Ep69 Addiction Treatment Planting a seed of recovery forever

[00:00:00] Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.

Chris Langley: Welcome to the Addiction Recovery Place Podcast, the podcast championing addiction treatment professionals around the world. I'm your host, Chris Langley, and I'm very pleased to introduce today's guest, Angi Allphin. Angi is a Licensed professional counselor, the regional manager for NAADAC, and the Executive Director of Boonville Valley Hope Residential Outpatient Service in Missouri. to Addiction Recovery Place podcast, Angi.

It's so great to have you with us today.

Angi Allphin: Thank you so much, Chris, for inviting me. I appreciate the opportunity to talk about something that I love to talk about, addiction. So thank you for that

Chris Langley: It's a real pleasure to have you join us today. I'm really excited for our guests, for our, listeners to hear about your extensive career and the great work that you're doing in Missouri, and obviously what we're doing at NAADAC. yeah, I'm really looking forward to this. So, to kick the podcast off, Angi, can you tell us a little about yourself and what started your career journey into addiction treatment?

Angi Allphin: [00:01:00] Absolutely. So I actually started my career, freshly out of my bachelor's degree as I became an investigator for Children's Division. And I, worked on a task force that worked with methamphetamine and doing, interventions into homes that were believed to have children and methamphetamine in the home.

And so I would go out with law enforcement and every day sit with children while their parents were being processed, typically due to a drug bust, in their home that included methamphetamines in the home. And I started really thinking, about my interactions with parents and how much they loved their children, but methamphetamine tended to overpower the love that they had for their [00:02:00] children.

And so children were being removed, and parents were devastated as children were devastated. And I started thinking, "There's gotta be something that we're missing here." We-- I could spend a lifetime doing child removals with law enforcement due to addiction, but it didn't seem like we were fixing anything or even providing some solutions too much because we were on the backside of addiction.

And so I decided at that time that I wanted to go back to get my degree in clinical counseling so that I could possibly work with folks, who wanted to be sober or who were struggling with addiction. And so I went back to college, got my master's degree in clinical counseling, and immediately went to work, in my residency at [00:03:00] the prison in Boonville, Missouri.

And so I went to work for the Department of Corrections and went into a house inside of the prison where it was a treatment facility, but it was within the walls of the prison. So men, it was a, an all-male prison. Men were sentenced to 120-day shock or they were leaving their sentence, so they were in their last 120 days of their sentence coming out of prison due to some type of drug or alcohol, charge.

And so I worked deeply in the roots of the Department of Corrections, working with, guys who were leaving prison for, to go back into the world, and they had some type of, drug or alcohol charge on their record. But while I was in the prison, I also had the opportunity [00:04:00] to have an amazing mentor, actually two of them, in the house.

both of these gentlemen really impacted me in their personal stories of their life with addiction. And so that direction catapulted me into this, Can- catapult? I'm not sure if I said that But it threw me into the depths of addiction, and I started teaching addictions for Central Methodist University, and I decided to step outside of the prison and went to work for a residential facility.

That really sparked the continued love that I had to work with addiction. I eventually, around COVID, moved out into private practice and worked private practice with a goal to help people in the county that I grew up in, Howard County, Missouri, to really work with [00:05:00] people who had addictions and were wanting to attempt a life at something else.

Valley Hope opportunity came open, and, the thought of being able to work with addiction 24/7, pulled me right back into the residential facility where I am located now as the executive director here at Valley Hope in Missouri. We, have a residential facility, which is where my office is, but we also offer outpatient services as well.

So it's a continuum of care where I get to really experience, the next steps of addiction and get to stay in the all, researching what the newest measures are for working with folks, and then actually can walk out onto the campus and get my fill of talking to folks as well. So that's a long story about how I got into this chair, but [00:06:00] I love all things addiction.

