Greg interviews Joel Mowrey, the Executive Director of The Mental Health and Recovery Board of Portage County. Kelly Hart, a recovering addict, also joins the duo. Located in Portage County, Ohio, The Mental Health and Recovery Board is primarily a funding, monitoring and planning agency. By contracting with outside agencies, the board provides a wide array of services that deal with mental health and substance abuse issues.
Greg asks Joel how his past experience as a child psychologist has given him a better understanding of the role mental health plays in substance abuse. Joel answers by discussing the warning signs of addiction, specifically trauma issues. He says past and present traumas can lead to substance abuse disorder. He goes on to explain why those issues should be addressed early. “If we don’t deal with those traumas, we can’t deal with the substance abuse problems,” says Joel. “[The traumas] are those underlying core issues…We’re trying to find better ways for them to deal with their trauma, before it’s too late.”
Listen to the podcast to hear Kelly’s sobering story of substance abuse and how overcoming his difficult upbringing has been vital to his personal recovery.
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