Nationally renowned speakers will take the stage at Woodstock Academy’s Center for the Arts on March 25 and 26 to talk about the opioid epidemic.
Dubbed “The Quiet Corner’s Urgent Conversation,” the event will showcase actress/model Jennifer Gimenez and author Tim Ryan. Both Gimenez and Ryan have been through the maelstrom of addiction. Both of them lend their time and talents to spread the word that the epidemic is real, that it has broken the fabric of countless families, and that there is hope. But only if the issue is addressed.
WA Assistant Head Holly Singleton calls the opioid epidemic the elephant in the room.
“People are embarrassed to talk about heroin and opioid addiction,” she said. “Deaths due to overdoses aren’t acknowledged. The social shame is as damaging as the addiction itself. That makes it less likely that people will get help when they need it.”
The Urgent Conversation is the academy’s attempt to reshape attitudes and understanding necessary to break the social stigma.
“Our primary goal is to get people to talk about it,” Singleton said. “This is a national epidemic that has hit close to home.”
A few WA alumns have gotten swept up in the epidemic; some have lost their lives to it. Kasia Jurczyk was one. The 27-year-old died of an overdose after struggling for years with her addiction. Jurczyk’s mother, Brigitte, is now on a mission to help other families dealing with the hellish heartaches that accompany the disease.
It was Jurcyzk who approached Singleton and the Academy to sponsor the program. It was Jurcyzk’s connections that helped bring the speakers to the area.
Gimenez will share her story about her early professional success, the pressures that accompanied it, her spiral into substance abuse and addiction, and finding recovery with the help of family.
Ryan’s recovery story includes a fall from business success, addiction, jail time, and the overdose death of his son. He talks about the daily process of recovery and how people can help themselves and family members deal with the disease.
John Lally, a psychiatric nurse practitioner, will share some information about the science and chemistry of addiction. Lally lost a son to an overdose and now works with the Addiction Policy Forum crafting responses to an epidemic that impacts Connecticut families daily.
According to the Connecticut Department of Health, there are two overdose deaths a day in the state. Emergency room visits for opioid overdoses stabilized in the last two quarters of 2018, but the state’s suspected opioid overdose is 1.7 times higher than the national average.
Statistics can be tricky, Singleton said. Deaths due to Hepatitis C or suicide might be because of underlying opioid issues, but not counted as such. She said it was important to get the message out early.
“We want to have our students ready for life after WA,” she said.
Two events will be held on Monday, March 25 and Tuesday, March 26 at 6:30 p.m. The speakers will visit the Hale YMCA to hold a training session on Wednesday, March 27. Jurczyk will speak on WINY Radio as well. She’d like to see a support group formed to help parents and family members dealing with a loved one’s addiction.
“We need a group for those who have lost someone and for those people dealing with it now,” she said. “What I know today might help a parent who doesn’t know.”
For more information, go to www.woodstockacademy.org.