Chris Langley: Incredible journey, Angi. It really is. How long-- If you don't mind me asking, Angi, how long ago was it that you started your career? When you said you started working in prisons and helping people who had been raided by the police, and when, did that start?

Angi Allphin: So I started with Children's Division in Nebraska in 2002. So that's really where my journey began in this direction. When I received my bachelor's degree, in 2001, it's a bachelor's degree in education, secondary social science education. I truly thought I would forever be with Children's Division as an investigator, and I just needed a four-year degree, and I thought, if this doesn't work out," I had young children, "I could be a teacher, and I could live my life out as a teacher."

I had no idea that decision would [00:07:00] make such an impact in my career. So I did Children's Division work for 12 years, and then got my master's degree from clinical counseling here in Central Methodist University in Fayette, Missouri, and I received that in... Now you're testing me. 2015 maybe? 2000 something like that.

and then went forward to working in the prison at that time

Chris Langley: That's, incredible, Angi. for everything you've achieved and what you're gonna continue to do. It's, that's something else to go from prisons to, now where you are now. It's,

that's, wond- wonderful

Angi Allphin: Thank you

Chris Langley: I'd just like to just, on something that, can you tell us about the service in Boonville, Missouri, and the organization Valley Hope, and the services that you provide there?

I'd love to find out.

Angi Allphin: Absolutely. So I was very comfortable in my career as a private clinician doing private practice. I had [00:08:00] several people working for me, and we were doing very well. I then received a phone call from someone saying, "Angi, you need to look into Valley Hope's opportunity that's coming open in Boomvale."

And so I researched Valley Hope and really liked the, approach to working with folks with addiction. So Valley Hope is very integrated into three true, modalities. So they look at CBT, so really looking at the way we think, the, What happens after we think through a process, what is the action that follows that?

So I really like CBT. It's always been something that I think makes sense to me. but the bigger part was that Valley Hope really says that the 12-step [00:09:00] program has amazing evidence that follows it, and it's really based off of a connection. I've always felt like we miss the connection piece when we talk about addiction.

And 12-step, has gotten some bad, rap along the way, and that makes sense to me as well. So learning how to speak about a 12-step program in a way that can make sense to more people than possibly just a, spiritual connection, but, taking it one step further where it's about connections. And really finding the connection to the disease that you and many others have really gives you an opportunity to reach outside of this is just about me.

Because it's not just about you. It affects so many people out there, and it's for life. And I don't think that [00:10:00] we always talk about addiction with those types of words. So I really liked the involvement in the 12-step program, the connection to 12-step that Valley Hope had. But the third entity is really what grabbed me for life, and that is a family entity is really important when we talk about addiction.

Addiction is one of those diseases that doesn't just affect the individual, much like cancer. Cancer doesn't just affect the one person who has it. It affects everyone in the home, just like diabetes does. there are so many diseases that we give into the family connection through other means. So when someone is diagnosed with diabetes, the entire family learn about what we can and can't eat, and how we need to help this person [00:11:00] with what we can and can't eat, and exercise.

And it truly is a family involvement. when someone is diagnosed with cancer in a family, it's the same thing. We wrap around them. Even our employers wrap around them, and we don't see that in addiction. And so when Valley Hope has that as one of their core values that we look at, I was fully, just accepted.

that's amazing. and so that really was the hook that kind of caught me, and the reeling in of the hook was that, I have a connection to Valley Hope. So my father attended Valley Hope, as I was growing up, and so I always had this perception of what I thought Valley Hope was about, but that perception was from a child's [00:12:00] viewpoint.

And so I took that and connected it with the adult Angi that knows so much more about addiction now, and I thought, I've got to do something to help my beautiful grand babies who are growing up with this genetic link to addiction." And so that was what really grabbed me and brought me into Valley Hope, were those core values of being very connected to what I feel like is a core substance, a s- core part of addiction

Chris Langley: . You really touched on something then when you spoke about family support at Valley Hope, and it is something that I completely agree with, that family members should be given as much support the person going through the addiction themselves. 'Cause I think the results would certainly speak for themselves.

