Substance Free 02043: Recent Episodes
Substance Free 02043
Substance Free 02043 is a podcast whose mission is to reduce substance use among youth and their communities through personal stories and educational topics.
Hannah Walsh was just 12 years old when she began dabbling with alcohol. It was on the heels of losing her older sister, a devastating tragedy for her family. Hannah knew from the start that her relationship with alcohol would become problematic.
"I knew that if I was going to drink again after that, I needed multiple. I wasn't going to bother with one beer ever again," she said. Alcohol became more and more of the main event in her life, and she reached the breaking point after college. "I taped newspapers all over my mirrors because I couldn't look at myself anymore."
Hannah has been sober since Christmas Eve in 2022 and has not looked back. She is doing exciting work in the recovery field. Tune in to hear all about her inspirational story.
Kevin Rosario began using drugs and alcohol when he was just 13 years old. Before long, he was selling drugs to pay for his habit, getting into trouble with the law and finding himself in and out of rehab. During all of this, he came close to losing his life in a violent incident. Listen as he shares the details of what led him down this path, why he considers the substances to be secondary and what he believes are the most effective ways for parents and kids to make healthy choices.
Cameron and Hunter Flores are brothers who, coincidentally, both began dabbling in alcohol and marijuana at 13 years old. Little did they know this seemingly harmless recreational use would lead them on parallel paths to full-blown, long-term addiction to opioids, meth, heroin, cocaine, crack and other illicit substances.
They were in and out of rehab, had brushes with the law and survived life-threatening situations. Remarkably, they were both able to become sober after these experiences and are eager to share their stories as a hopeful and cautionary tale for parents and young people alike.
Aileen Walsh and Liz Miller hold positions that represent the creative solutions towns are coming up with to meet a growing demand for mental health intervention services. Aileen is the Community Crisis Response Clinician and works for the Police Department.
Her role is to go out on calls with patrol officers to assist with psychiatric and behavioral emergencies in the field. She provides initial intervention services to individuals in need and follows up with crisis case management, mental health, substance abuse and victim assistance referrals, and short-term crisis counseling as needed.
Liz is the social worker for the Health Department and also administers the State's Opioid Abatement Funds as the substance-abuse program coordinator. Both women draw upon their personal experiences and use them in their line of work.
As a result, they bring a tremendous amount of empathy and compassion to their jobs. Learn more about their unique and important roles as well as their inspirational personal stories.
Rory and Chris Earley both grew up in homes with alcoholic parents. When they got married and started their own family, they thought about ways in which they would do things differently in raising their own children. Rory is sober, and Chris drinks on occasion. But it is more than just about examining their relationship with alcohol. "We're all about a boring household," says Chris. "It's a simple home. It's the healthiest environment that we can manufacture." Listen to Rory and Chris talk about their upbringings, the ways in which it impacted their lives and how they came together to create something new.
From a young age, Senator Patrick O'Connor has been passionate about public service, so it is only natural that he would serve his community as an elected official. For the past eight years, he has worked with his constituents and his colleagues on Beacon Hill to address various public health issues, like the opioid crisis.
His experiences living and learning overseas guide his collaborative approach, and the people he has known who have struggled with the disease add an element of personal passion to the cause. Tune in to hear Sen. O'Connor talk about the legislative process and current efforts being made to combat substance use disorder.
Kathleen Mahoney has an enormous territory and a huge responsibility serving as a Nicotine Compliance Officer for several towns on the South Shore of Massachusetts. She must stay on top of state law and local regulations for each community and ensure that retailers are not in violation. One of her primary tasks is to make sure youth are not given access to age-restricted products. The landscape is constantly changing, and new products are regularly being introduced to the marketplace. Kathleen discusses changes she has seen, current trends and ways parents can keep their children safe around knock-off products.
In 2017, Hingham resident Lori McCarthy co-founded the Herren Wellness Center in Seekonk with acclaimed speaker and former basketball star Chris Herren. Both of them are in recovery from substance use, and their mission was to provide a holistic service that would positively impact the lives of individuals and their families. Lori talks about the process of getting the center opened, describes her own personal journey of recovery and stresses the importance of encouraging young people to abstain from using substances.
Roger Oser has been the principal of the William J. Ostiguy High School in Boston for the past 17 years, incorporating his extensive background working with youth to his role. Ostiguy High is a recovery high school that was founded by Willie Ostiguy, who is a previous guest on this podcast. The school provides a safe and supportive school environment for young people who want to make a positive change in their relationship with drugs and alcohol.
