Maine students aim to end stigma around addiction in new series

MAINE, USA — It’s no secret Maine and the remainder of the US have a crippling drug downside.

The quantity of people that die from an overdose continues to rise yearly and has been on a gentle incline for a couple of decade.

A brand new collection being featured on Maine Public referred to as “Voices of Hope: The Rugged Highway to Restoration” is hoping to make clear this very actual downside. The collection follows the uncooked tales of actual folks from Maine and their journey with substance use dysfunction and restoration. 

The collection is a collaboration with the SEED program: College students Empowered to Finish Dependency, a neighborhood nonprofit devoted to opening the door for conversations about habit by way of storytelling.

There are presently college students from 15 completely different faculties throughout the state taking part within the SEED program.

David Packhem is the collection’ govt producer. He mentioned he needed to do extra for the habit and restoration group after studying his son was scuffling with alcoholism.

“It rocked our world,” Packhem mentioned. “We needed to raised perceive habit.”

Maine’s first Indigenous Ladies’s Restoration Dwelling to open in Bangor

Packhem mentioned he discovered lots, a lot in order that he was decided to make use of the data he had acquired to assist others who is likely to be scuffling with substance abuse. He mentioned he shortly turned to the scholars inside the SEED program to assist him and his manufacturing crew get the collection off the bottom. 

These college students embrace Joshua Phillips of Traip Academy, Charlie Moore of Greely Excessive College, and Kathryn Morin, a latest graduate of Gorham Excessive College.

Phillips was tasked with creating animations for the collection. He mentioned the expertise taught him extra about designing his personal creations and opened his eyes to how large of an issue habit is in our state and throughout the nation.

“I believe all people ought to be taught from this as a result of substance use is a vital matter,” Phillips mentioned. “We need to be sure that folks perceive how this not solely impacts them bodily, however mentally and socially, the way it will have an effect on different folks round them.”

Morin has been with the SEED program since its begin in 2020. Since then, she has been tasked with overseeing interviews and getting them logged for the collection. At first, Morin joined this system as a part of a college requirement for credit score, nevertheless it shortly grew right into a ardour undertaking.

“It is a actually fascinating dichotomy. Folks are inclined to glorify drug use, however then then again, when you develop substance use dysfunction, you are all of a sudden a nasty individual,” Morin mentioned. “There’s plenty of stigma connected to it and each views are simply full one-eighties from one another.”

York hospital will get almost $200k to assist these scuffling with substance use dysfunction

“What ‘Voices of Hope’ goals to do is scale back the stigma about substance use dysfunction and we try this by merely telling tales,” Morin added. “By telling tales, we’re in a position to join with folks that in any other case would not be open to listening to about these points. So, it helps. It helps humanize folks with this sickness and when you humanize somebody, you possibly can utterly change their thoughts and create plenty of optimistic change.”

Moore joined the combo extra not too long ago after being launched to this system by a buddy. Since then, he’s helped the crew by bringing his musical skills to the collection. Two of Moore’s unique songs, “Heavy” and “Gradual Down,” are featured.

“I believe that is a very lovely factor when music and one thing like this present can have an effect on how somebody is feeling,” Moore mentioned. “I am very happy to be part of it.”

The scholars mentioned they want to see the collection proven in all Maine excessive faculties. They mentioned messaging in faculties now’s outdated, and so they consider college students would have a better time connecting to the folks within the collection and their tales.

“I believe if we might someway introduce the present into our faculties, folks would have the ability to connect with it on extra of a private stage and see how that is occurring in our group,” Moore mentioned. “I believe folks would acquire lots and they’d be taught lots from the belief that that is occurring round us and I believe we might undoubtedly profit from having this in our faculties.”

To be taught extra concerning the collection, click on right here.

Under is a brief interview with Dave Packhem about “Voices of Hope” and the SEED Program.