Category: Addiction/Substance Misuse

Rams in Recovery needs your help

by Michelle Omowaiye
Rams in Recovery, started by my friend Tom Bannard, is a collegiate group of students in recovery from substance use disorder (SUD) located at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA. Just recently, Governor Ralph Northam announced that $675,000 in federal grant money will go towards expanding collegiate recovery programs at eight universities in Virginia.

Rams in Recovery offers space for recovery meetings, organize events and trips, offer recovery housing and scholarships and this group is doing a service project with the goal of creating care bags for the men at The Healing Place.

The … Read more...

What to look for in a mental health speaker

TEDx mental health speaker
Mental health speaker, Anne Moss Rogers
Mental Health Speaker Website

Given the sensitivity around topics such as addiction, mental illness, and suicide, meeting professionals should strive to hire mental health speakers who pay attention to safe messaging. So here are some thoughts on how meeting professionals and event planners can find the right behavioral health speaker.  

Mental health speakers should avoid graphic descriptions

While you want your speaker to deliver a thoughtful and educational presentation, avoid hiring or inviting mental health speakers who go into graphic detail about suicide methods or cleanup which could potentially be activating, especially for … Read more...

My mom lost her battle with addiction and my world fell apart

by Miranda Booher

Every single day in the United States, 130 lives are lost to opioid overdoses. Children will never see their mommy or daddy again and go into foster care, parents will bury their adult children. Families will pick up the pieces. Partners will left behind to face the brutal realities of this world alone.

The dark day my mom overdosed on morphine

I was 12 years old when my mom started taking pain pills for her chronic back pain that was caused by an extra vertebra in her spine. It didn’t take long for her medication to become … Read more...

Virginia this Morning Video Plus More

What a day. It started off at WTVR channel 6 with an interview about the book, followed by a Philanthropy award luncheon, followed by a zoom call with Molly in Sacramento CA for a future speaking engagement, followed by book signing at Barnes & Noble (thank all for coming out) and ended the night with my best friend Martha, her husband and mine at “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me,” radio show on NPR. I’m too tired to eat.

Video link

diary of a broken mind
Love this shot of the book from WTVR. You can see Charles peeking out at the top on the bookmark
… Read more...

Video: Thank you Teri, Nora & Andrew

Teri Rafferty, Nora & Andrew Crouch bought books for the SUD support group at REAL LIFE. None of these participants are in a place in their recovery to afford a book but they wanted one. And it looks like we didn’t do landscape and get every one in the picture. But we tried! It was a great group and I appreciated how everyone participated.

Mental health and suicide prevention speaker
… Read more...

Do you want me to speak at your high school on suicide prevention and SUD?

testimonial about a high school mental health speaker
15 year old student, Cosby High School

I have a list of high schools, however, you might want to request that I speak to a high school near you. If so, please list the name of the school and add other information about that school on the Google form below. That form will populate a spreadsheet from which I will work those contacts.

I will be sending an actual paper letter in an envelope to the principals of these high schools and follow up with phone call and an email.

At this time, I am focusing on high schools and … Read more...

Addiction is a Geyser

by Jon Farrow

Addiction is living a life only you understand. Your addiction is your security blanket. It is always there when you need it. No matter how dark the nights get you know you can rely on it.

Addiction is being two people at once. There’s the person constantly reminding you what you’re doing is wrong and unhealthy. Then there’s the person telling you your substance of choice is the only way to keep living.

After a while you begin to become confused as to which person you truly are. You question yourself, “Do I ever really want to … Read more...

When your loved one suffers mental illness and addiction

What frustrated me about Charles’ treatment was how the behavioral health community silo-ed treatment. When he was using, the advice was to treat the substance use disorder first. He was not addicted at this point.

I didn’t know Charles was suffering from thoughts of suicide and no one ever suggested or gave him a suicide screening or did a proper psychological evaluation to offer a diagnosis. I kept asking for a diagnosis and it’s still shocking that no one ever did that evaluation. I never shut up about it but apparently they found me very easy to ignore.

How does … Read more...

Are you feeling fulfilled?

by Alden Gregory

Alden Gregory, M.S.
Resident in Counseling

It’s easy to be busy. Our schedules are filled with appointments to attend, lists to mark off, tasks to finish, deadlines to meet, and goals to accomplish.

We can go through the motions of our days without thinking of much else. We wonder if we should pursue a deeper purpose or loftier goals. But when the boxes are checked and the day has come to an end, when we are given a moment to be alone with our thoughts, why don’t we feel complete?

Our lives are often made whole by … Read more...

Met Beth Macy, author of Dopesick

I saw many friends tonight at a book signing event and it was a pleasure to hear Beth Macy, author of Dopesick tell the story behind the writing of her book. Seeing a female writer from Virginia do well is inspiring.

I handed out Diary of Broken Mind book marks. It wasn’t a case of me poaching her customers as these attendees had already bought the book. And they needed a bookmark to keep their place, right?

Dear frozen parents
… Read more...

Support groups aren’t therapy but they are therapeutic

Whether it’s a group of peers, or loved ones gathering in regards to the addiction, mental illness or death of a loved one, support groups are one of the best options for recovery. And yes, even the loved ones need recovery.

Some people think support groups are a bunch of tree-hugging hippies, wearing robes, singing kumbaya while swaying back and forth holding hands. Many people struggle for years, yet resist attending a support group. Excuses range from, “It takes too much time” to “They’ll not be my kind of people.”

I have a news flash for you. There will be … Read more...

Diary of a Broken Mind available now!

Book’s Introduction

Buy the book

It’s out! So how can you help? First, please share this post. Launch is tonight!

Between those book covers, there is a lot of pain, anger, laughter, purpose, healing, hope, and heart. I do feel a little naked and a lot vulnerable but I’m less terrified today than I was two weeks ago. And yeah, excited. I’ve woken up at 4:30am for the past two weeks.

I have had initial feedback from advance readers and so far so good. A good launch is important and that has to do with sales so here are some … Read more...

The raw grief of losing the love of my life to addiction

by Emily

I lost my boyfriend, Benjamin on August 9, 2019 to his battle with addiction–IV coke and meth.

I won’t go through our three years together because it’s not important. But as someone who loves an addict we all know how difficult, sad, lonely, lost, confused and broken we all are watching someone we love completely become a shell of themselves. Being one person, and then hours later becoming a completely different person. Going through the cycle over and over.

The longest he was clean in the last three years was 30 days. Although, he’d been using 5 years … Read more...

‘Diary of a Broken Mind’ is not for the newly bereaved

Diary of a broken mind Charles Aubrey Rogers

Few authors un-sell their book. However, I just want to be sensitive to those who might not be in the place to read it yet. A number of people have asked. And while there may be newly bereaved who need it and can read it, it could be triggering for some. This book is is memoir, not a grief book. So it’s not for everyone at any time. If you are currently not feeling very stable, for example, you’d may make the choice to wait.

For a preview to help you decide, the introduction is here.

It is for those … Read more...

Sharing my book’s introduction

INTRODUCTION TO DIARY OF A BROKEN MIND

buy the book

So play this when your day is gray,
when hope is dim
When happiness is growing slim
Listen to me rap then reverse the grim
Burn the hurt,
let my words do the work
—Silver Lining, by Charles Aubrey Rogers

When the police delivered the news that my youngest son, Charles, had died by suicide, my heart seized and, in the split second before my lungs could find air and the wails of my soul in agony could erupt, I had the urge to yell, “You have it all wrong. … Read more...