka, vodka has no flavor, and so you can, you know, mix it up with other spices and such to have a great flavor.

Madeline DeMarco: Yeah, there’s a lot of things that you can do because non-alcoholic drinks don’t just have to be something boring, like a juice box, you know, from the kids cooler at a party, right? But it can be a lot of fun.

Kathy Williams: Yes.

Madeline DeMarco: And so some things that you can try or, you know, making it look good: there’s all these Instagram posts about fancy cocktails and the way that they look. And so there’s no reason that your, you know, your non-alcoholic drink can’t look like a little Baby Yoda in a glass, for example.

Kathy Williams: Exactly.

Madeline DeMarco: And you can make a lot of fun, homemade ingredients like syrups, or, you know, some flavored waters with fruit juices and things like that to spice up the flavors of what you’re drinking. And those things can also be used outside of, you know, beverages as well. You can put them on cakes, you can put them in your oatmeal and your yogurt and kind of get some double-duty. We love those kitchen hacks.

Kathy Williams: Exactly. Well, the sources for those mixes is endless. I mean, you can Google it.

Madeline DeMarco: Yes. Yeah. The world of mocktails is not what it used to be. It’s really taken off and there’s a whole market of non-alcoholic spirits, if that makes sense, out there where you can buy things online that kind of mimic the flavor or the idea of gin without actually having alcohol in it. So that can be a great option as well.

Kathy Williams: So if someone needs maybe some extra support, they can call Lenawee Community Mental Health again.

Madeline DeMarco: Yes, Lenawee Community Mental Health Authority is always available if you or someone you love is struggling with alcohol use or other mental health needs. And so if you notice that you’re trying Dry January and it’s kind of challenging for you, really difficult, it could be a sign of a more serious issue. So again, CMH is here for you. We’re happy to help. So, you can call us at (517) 263-8905 and we’re happy to help.

Kathy Williams: And we’re going to have some extra ideas and such on the LSAPC website.

Madeline DeMarco: Yes. We have a website: www.DrugPreventionLenawee.com. And you can also learn more on our Facebook page. It’s @LenaweeVsAddiction, where, like you said, we’ll be sharing tips throughout the month of January.

Kathy Williams: Put some recipes on there.

Madeline DeMarco: Yeah, absolutely.

Kathy Williams: Thanks, Madeline. And here’s to your Dry January.

Madeline DeMarco: Cheers.