Drugs and alcohol have long been a part of our culture, and while we have often heard the message “just say no,” these recreational substances affect the lives of millions of people around the world. Even so, many people are misinformed about drugs and alcohol, especially when it comes to the dangers they present. 

Even after learning about the facts of how drugs and alcohol have an effect on the body, plenty of people still are susceptible to becoming dependent on them or developing substance use disorder (SUD). While being educated about drugs and alcohol is necessary, it’s also important to address the facts of SUD. 

In light of National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week, which began on Monday and goes through Sunday, let’s address five common misconceptions about SUD.

1. It doesn’t matter what kind of language I use when I talk about substance misuse.

If you’ve recently heard the term “substance use disorder,” you might wonder where this term came from and why it’s replaced other terms, like “addiction,” that might be more familiar. But there is a lot of stigma surrounding substance use disorder, which affects everything from how we perceive those with SUD to how we treat them. Terms like “drug addict” are dehumanizing and reinforce stigmatizing attitudes. This sort of language-based stigma can even cloud the way we perceive SUD itself. Addiction is the most severe type of SUD, but exclusively using the word “addiction” can ignore the fact that substance misuse is a mental disorder that affects the way a person’s brain works. Which leads to another popular misconception…

2. Substance abuse is nothing but a bad habit, and people can stop anytime they want. 

This is one of the most harmful and untrue misconceptions to have about SUD, yet it is one of the most prevalent. Even though we might not say it explicitly, it can be reflected in the way that people with SUD are treated by their loved ones and society as a whole. Remarks such as “why don’t you just stop?” are often heard by those with SUD, but it’s difficult to explain that it’s practically impossible for someone with SUD to “just stop.” Not only does SUD affect a person’s ability to control substance use, but studies show that over half of those with SUD also have a co-occurring mental disorder and vice versa. Certain risk factors can put people at a higher risk for mental disorders, which can in turn trigger brain changes that might lead to other types of disorders. You wouldn’t tell a person with diagnosed depression to simply “stop being depressed” —  so why is SUD any different? 

3. It’s easy to tell when someone is misusing substances. 

There is a misconception that people with SUD have a specific look, or that they all behave a certain way, but this kind of thinking is based on harmful, false stereotypes. Everyone is susceptible to SUD, meaning it’s basically impossible to tell when someone is misusing substances. There are certain warning signs that someone might be misusing substances —  for example, it’s possible to notice physical symptoms —  but these things alone are not enough to guarantee someone has SUD, nor do all people with SUD have obvious physical symptoms. By getting ourselves to challenge what we believe a person with SUD looks like or acts like, we can start to reshape how it is treated in our society. 

4. Alcohol dependency is not as serious as other types of SUD.

It might surprise you that substance use disorder includes alcohol along with illegal substances and medication. Why is that? Alcohol doesn’t seem comparable to other commonly misused substances; it is consumed very regularly in our culture, it is constantly advertised, and, if you are over 21, you can legally order alcohol in public spaces such as restaurants and sports games, unlike illegal substances. But that doesn’t make alcoholism any less serious or dangerous. In 2019, 14.5 million people ages 12 and older had alcohol use disorder in the United States. Because activities such as binge drinking are so normalized in our culture, it can be much easier to become dependent on alcohol than an illegal substance —  even though both can affect the brain in similar ways. Those with alcohol use disorder become physically dependent on alcohol in order to function, and can suffer painful withdrawal symptoms. 

5. You have to hit rock bottom before you can recover. 

There’s a popular myth that someone with SUD has to “hit rock bottom” before they have a chance at getting better —  that is, something drastic has to happen as a result of SUD in order for someone to recover. It might be an overdose, financial hardships or broken relationships —  but something has to happen to motivate a full recovery. This is a very dangerous attitude to have for someone with SUD. Waiting to seek help until having reached rock bottom can mean losing your relationships, your home, even your life. By that time, it might be much more difficult to even find the help you need. 

Take advantage of the place you are at right now to find help —  it’s out there! Plenty of resources exist to help right here in West Virginia, with West Virginia PEERS being a great place to start. The PEERS are part of the Monongalia County Quick Response Team (QRT), the group organized by Monongalia County Health Department to reduce opioid use in our community. Check out the PEERS website.

It’s not a coincidence that Sleep Awareness Week started on Sunday, the same day as when we spring forward an hour for Daylight Savings Time and lose an hour of zzzz’s.