I've spoken to many services, and when they have family involvement, it makes such a difference to the outcome the end

of the [00:13:00] day.

Angi Allphin: Absolutely.

Chris Langley: With the care

Angi Allphin: And

Chris Langley: aftercare

Angi Allphin: And I think evidence is really, showing that without that connection, family connection or connection, and when I say family, it can be a very broad statement of friends and neighbors and community. when we don't pay attention to that, I believe that we have set someone up for failure.

I don't think, I know people do become very successful in recovery without a big approach to family, because we've been doing this for years now. And so people do have success. But why not fix a lot more than just one person? And when I say fix, I say that kind of lightly, because we don't fix someone from addiction.

We educate, we give, we [00:14:00] allow them to have a lot of skills, that understanding. And so there's a lot of those pieces that come with that. So I say that lightly because we don't have a lot of language that is, conclusive to everything that we talk about in addiction. And so it's building that language with someone else that's really important

Chris Langley: so what support do you offer family members, Angi? what are the kind of things that a family member can, access through Valley Hope?

Angi Allphin: Absolutely. So every Sunday we have family day, where we provide four hours of intensive family education and group work. So we really look at bringing the family member and their family member who is staying here living with us, we bring them together and we offer some psycho-education of what's happening.

What's happening to their family member, what might their family member be [00:15:00] going through while they're here? What are some of the feelings? What are some of the thoughts? What does some of the education look like? And we share that with our family members. Then we take our, residents who are living here and we do a small group with them, and we take their family members and we allow an opportunity for the family member to really express themself without the family member there.

Because we know that a lot of times in relationships, we start to build some unhealthy relationship, Dynamics. And so we want to give that family member an opportunity to maybe say something that they don't feel empowered to say with their family member there. We try to teach them a language to help understand what's happening so that when they express themselves, it doesn't come off in shameful or hurtful, [00:16:00] types of language.

And so we help them with that. Then we bring them all back together, and we, continue on with our journey of educating, helping to understand, helping to listen without reaction. We do that for another hour, and then we spend the last hour, embracing a relationship building, just visiting, just relaxing, hanging out, just spending some quality time with what is probably a new sober version of the family member that came in, and that's much different than when you get here.

And so we spend some time celebrating that with just visiting, and hanging out with their family member. We also offer, couples counseling, so they can, the person who is a resident here can request some couples time [00:17:00] or family time with their counselor. And so we offer that here. We encourage that, and we really want families to feel like they can come and try to understand what has happened.

Chris, you and I both know that many times there's so much pain and suffering that has happened that what we want to do is really plant a seed of recovery forever by saying this isn't going to be fixed in this magical 30, 45, 60 days This is not going to fix all of the pain, all of the suffering, and all of the shame that people feel.

And so what we wanna do is we wanna plant that seed, and then we provide them with the aftercare. so the family member who is a resident here can then go into our IOP [00:18:00] program, where we will continue with that psychoeducation, and then we want to s- connect them to a counselor on the outside world.

That counselor can be a part of their community to bring in that long-term sobriety. So it's a, path that we want to set for families to really become integrated into sobriety. And sobriety is a long-term word that has a lot of steps in it, and we're just the very, very beginning. we do offer, here at Valley Hope, every third Thursday, we have what we call renewal day, and we invite every person who is an alumni of Valley Hope to come back in, and we are famous for our cups.

So right before the resident leaves, the [00:19:00] inpatient program and goes out back into the world, they paint a cup. The cup starts off completely blank. It is a white cup that is given to the patient, and the patient then is asked to summarize what sobriety means to them or summarize their stay. And then they hang their cup in a ceremony that we have a day or so before they leave.

