“The opposite of addiction is community” was the resounding message at Hijacked, held April 11 at the Clayton Center for the Arts.
Organized by Jan McCoy, the seminar brought together “experts in the addiction field to gain more knowledge and understanding of what can be done to end the epidemic.”
Steve Wildsmith, Maryville College Marketing & Communications Assistant Director, emceed the event and provided snippets of insight based on his own experience of addiction and recovery.
Speakers included:
Dr. Otto SlaterCaptain Ryan RogersEmily Hager, PhDKristen Gilliland, PhDBill LeeStephen Loyd, MD
Captain Ryan Rogers, of the Maryville Police Department, came bearing some sobering statistics.
According to information he provided in the Hijacked pamphlet, Blount County had a total of 216 overdoses in 2023, which was 45 fewer than the total for 2022.
Rogers spoke about the period between 2009 and 2014 when opioid use was at a high. Rogers said police went after the doctors who were prescribing the pills and arrested them. The result, according to Rogers, was that people who had become addicted to the drugs were left without their medication and turned to heroin and then later fentanyl. “We left a hole that needed to be filled,” he said.
The opioid crisis, Rogers said, had no socioeconomic targets. It affected all income brackets.
Rogers also expressed concern about the introduction of Xylazines, which he said are resistant to life-saving Narcan.
“We can’t incarcerate ourselves out of this issue,” he said.
“Unless you get involved and break down the stigma and break down the barriers and get involved in your community, you’re never going to be a part of the solution,” said Rogers.
Part of the purpose of the event was to address the stigma surrounding drug addiction. Through their speakers, Hijacked showed a wide range of people who can and do become addicted.
Dr. Otto Slater, Oral and Maxillofacial surgeon, and Dr. Stephen Loyd, Internal Medicine/Addiction Medicine, both shared their journeys through addiction and recovery.
Slater told the crowd that the literature on 12-step programs and the time for introspection, which one would have at rehab, would benefit anyone, whether they had a substance addiction or not.
“There’s not a person in this audience who wouldn’t benefit from just separating from their life, turning everything off …,” he said.
Many people think that people suffering from drug use are liars and manipulators, but they aren’t, said Slater; that is the result of the drugs, not the person.
Loyd, whose story inspired the Hulu show “Dopesick,” shared his story of childhood abuse, which led to an adult life riddled with anxiety, which turned into opioid addiction.
Perhaps the most sobering moment of the seminar was during Kristin Gilliland’s presentation. She told the story of her son’s diagnosis of cannabis-induced psychosis and subsequent addiction to opioids. He died of an accidental overdose at 22 years old.
While on stage, Gilliland removed her shoes to reveal a pair of socks littered with holes. Through tears, she told the audience that they were the socks her son was found in and that she wears them when presenting to be able to “walk in his socks and know the suffering he had.”
Part of her talk focused on the increasing amount of THC in marijuana and how it affects the developing brain.
During another powerful moment of the seminar, Emily Hager asked anyone in the audience who knew someone who had overdosed to stand. About 90% of the participants stood, and murmurs of “wow” echoed in the audience.
During his presentation, Bill Lee walked the audience through the five stages of addiction and the appropriate responses to each stage. He said education is key in the early stages.
Lee also put emphasis on families and loved ones talking about addiction instead of trying to avoid it, which was also a key point in Loyd’s talk.
“You’re only as sick as the secrets you keep,” Loyd told attendees.
While opinions on how to handle the addiction crisis and what names to use varied, speakers agreed that the drug epidemic needs to be addressed and can only be dealt with successfully through community support.
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