As a longtime night owl, I long ago began changing the time on my clocks early in the evening so I didn’t literally lose track of time and settle into bed at what I thought was a decent time, only to have to adjust my thinking and my alarm.

Lately, I realize I need to adjust my thinking even more and not just set a bedtime for myself, but a time even earlier than that to begin winding down. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adults need seven or more hours of sleep per night. One in three adults do not get enough sleep, and apparently, this is another list on which West Virginia falls on the wrong end. In 2014, between 38-44 percent of West Virginia adults reported consistently getting less than seven hours of sleep in a 24-hour period, which put us in the highest percentile along with Kentucky, Ohio, Maryland and other states.

And not getting enough sleep can help lead to a variety of medical conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, obesity and depression. That’s one reason why this topic is an important one to Monongalia County Health Department. Well-rested people are healthier, and that’s always important, especially during the COVID pandemic.

So, let’s go over the tips on how to try and improve that statistic. First, develop a relaxing bedtime routine. The calmer and more relaxed you are when you slip between the sheets, the better.

It’s best if you go to bed at night and wake up in the morning at the same times every day, including weekends. That can be a challenge for people who want to sleep in after a long work week. 

If you don’t fall asleep in 20 minutes, get up. Lying in bed awake can be frustrating, and checking the clock frequently does not help.

Next, the calmer the bedroom is, the better. Bedrooms should be quiet and dark and kept at an optimal temperature. It’s better for the room to be on the cool side. Since my husband installed a smart thermostat, we have it set to lower to 68 degrees Fahrenheit at bedtime and to start warming up just before we rise.

Removing electronic devices from the bedroom is definitely a tough one these days. But those devices can be stimulating, which is the opposite of how you want your brain to be as you try to unwind from your day. It is recommended to avoid screens for at least 30 minutes before going to bed. And doom scrollers — you know who are — should take measures to quit endlessly surfing social media.

Also, avoid eating large meals and drinking caffeinated beverages or alcohol too close to bedtime. When your belly is busy digesting, you are not going to get your best sleep. And even though alcohol might initially relax you, it can wake you up in the middle of the night too.

Finally, while you don’t want to exercise a lot just before bed, getting plenty of activity during the day will help you feel tired at night.

If you follow at least most of this advice and still have trouble sleeping, you may want to talk to your doctor. Sleep is fundamental to our health and well-being, so figuring out how to have a good night will go a long way to making you feel good.

Spring is almost here and that means many people turn to thoroughly cleaning their homes. 
But even if you don’t have any sweeping home makeover plans, it’s never a bad idea to go through your home and check what items could be harmful to any residents, especially youngsters and pets, and what you can do about it.

In 2016, more than 9,000 West Virginia residents were accidently exposed to poison, according to the West Virginia Poison Center. Ingestion of poisons results in 12,781 calls made to the WVPC that year. 

And in 2019, according to the National Capital Poison Center the 55 poison control centers in the United States provided telephone guidance for more than 2.1 million human poison exposures. Broken down, that’s:

• 6.4 poison exposures per 1,000 population
• 37.4 poison exposures in children younger than 6 years old per 1,000 children
• One poison exposure reported to U.S. poison control centers every 15 seconds. 

This year, March 20-26 is National Poison Prevention Week, established by the American Association of Poison Control Centers.

So if spring doesn’t motivate you to inspect your house, perhaps these facts will.

Common types of poisonings include medication taken by someone for whom it hasn’t been prescribed, household cleaners, cosmetics and personal care products, toys and other foreign bodies such as small batteries, pesticides, gasoline and automotive products, plants and insect bites and stings. 

Potentially poisonous materials such as paint, chemicals, medication and insecticides should be kept out of reach of young children. Their scent and color often attract them to the product, according to the WVPC. 

In fact, the Monongalia County Quick Response Team (QRT) recommends having naloxone, also known as Narcan, on hand in case a child gets into medicine cabinet or someone with memory issues takes an incorrect dose of prescribed medication. Naloxone has been successfully used in instances such as these.

Poisonings can be prevented with necessary precautions such as:

• Store all drugs and medications in their original containers.
• Never refer to medication as candy.
• Never put non-food products in food containers.
• Read and follow the directions on all products before using them.
• After using any drug or chemical, put the cap back on and store it out of reach and sight of children.
• Dispose of unused and out-of-date products properly.

