Stop the Stigma: Community Overdose Awareness Forum

Hope Clinic’s New Beginnings program will host Stop the Stigma Overdose Awareness Forum from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 29th, at Pamlico County High School Auditorium in Bayboro. The community event is being held to stop the stigma associated with substance use, encourage people to talk about it and seek help, and to remember loved ones lost to overdose deaths.

New Beginnings is a free, comprehensive outpatient opioid and alcohol addiction treatment program serving Craven, Pamlico, and Beaufort Counties in Hope Clinic. The program involves 4 components: medically-assisted detox, daily support groups, counseling, and case management.

The event is part of International Overdose Awareness Day, which takes place globally annually on or around August 31^st. More than 800 events took place around the world last year, and more than 500 of those took place in the United States. This is Hope Clinic’s 3^rd annual event in our area.

Stop the Stigma will highlight guest speakers and community resources; provide a prescription medication drop-off container for the sheriff’s office; hold a moment of silence in remembrance of those we’ve lost; and distribute wristbands to those in attendance. Speakers include Sen. Norm Sanderson, District Attorney Scott Thomas, Sheriff Chris Davis, and others. The event will include discussions on how the stigma of addiction impacts prevention, treatment, recovery, and support.

We want to offer anyone touched by addiction a gathering where they will not be judged or feel isolated,” said Sheri Rettew, director of Hope Clinic. “Stigma often prevents people from asking for the help they need, setting the state for death by overdose. One of Hope Clinic’s goals of its New Beginnings program is to change the language which contributes to the stigma of substance use. Everyone should be able to talk about it without risk or fear of judgement.
Addiction is a chronic brain disorder, in many cases brought on by untreated adverse childhood experiences (ACE), not merely a behavioral problem or simply the result of wrong choices.

Hope Clinic invites everyone to get involved in Stop the Stigma on August 29^th at 6:00 p.m. This is an opportunity for the community to come together and help bring about positive change. We can and must save lives by ending the stigma around addiction.

For more information, contact Sheri Rettew at sheri@hopeclinic.net or call (252) 745-5760.