The school works closely with school districts to provide a variety of interventions for students who are struggling. The landscape of addiction is always changing, once it was opioids and now it is marijuana, but the need remains the same. Roger and the rest of the staff at Ostiguy High work hard to help young people achieve their goals and guide them on the right track for a bright and healthy future.
Chris Herren is known for playing in the NBA for teams like the Boston Celtics, but he was a basketball phenom starting at a young age. Chris broke records; he had a book written about him when he was just 16; and he attended Boston College on a full scholarship. However, all of that success was taken away by an addiction that plagued him from his teen years when he drank "the beer he never wanted" at 14 years old.
Drugs and alcohol threatened to destroy Chris' life and harm the ones he loved most. He said he worked really hard to keep his addiction a secret, and he would watch his kids play with toys on the floor while he "took a chance at dying every day." Eventually he realized that he had a problem that needed to be addressed. He sought treatment while his wife was pregnant with their third child and living on food stamps, and it was then that his life turned around.
Not only is Chris now a person who has successfully maintained his recovery for over 15 years, but he also speaks across the country to hundreds of schools each year and runs a program designed to prevent others from going down the same path of destruction. Herren Wellness has been open since 2018 and provides treatment for people battling addiction to drugs and alcohol. Their unique approach seeks to help people understand the "why" of their substance use so that they can fully address it in their lives. Tune into this honest and heartfelt interview.
Genny Soper lost her son one night in what she calls "an accident that was completely avoidable." Clay had just finished his freshman year of college and was at a party. He texted his mom to say he was going to stay the night and even joked with his friends as he put himself to bed. However, Clay never woke up. He and his friends had taken prescription drugs with alcohol, and this combination took Clay's life. His friends never dreamed something like this could happen and were determined to make sure others were made aware of the dangers. They talked with Clay's family about making a film.
"If They Had Known" chronicles the night Clay died from the perspective of his friends and family members, and it contains interviews with experts in the field of youth substance use. Genny and her family have made it their mission to see that this film is shown in high schools and colleges across the country to ensure that the risks of combining prescription drugs with alcohol are made known.
Learn more about the film and the Soper family's organization's mission at claysopermemorialfund.com.
Lori Tobin is a former smoker and watched as both her parents died of smoking-related illnesses. She kicked the habit many years ago and has been living a healthy life since. However, when she saw former students in her hometown vaping, she felt called to prevent young people from doing harm to their bodies.
Lori collaborated with the local cable access station and created an impactful documentary. In it she interviews kids who are addicted to vaping and their parents, experts in the field and even the Attorney General at the time. Her energy is palpable, and she is incredibly knowledgeable. This interview is guaranteed to answer many of the questions you may have about vaping.
Officer Jermaine Galloway, aka Tall Cop, has been working to combat drug and alcohol abuse problems in communities all over the country and the world for decades. Officer Galloway uses his vast knowledge of availability of substances and trends in their use to educate people and to provide strategies to those who find themselves on the front lines. He has advice for parents and young people alike about how to stay safe around drugs and alcohol by using common sense reasoning, not scare tactics. Tune in to hear what this experienced law enforcement officer has to say.
Lenny Clarke is a familiar face to many, both for his work in the comedy industry as well as in film and television. Lenny is also known for the fundraising work he does as a way to give back out of gratitude for everything he has been through himself and for all of the people who have supported him. "I make people laugh, but I take my sobriety very, very seriously," he says. Tune in and hear about Lenny's personal experiences and learn what advice he has for parents and kids on how to stay safe around substances.
It's only fitting that a new way of addressing the opioid crisis was launched in the birthplace of our country. Officials in Plymouth County, MA were at the forefront of this innovative approach. In 2015 when the number of opioid deaths began skyrocketing, District Attorney Tim Cruz and Sheriff Joe McDonald took a hard look at what was going on in their county and launched the Plymouth County Drug Abuse Task Force which brought key stakeholders from all sectors of the community together. This model was groundbreaking in its simplicity and has been replicated across the country. A true test of its effectiveness came about inadvertently during COVID when numbers began to rise again due to an inability to implement the in-person follow-up critical to the program. Tune in to hear more about this and the other work both of these officeholders are doing around substance abuse and prevention.
Steve Sweeney has been dubbed the legendary King of Boston comedy, but he wears many hats. He is an actor, producer, writer and comedian. And while his humor may not always be for the faint of heart, his personal recovery journey and the work he currently does in the correctional system is guaranteed to warm your heart.