And in that ceremony, they are welcomed back in every month to come and tell us how they're doing, to come reconnect, to sit in, and they come for all day if they want to. we feed them twice. We feed them lunch, we feed them breakfast, and we have groups designed for them to really reengage with their sobriety.

It's that monthly reminder of, "This is where I, c- I am now, and I'm so proud of myself." [00:20:00] And then at their year date, they get to come in. Usually, they bring their family, and they get their cup, and their cup goes home with them as a reminder of their year sobriety and their journey. Many of them put little letters inside of their cup.

We hang their cups. We have a hanging, place in our living center that's just, is cups all over the, ceiling. And so that's a big deal for us, and it's again that continuum of care where we really connect to our folks. And so renewal day is a celebration here, and we as staff are just as excited as they are when they come back in and we get to hug them and bring them back in and completely they get birthday cake.

It's a wonderful celebration. So

Chris Langley: Goodness me. I wasn't expecting that, Angi. That's, your I've, interviewed s- over 60 [00:21:00] people, and the aftercare that you've just described is something I've not heard before, and that's Your, success rates must be pretty, pretty high,

Angi Allphin: Oh,

we have a very strong alumni group, and that alumni group, we have an app that they have on their phones, and they're, they can connect in that app, with other people as well. It's not just for Valley Hope, but it's an amazing program. And Chris, it all goes back to that connection. Without that connection, I don't believe we can succeed.

And so Valley Hope, that was one of the reasons my heart said, "I'm gonna leave private practice," which my husband was like, "Oh my, what are you doing?" because I had a very nice schedule, and, life was good. And so he really questioned, "Are you sure you want to do this, Angi?" There, I'm still [00:22:00] feel like I'm in a honeymoon stage, and I'm still loving every minute of it, so

Chris Langley: You certainly made the right choice, obviously,

Angie. Well, con- congratulations to you and the team for everything that you've built there. That's, that's, quite a, that's quite a service. It really is. So congratulations to you all.

Um,

Angi Allphin: Thank you

Chris Langley: move on because you're also the regional manager for the North Central region for NAADAC, which is the National Association for Addiction Professionals. Can you explain, some of your roles for this position and help?

Angi Allphin: Absolutely. when we moved back to Missouri from Nebraska, I was very interested in the credentialing versus licensure procedure of Missouri. So I was unfamiliar with really what that looked like. I had a Nebraska view of it, but I needed a Missouri view of it. And so as I was going through my, master's program, [00:23:00] I looked into becoming credentialed in Missouri.

And so I had heard of NAADAC, in my previous role working for Children's Division, and so I reached out to NAADAC and I said, "Hey, I'm living in Missouri now. I'm interested in becoming credentialed through NAADAC." and so I was researching that a little bit, and what I learned was that Missouri goes through a different program to credential, People with a credential, and they don't use the NAADAC credentialing.

And so I became very interested in a probably more political view of why. Why do we do that? And I was thinking more, I live in mid-Missouri, so it's not directly affecting me, but people who live in Kansas [00:24:00] City or St. Louis or even Springfield, all s- Kansas City and St. Louis, we join other states, and so it directly affects folks who live in those areas as to who they can see.

So credentialing, if it doesn't go across state borders, means that we can't see people who live outside of our state. And so I g- dove into that probably a little deeper than what I thought I was going to. And, I really started having a conversation with NAADAC, about what their credentialing looked like, what were the requirements, and then I looked at the credentialing of what we do for Missouri, and I decided that ethically, I felt like NAADAC has a little bit of a higher standard, for their credentialing.

And so I have children and grandchildren living in Missouri, so I always want the best for them. And so I [00:25:00] started inquiring, why do we not go with NAADAC? Why do we have this discrepancy?" And so it became a political move of what are we doing. and so I started getting involved and realized also that Missouri had a population that were members of NAADAC, but there was no affiliate for Missouri.