The Morgantown Police Department has a drop-off box for unwanted and unused medications. It is in the lobby area of the department at 389 Spruce St. Drop-offs can be made from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Also, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration’s Prescription Drug Take Back Day will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 30. During this time, the MPD sets up locations at area parking lots to make drop-offs easier and more convenient. Recently, those locations have included the Kroger stores in Morgantown.

Then as the weather gets warmer, insect bites and stings are more common. There are ways to avoid contact with potentially dangerous insects. Insects such as bees and wasps generally will stay away from humans; however, if one comes close, the best thing to do is to retreat slowly. Certain plants such as clover and flower trees, as well as strong perfumes and bright colors, can attract them. 

In West Virginia, there is only one harmful spider, the black widow, and two harmful snakes, the northern copperhead and the timber rattlesnake. According to the WVPC, bites from any other spider will result in redness and pain but can be treated with soap and water and a cool compress.

If you’re bitten by any snake, remove constrictive items, immobilize the bitten extremity, stay calm and get to the nearest hospital emergency department. Anyone who is bitten by a snake should make sure they are up-to-date on their tetanus shot. 

DTaP vaccines for children and Tdap vaccines for adults include immunity against tetanus and are available at Monongalia County Health Department. It is recommended that Tdap vaccines be updated every 10 years for adults.

According to the WVPC, household plants have become one of the leading causes of poisoning via ingestion in children. It is important to be familiar with plants in your household, and if you don’t know what kind of plants you have, have a gardening expert help or research them on the Internet. 

Any plant can cause unexpected reactions in anyone and it is best to call the WVPC if you believe a plant has been ingested. WVPC’s website contains a list of toxic and non-toxic plants. Don’t assume that because animals eat a plant that it isn’t poisonous. In fact, some, such as poinsettias, can make them sick. 

For more information about how to poison-proof your home or learn more about potential poisons, visit www.wvpoisoncenter.org or call 304-347-1379. To get a DTaP or Tdap vaccine, called MCHD Clinical Services at 304-598-5119 for an appointment

 Where else can you watch locally-made videos on topics ranging from how to administer naloxone, what “dragging for ticks” means and if you should be concerned about radon rates in your home, by an actor doing a great Rod Serling imitation?

That would be Monongalia County Health Department’s YouTube channel. 

We even have posted our TikTok videos, and while I admit, so far, we don’t have any that feature someone inventing a dance, performing a stand-up routine or some skateboarding derring-do, you can bet we’ve tried to come up with ways to entertain our followers while passing on important public health information.

Take “The Radon Zone.” Local actor Michael Vozniak kills with his imitation of chain smoker Rod Serling of “The Twilight Zone” fame. Coincidentally, while smoking is the No. 1 cause of lung cancer in the United States, radon is No. 2, which made Rod Serling a great example to impart this message.

As for naloxone, also known as Narcan, it has become a very important tool in the arsenal to fight opioid overdoses, as known by those who follow the Monongalia County Quick Response Team (QRT). 

Anyone can keep naloxone nearby to administer it, and it can come in handy in more ways that you might imagine. 

As for tick dragging, it’s one of the many procedures conducted by MCHD’s Threat Preparedness program. Staffers go out into grassy areas around Monongalia County during specific times of the year with white cloth that they literally drag on the ground. 

Then they take a good look at what might have jumped on and then carefully, tweezers in hand, place any ticks… sometimes large, sometimes just tiny nymphs that resemble a poppy seed … into a vial that is sent off for testing to see if it carries any diseases. In this area, that is usually Lyme disease.

While our library might seem small now, MCHD is hard at work creating new content to help keep everyone up to date on a variety of topics. Our current focus is telling people’s stories of how they decided to get vaccinated against COVID.

Another way to get timely health information is to follow MCHD on all our social media, which not only includes Facebook, Twitter and Instagram but also the aforementioned TikTok.

Every weekday when the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) COVID dashboard is updated, we post a graphic with some basic statistics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and also provide the link to the DHHR COVID dashboard so individuals can look up all the specialized information they want to find.

We also advertise the times and dates of the COVID testing and vaccines that are conducted at the WVU Rec Center, as well as special vaccine events, like the one held on Saturday at the old Ramada Inn.

These days, there is a lot of public health news to broadcast, and Monongalia County Health Department is utilizing as many channels as possible to get the word out. Please “like,” follow and subscribe to as many as you can.
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And if anyone has any ideas on a fun skateboard stunt or a new dance move that would capture everyone’s attention while simultaneously educating them, please feel free let us know!