Steve has been in recovery from addiction to substances for over 30 years. He draws upon his experiences when he talks with inmates in the Plymouth County and Suffolk County houses of correction. While he has seen some who are unwilling to take the steps necessary to better themselves and their lives, he has also had great success in helping these men focus on what they want to accomplish and how to do it. Tune into this warm and witty interview and learn more about the man behind the legend.
Willie Ostiguy paved the way in the recovery community by founding the first recovery high school in Massachusetts. Since then he has opened several sober houses for men and one for women. Willie is a person in recovery himself. In this interview, he talks about his personal story as well as his family's history of substance use issues. He also describes the skills he used in raising his own children. Communicating with your kids and being diligent about knowing their whereabouts are tips he has for parents. Willie firmly believes education is important in enabling young people to make wise decisions.
Amy Tee has been a fixture on the Boston comedy scene for decades. In this raw and honest interview, she discusses the challenges she faced during childhood, what led her to pursue a career in comedy, how her battle with substances began and the ways in which she copes with her mental health today.
Amy grew up as an obese child who was teased and bullied incessantly throughout her life. Being thrown into lockers and called names was an everyday experience. After losing weight and beginning the pursuit of a lifelong dream to do stand-up, Amy slowly succumbed to an addiction to alcohol before hitting rock bottom and having an "aha" moment.
Today Amy is happily married and has a new career as an approved IOOV (In Our Own Voice) Presenter for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Through her presentations to young people and families as well as her work on stage she has touched many lives. Amy describes the ways in which she has inspired others and been inspired by them as she seeks to live according to ECT: being responsible for the Energy you bring into the world and practicing Compassion and Tolerance.
Laura Stack of Johnny's Ambassadors talks about the risks of modern marijuana and its impact on the developing teen brain. Laura is extremely knowledgeable about the various new forms of marijuana (i.e. waxes, dabs, shatter), how marijuana differs in potency from even 10 years ago and the science behind marijuana's addictive nature.
Laura also shares her personal story. She is from Colorado and lost her son to suicide after he became psychotic, paranoid and delusional as a result of his addiction to marijuana. Johnny was only 19 years old. He had begun using marijuana products when he was 14 after trying some at a party at a friend's house. Recreational marijuana had been legalized in CO just two years before.
Laura's message is a cautionary tale, but it is also one of hope. She has made it her mission to ensure that families are educated and that teens make safe and healthy choices.
Karen Beatty has been the health teacher at Hingham High School, Hingham, MA., for over 20 years. She talks about a unique prevention program that she incorporates into her 10th-grade health classes and its impact on her students. She also shares information on past and current trends in youth substance use and also delves into the critical role parents play in preventing that use. Ms. Beatty oversees the administration of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey in grades 7, 9 and 11 in the Hingham Public Schools. She describes its scope and purpose in assessing and teen behavior so that it can be effectively addressed. Tune into this warm and thoughtful conversation with a teacher on the front lines.
Dr. Todd Kerensky reveals the science behind addiction, breakthroughs in treatment and the reasons underage use of drugs and alcohol is so risky. He also describes how different substances impact the body and shares a poignant personal story of what brought him into this line of work. Dr. Kerensky has had a long career in the field of addiction and recovery, currently serving as Medical Director of Addiction Medicine at South Shore Health and Medical Director of Spectrum Health System's Opioid Treatment Program (Weymouth, MA.).
Sarah Holler, John Jenkins and Rachel O'Connor are students at Hingham High School, Hingham, MA., where they run the Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) program. SADD is designed to provide students with the tools necessary for making healthy choices in a variety of ways, including around substances. Sarah, John and Rachel talk about the work they do as well as their experiences and those of their peers. They encourage other teens to surround themselves with a solid group of friends who support them regardless of the decisions they make around substances and describe the important role parents play in teen substance use. Their knowledge on the subject is also on display. From brain development to the science behind addiction, these kids are a wealth of information. All three are hard-working athletes who are committed to maintaining healthy, active lifestyles which makes them really great role models for others.
Kathi Meyer began to speak about alcohol awareness and the importance of making good choices in 2009 after her daughter passed away from underage drinking. She met her future husband, Chris Sullivan, when she presented at her first parent night. A former NFL player, Chris was attending not as a parent, but as a man suffering from substance use disorder, anxiety and depression. Their road of healing continues together as they share their stories with colleges, high schools, community organizations and prevention coalitions around the country. Hear how one act of kindness can change the outcome of someone’s life and make a positive change in this world.