5 Ways to Ask for Help With Addiction

If you or a loved one is in the depths of addiction and ready to get help, congratulations. Acknowledging a problem is the first step in solving it. No matter the role addiction has played in your life, there’s hope on the other side. You or your friend have several options once you’re ready to take the first step towards recovery. Not sure which path to take? Let’... Continue Reading »

Drugs: Costs and Consequences Exhibit Opens at West Virginia Culture Center

On September 7, 2022, a ribbon cutting at West Virginia Culture Center opened the traveling exhibit Drugs: Costs and Consequences. This impressive exhibit – a cooperative effort between GameChanger, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and its educational foundation – is now open to the public through January 15,2023.

Drugs: Costs and Consequences Virtual Tour

West Virginia Culture Center and State Museum Continue Reading »

Managing Pain Without Opioids

Pain can severely impact quality of life. Whether your pain is temporary or chronic, managing it allows you to accomplish daily tasks and live a life you enjoy. And while your pain symptoms may have you considering prescription pain medication, it’s important to explore all options—especially ones less dangerous and addictive than opioids. Why Should I Consider Non-Opioid Pain Treatment? At the surface, taking a pill to manage ... Continue Reading »

Do you know your risk for opioid addiction?

Picture this. You’re at a party where the host offers you and your friends drugs. As you decline, two of your friends agree to try an opioid pill for the first time. While the first moves on from the experience, deciding it’s not for them, your other friend tries it a second time. That second time becomes a third, and then a fourth. Within weeks, your friend is ... Continue Reading »

Teens may face a lot of peer pressure to do drugs.

By Addyson Porter, Logan High School West Virginia has the highest drug usage out of every state in the United States of America, according to a recent study by WalletHub. These illegal habits often begin before citizens even earn their high school diploma. In many, if not every, public high school in West Virginia, there are many students who engage in regular drug usage. Some of these students also attempt ... Continue Reading »

Awkward situation? Here are some exit plans

Peer pressure can be powerful. Whether it is wearing the coolest clothes or listening to the latest music, it is natural to want to fit in. But, sometimes, that peer pressure can be deadly – like when it comes to opioids. If you are with a group of people who offer you drugs, you might feel pressured to try them even if you do not want to. After all, just one ... Continue Reading »

Kristin Parker’s Story of Hope

Kristin had a picture perfect childhood. The blonde haired, blue eyed kid was an only child living with her middle class family in a small town in West Virginia.Growing up, she won numerous beauty pageants, participated as a majorette in band and earned average grades in school. By age 20, she was an addict. “At home, I wasn’t receiving the same validation I received from the awards or competitions ... Continue Reading »

Rachel’s Story of Hope

In middle school, 37-year-old Charleston resident, Rachel Golden, dreamed of becoming an aviation lawyer. From the outside looking in, she was the kind of child any parent or teacher would consider bright and full of potential. Rachel made good grades, behaved well, and never showed signs that she’d experience anything other than success in future endeavors. Despite these traits, Rachel had one kryptonite – the weight of others’ opinions. “I ... Continue Reading »

How Opioids Affect Exercise and Athletic Performance

Sports and exercise keep your body healthy and strong. So why is it that many healthy, strong athletes have such a high risk for substance abuse disorder— particularly with opioids (1)? In all age groups, from youth sports to professional leagues, we see many athletes and fitness lovers succumb to substance abuse and opioid addiction. What are the risks involved in exercising while taking opioids? And what are some precautions to ... Continue Reading »

Cody’s Story of Hope

Today, 28-year-old Cody Ramsey of Cross Lanes, West Virginia spends most of his time supporting others through sobriety. As a peer recovery support specialist supervisor of a behavioral health agency and a program director of a sober living facility, he keeps busy managing employees and new residents, all while playing the roles of husband, father, and occasional rider of his beloved side-by-side. But Cody’s life didn’t always look ... Continue Reading »

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