Service Groups and Faith Alliance
Substance Use Disorder
December 7, 2021
Meeting Minutes
Attendees:
Nicole Bernard, Officer Kenneth Ragland, Niki Miller, Tiffany Eggelston, Paul Hart, Detective Warrneke, Detective Burns, Emily Johnson, Tisha Temple, Britney Williams, Sheila Alford, Kim Adcock, Nicole Singletary, Nancy Hagan, Mindy Varkevisser, Jim Ahler, Heather Pane Seifert, Deb Vinci, Danica Coleman
Panel of Guests:
- Tiffany Eggleston, Behavioral Health Counselor, licensed mental health counselor, licensed clinical addiction specialist
- Detective Burns and Warneke from Apex Police Department Drugs and Vice Unit
- Emily Johnson, Local resident with experience in recovery and supporting those in recovery
- Tisha Temple, opening a local faith-based non-profit (Grow in Grace) to serve women recovering from substance use disorder
Introduction
Substance Use and exploitation are linked so this is an important topic for Human Trafficking. Also, substance use could involve trauma induced addiction
Tiffany Eggleston kicked off the discussion with her background and experiences. She is working with Wake Med Transitional Care Services and those presenting at the ED who have agreed to access the services available to them. What does addiction look like to you? Family and community-based problem; people looking for connection from possible trauma; back-alley drugs offered. Drug use doesn’t discriminate. Women are the most stigmatized groups often starting with opiates.
Ms. Eggleston suggests we use the term “substance use disorder” instead of “substance abuse” because the term is more widely accepted and is a classification in the DSM 5.She also suggests approaching clients who are struggling with substance use disorder with an attitude of “What has happened to you?” instead of “What is wrong with you?’
Professionals may use one of many approaches when working with individuals struggling with substance use.
Punishment and Shame- not advisable
Moral model – focusing on individual is weak or character fault
Disease/Medical model – focus for today
Psycho dynamic model – mental health
Social learning model – behaviors and learned behaviors
Socio cultural model – environmental
Public health model – harm reduction (needle exchange, methadone, etc.)
Defining popular terms:
Dependence (ex of everyday caffeine) – opiate dependent (alcohol and benzos (mental and sleep disorder scripts) both can cause death.
Substance abuse – updated terminology to Substance Use Disorder
Addiction – brain system is being rewired and a substance that once “rewarded” the brain with dopamine or other “feel good” hormone no longer has the same effect
Substance use disorder – more commonly used to denote alcohol and drug addiction
Brain Disease and Factors that increase risk – for women trauma is important factor of cause rather than shame/punishment
Treatment – variety of formats
Outpatient
Structured inpatient
Several in our area – Healing transition, Holly Hill, Triangle Springs, Southlight, Wakebrook, Wake network of care
Tiffany offered herself as a resource for connection (teggleston@wakemed.org)
Detective Ragland introduced Detectives Burns and Warneke to discuss substance use and misuse in our area
Detectives Burns and Warneke are undercover narcotics detectives that work with many types of law enforcement including SBI, Homeland Security, FBI and law enforcement throughout all neighboring communities
- Trends – biggest one is fentanyl in counterfeit pills from Mexico and China – Xanax and 30 ml oxycodone are now being laced with fentanyl (produced locally 2 yrs. ago but coming from Mexico now)
- Because prescription pain medicine is more difficult to get – criminals are using pill presses to lace pills with fentanyl. This makes it impossible to visually tell the difference between a pain pill and one that has been laced with fentanyl. For example, sellers may tell the buyer that the pill is oxycodone but it is actually fentanyl. Rates of overdose is increased because of this.
- Of particular importance young or inexperienced users are dying because they don’t know what they are getting
- Occasionally, more experienced drug users know pills are being laced with fentanyl and actually seek them out
- Heroin still a problem? – Xanax was the beginning of this but fentanyl is taking the place of heroin; very little true heroin is out there anymore.
How to help young people? Educating young people so they understand how fentanyl and heroin are related and how it kills them. (Slow respiration, heart rate and death – like going to sleep.) Sellers can be very convincing of the pills’ authenticity and there is no way to know how much fentanyl is in the pills.
Officers appreciate having any tips sent to them as that is their major resource to investigate. (Apex PD – 919-362-8661)
Tisha Temple (growingracettemple@gmail.com) and Emily Johnson – advocates for community and connecting people; Emily graduated from Healing Transitions, a local substance use disorder program.
Tisha has been living in long term recovery since 2014 when she was released from prison after 3 incarcerations. She works for the local Drug Councils in all 100 counties in the state and informs treatments that are available. She supports all paths to recovery. Tisha entered into the Oxford Home, recovered, was employed, went to school, moved out on her own and is now married to suicide survivor. She appreciates what her supporters have done for her and wants to help others along their journey to health. She is opening Growing in Grace under the umbrella of her church as a Self-supported home for women. The home is to be located in Johnston County but is open to all women whether or not they are from Johnston County. Faith, employment, and education are the program’s focuses. They want to be a resource. Dream Center also supported from her church are survivors of domestic violence.
There will be a February dinner and silent auction to support the purchase of a home in Selma/Smithfield. Donations are welcome. The banquet will have 288 seats available for $50 each. They are also seeking sponsorships. The home’s support has come from many areas which exemplifies that people want to help individuals with abuse issues. Tisha is hopeful to one day open a men’s house as well.
To donate to Grow in Grace click the link below, type in the amount, choose a campus (Selma), Choose a fund (Recovery Alive Grow in Grace Sober Living Home).
Questions:
What kind of services that address complex trauma will be provided by Growing in Grace? Tisha explains that her organization is securing partnerships with professionals to assure the women get the counseling they need. She would like to see the women receive intensive outpatient care 3 times a week.
Det Burns/Warneke – Are you seeing instances where trafficking survivors are being forced to sell substances? It does occur but not something we see often. Detective Burns referenced 2017 local Human Trafficking case where substance abuse and trafficking were linked.
Gang involvement? – The detectives say that they haven’t seen any gang activity locally.
How can we help? USPS, FedEx, etc. do interdict and do a good job to disrupt the drugs coming in through the mail. Strengthening our border would help.
The detectives explained that buyers who are searching out the product is 50% of problem so reducing demand would help. One observed recent change was when COVID hit, the drug flow became slower. As supply was reduced, the price of drugs went too high for the drug dealers so they were leaving the drug business.