The Chronicles of Loving A Heroin Addict: Support Information

Showing posts with label Support Information. Show all posts

Saturday, April 1, 2017

Addiction Is...

Today is the first day of the April Blogging Challenge. Are you excited? Today is the letter A. My posts throughout April will be about Addiction and Recovery. Today my post is called, Addiction is...

What is an addiction? Who can be affected?

Ask anyone going through addiction or those who love someone suffering from addiction and we will tell you, it is pure hell.

Many of us really do not understand what addiction is. In searching the Internet the search engines will come up with a lot of

Thursday, May 19, 2016

Recovery Resource Center

A Recovery Resource Center Is Set To Open Here

in Berkeley County by late June

City Councilman Keven Knowles and BC Community Recovery Services Coordinator announced his plans. If there are no set backs as we've seen in the past this is a giant step for Martinsburg and Berkeley County leading the way to more treatment center options available right here.

Monday, May 2, 2016

RU Recovery Program Here In Berkeley County

RU one of the over 30 million Americans that struggle with an addiction? RU tired of talking about your problems and not being given the tools to overcome them?

Shenandoah Bible Baptist Church here in Martinsburg, WV offers this faith-based program. They also offer free nursery care for young ones and also free transportation to and from for those who attend.

They meet every Friday Night from 7 PM to 9:30 PM at their church located at

Visit their website @ Shenandoah Bible Baptist Church
For more information on this program or you can call 240-630-4268 to get more information

Their church is located at 2251 Williamsport Pike Route 11 North in Martinsburg, West Virginia

Sunday, May 1, 2016

Be Careful Of Your Words and What You Say Today...

After some emails here it comes... Remember, Be careful of your words and what you say today...

Words can sometimes come back to bite!

I think this post is going to go out to those who walk around wearing their high heels on their cloud with the attitude of...

This won't happen to me.

How many of you know someone like that, though? Let me tell you, I and all the other parents affected by this heroin epidemic never once said,

Hmmm, I think I'll raise a child to be a heroin addict.

My personal share:

Thursday, April 28, 2016

Local NarAnon(Support Group)

We do have a local NarAnon Group. The group meets every Sunday evening at 6 PM at the Trinity United Methodist Church located at 220 W. Martin St. in Martinsburg, WV. Please consider coming out. I just recently found out about this group.

Our local chapter also has a Facebook Page to connect with and can be found @ NARANON of Martinsburg Our chapter of NarAnon is led by Tina Burkey Stride.

Map to:

Directions can be found @ Trinity United Methodist Church

pictures for this post: Map found @ Bing

WV Community Against Heroin and Other Drug Addictions

picture belongs to: Kathy Stevens Butts

Another Facebook Group I recommend is WV Community Against Heroin and Other Drug Addictions. This group is run by Kathy Stevens Butts and was founded in memory of her daughter Tiffany who lost her battle against Heroin Addiction. Kathy is another bright angel in our community and the fight against this heroin epidemic and for this much need rehab and treatment center here in our community.

"This page is for our community to unite and show support for more local treatment options, juvenile & adult drug court, and ideas to raise awareness."

You can find her Facebook Group Page @ WV Community Against Heroin and Other Drug Addictions

picture belongs to: Kathy Stevens Butts

Bikers Against Heroin WV Chapter

pic belongs to Bikers Against Heroin

Locally helping with this epidemic is the Bikers Against Heroin, WV Chapter led by Dee Stotelmyer Pierce

BIKERS AGAINST HEROIN - A LEGAL NON PROFIT Corporation of the United States of America

TRYING TO HELP and RAISE AWARENESS ON HOW BAD THIS DEADLY EPIDEMIC IS and VOW to HELP AS MANY AS WE CAN

Bikers Against Heroin also has a Facebook Group. You can find them @ Bikers Against Heroin

picture belongs to Bikers Against Heroin

Turning Point of the Eastern Panhandle in WV

Another Facebook Page is for Turning Point of the Eastern Panhandle in WV. This is run by local residents of Martinsburg, WV- Tim and Emily Drewy

pic belongs to Turning Point of the Eastern Panhandle WV

"Providing confidential assistance for addicts to enroll them into a treatment program. We also offer means of support to more effectively maintain their sobriety. "

They are here to help families get their loved one into a treatment facility and also for anyone addicted. You can reach out to them. Their Facebook page is located @ Turning Point of the Eastern Panhandle WV

More Information For Turning Point:

(BCHEA) Berkeley County Heroin Epidemic and Awareness

Social media is a great tool, isn't it? Here is a great Facebook Support Group Page to connect with. The Berkeley County Heroin Epidemic and Awareness

Advocates For Change

pic belongs to BCHEA

"This page was developed to help bring awareness of the rapidly growing Heroin Epidemic in Berkeley and surrounding Counties within the Eastern Panhandle of W.V. Our goal is to end the stigma associated with the disease of addiction, educate individuals, provide support and resource options from those touched by this disease. We cannot change what we do not acknowledge. Knowledge is power. There is strength in numbers and as a community, it is our responsibility to become part of the solution and not the problem. "EVERY life matters".

