By Shari L. Johnson, Prevention Project Director
Calhoun Middle-High School Youth Force
In the spring of 2006 twenty six teams from Appalachian counties attended a conference at East Tennessee State University and engaged in assessing their own substance abuse issues and defined local strategies to address those issues. States included were Alabama, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. West Virginia Counties included, Calhoun, Clay, Fayette and Ritchie counties.
For Calhoun County, key community stakeholders, Minnie Hamilton Health System and the Calhoun Middle-High School Youth Force brought their perspectives of the problems and opportunities that challenged them when dealing with substance abuse issues and the result of that conference changed their perception of substance abuse, and gave needed tools and information that could be used in the fight against it.
Each of the state's involved devised and proposed plans to implement in their community. Calhoun's focus was on substance abuse education at Calhoun Middle-High School through the Youth Force Project and a community collaborative health fair.
Two years later, 9 of the original 26 coalitions attended a reunion in Norton, Virginia for the purpose of sharing how their coalitions have evolved since the original conference and to continue gathering data on the successes and failures in dealing with the problem of substance abuse. Agencies were there in the fields of mental health, pastoral, police, community, school, social services and recovering addicts. A common thread in the field of prevention is a passion to make a difference, and a drive that motivates others to want to reach the goal of a substance abuse free community.
Also addressed was what makes Appalachia different in the way of prevention measures. One cultural difference discussed was the idea that Appalachian communities have a history of being self sufficient and refusal of interferences from anyone outside their community, especially governmental agencies. The acute gap in services creates a constant barrier for treatment and one coalition representative said that "Trying to address substance abuse was much like pushing a rope."
Other possible issues relating to substance abuse causes in Appalachian culture were thought to be the promotion of the mentality that our history is full of moonshiners and marijuana growers, and we've bought what others think. With industries the size of NASCAR promoting that their heritage comes from the fastest running Appalachian moonshine carriers, it's easy to see how fact and fiction become a glamorized story of what we know today as substance abuse and addiction. With the biggest winners in that race being the alcohol industry as they promote their beverages on cars that are found in many toy boxes across America.
Another misnomer of Appalachian culture is that we have nothing to be proud of or worse, something to be ashamed of. Youth often want to get away from the mountains of Appalachia believing happiness can't be found here; which is fueled by the lack of employment opportunities. And although unemployment is one of the highest in the nation, the perception that jobs don't exist at all is not true either, especially considering technology.
So what's the answer? It's has to start in the homes. Pride's contagious! But community pride has to be worked on as well. I'm proud to be from Calhoun County, West Virginia. I am proud of my heritage and I hope I've instilled that in my daughters.
Community pride and concern is what keeps me motivated in the field of substance abuse prevention, and gives me the desire to travel and see what's working in other communities and to share what's working in ours. This article was only a fraction of the information that I captured while attending the reunion. I hope over the coming months, to share more of it, and to implement some of the projects shared by my colleagues. Watch the news for upcoming events!
| 