If you haven't already. Connect with them @ Berkeley County Heroin Epidemic and Awareness They can put you in contact with resources for treatment, recovery, and support. Leaders of this group are Laura Griffith and Mendy Hutton

the picture here belongs to BCHEA

What Are Our Issues In Berkeley County/Martinsburg WV? We have no clear solutions!!!!

Besides this heroin epidemic?
We really have no clear solutions to the problem or so it seems on this side of the addiction...

1- The high numbers of Overdose and Preventable Death Our numbers of OD's and OD causing death continue to rise.
Drug use and the disorders that go along with it are still going untreated.

Our town officials and the local media need to stop using the catch phrase, "Dispelling Rumors" when referring to this heroin epidemic here! What rumors? There is no place for the word rumors in the discussion about this heroin epidemic. The numbers we have is data and statistics!!!!

2-We have No Drug Treatment Here We need treatment on demand. When someone is suffering a heart attack or a stroke they go to the hospital. That person will get triaged in the ER, tests are run, they will go to the ICU for further medical care. They are under constant medical supervision 24/7 and will get the best of all medical care. When someone is suffering from heroin addiction and they go to the hospital they get Narcan, often laughed at and put down, called a junkie and later released back to the streets where the cycle of drug abuse continues. When a person is suffering from a heroin addiction they shouldn't have to say they are suicidal and going to kill themselves to get access to a treatment facility. It should be available to them when they need it!

Something is clearly wrong with that!

3-We continue Criminalizing Those Who Are Addicted
We have a judicial system in this country that continues handcuffs instead of help! The intent is that the spiraling addict will "get it together" without any treatment induces harm, it cost money, causes recidivism and is no way solving the real problem.

4-We have No Harm Reduction- No Needle Exchange

5-No Community Awareness but plenty of NIMBY: Not In My Backyard
Mentality

6. Drugged Driving: Drug Driving Is Becoming A Huge Problem in all of WV. The numbers are only increasing. Driving while intoxicated (Alcohol) used to be the biggest problem on the roadways. Now you don't know who may be on the roads under the influence of powerful drugs like heroin.

7. Not only does the "Heroin Highway" go through this town but, Martinsburg's (WV) new nickname is Little Baltimore

8. This epidemic affects everyone. We need more Awareness here. Community Awareness, Youth Awareness and Parent Awareness. We must make people face the reality that the prejudice and injustice in literally killing people and that is data proven!

9. STOP The Stigma relating to heroin abuse. If we had Community Awareness we wouldn't have the stigma here.

10. We need to end the discriminatory practice and policies that often discriminate people with substance abuse problems and those who abuse with a criminal record excluding them from finding suitable jobs, their rights and opportunities. Many of these policies even those who have recovered.

11. We need a Strategic Public Health Awareness Campaign here.

12. More Awareness Is Needed to the problem which involves everyone on the same page, at the same table and in the same room to come up with solutions.

13. We need more youth awareness in our community.

14. More Parental Awareness Needed

15. We need to STOP the silence about this heroin epidemic here. We need to SPEAK the truth about heroin and this epidemic and we need to START the conversation!

It Will Take The Entire Village

If you are not part of the solution, then you are the problem.

In the beginning of all of this- the heroin, the epidemic- many years ago they said cigarettes was non addictive. Then in the late 80's came OxyContin. We were told that too was non addictive. Now weed is being marketed as, non addictive. Haven't we learned yet that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results? When will we ever learn?

Some Positive Initiatives Happening in our Community..

The Recovery Resource Center opened. It's located at 400 W. Stephen St in Martinsburg. Kevin Knowles is the Recovery Services Coordinator.

The #wvdayofhope

On Dec. 6, 2016 Martinsburg City Zoning Approved the Detox Center which will be located on Wilson St. in Martinsburg.

Important Upcoming Events

Mark You Calendars:

If your group has an event coming up, please let me know!

Update on Narcan Classes:

Classes will not be held every Friday now. They will now be held the first Friday of the month (starting May 6th) at the Martinsburg health department at 3:00. Whoever wants to attend needs to call the health department and sign up.

The third Friday of the month (starting May 20th) there will be on at 6:00 at Callahan Counseling Services 1020 Winchester Ave. There is no need to sign up for this one.

Callahan Counseling is located at 1020 Winchester Ave in Martinsburg, WV. This class starts at 6 PM. Visit Narcan Training of the Eastern Panhandle for more information

If interested in taking the Narcan Classes please sign up. Lately there has not been a lot of attendance. If this continues it is likely the local classes will stop.

Every Sunday Evening Nar-Anon meeting @ 6PM The group meets at Trinity UM Church on Martin St. in Martinsburg

Find a NA or Recovery Meeting Here in Martinsburg