So we weren't organized is really what that meant. And so I spoke with, a wonderful lady from the Hannibal area, Jenny, and Jenny and I started talking through a connection with NAADAC. and we started saying, "Let's get Missouri together. Let's figure out the benefits of credentialing- The way we are doing it now and credentialing with NAADAC, and let's start having a conversation.

Let's get people together. So Ginny and I started probably five years ago, six years ago, forming an affiliate for [00:26:00] Missouri. I became president, and I was president for about the first three years, and then got very involved in the national committee and just thought the world of many of those folks that I had been working with.

And so I decided to run for our national, regional affiliate. I, ran for that last year and was elected to become the regional vice president, which covers seven states in the Mid-America area. And so that's how I became involved in NAADAC and, ultimately how I met many, people in this journey of really doing what is the evidence show as best practice for our folks with addiction.

And so Ultimately, all of that movement really comes down to enhancing our communities to be the [00:27:00] best we can be, and sometimes that means a little more work. So ethically, if we train someone with the NAADAC standards, and if Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, all of our Arkansas, all of our states around us, if we all did NAADAC, credentialing, you could actually be credentialed in both states really easily.

It's like being licensed. I, as a licensed clinician, am only certified to see folks in Missouri, but now that there... We're starting this new wave of it's a lot easier now with our, counseling compact to become licensed in other states. So there's a lot... That was a big, answer to your question, Chris.

But really, it was just a dive into why [00:28:00] do we take tests the way we do? Why do we become licensed or credentialed? What is the difference? And that opened up a world of addiction professionals that m- I have just thoroughly enjoyed and learned so much from them. and so as the regional vice president, I feel like I'm now able to voice some of these political, I hate to say it like that, but it really is tied to a political stance amongst all of the seven states now that I oversee, and I do that with...

via relationship with those affiliates. So having a relationship with the presidents in those areas and trying to attend all of their meetings as much as I can, really helps us understand not only what Missouri's doing, but what our other states are doing as well.

Chris Langley: So the model that you've just explained that you started, Angi, could this go national, would [00:29:00] you say? With what you explained about the different states, and do you think that's a possibility? 'Cause it seem- it's so sensible. It's just

obvious.

Angi Allphin: It, it is. It is. And, as you said that, Chris, I was like, "Yes, that would be the ideal." that's the answer to it. There's just, there's a lot of political pieces involved in that, which is why I'm so glad to be a part of NAADAC, because we actually go to Washington, DC about every four years, I believe, and we talk to our representatives there.

And it really is a political decision that is made in our states about what we feel like is the best for our folks that are suffering from substance use disorder. So in, in an excited answer to your question, I hope so. I hope it does go nationally. And that's really what NAADAC is about. They're about helping us have that [00:30:00] conversation, helping us understand why we do what we do, and really trying to talk to our folks in, for me, Jeff City would be my local, But ultimately to talk nationally to the Washington, DC folks as well. So I was, I experienced Washington, DC for the first time about two years ago with NAADAC, and it was an amazing opportunity. I was able to tour a lot of, the facilities, really understand how that process works. Mark Young was the, North Central Regional Vice President at that time, and so I took his place.

I was able to go with Mark and really experience that and watch him be able to talk to his legislation in South Dakota, and it was an amazing experience. And I hope to be that for my seven states someday as well,

Chris Langley: I'm sure

Angi Allphin: so

Chris Langley: Angi.[00:31:00]

Absolutely.

Angi Allphin: You. Thank you.

Chris Langley: It really is. something I really wanted to speak about today, Angi, obviously with everything else we're discussing, but we all have a very big event coming up in August, which is the NAADAC National Conference, which is gonna be in Kansas City, Missouri. is a huge conference that is literally in our backyard this year. And, you tell us a little bit more about NAADAC and the National Conference, and what people can expect if they want to attend? 'Cause it's a real opportunity for people in the Midwest to, professionals in the Midwest to come and network and meet people and find out some more about NAADAC.

Angi Allphin: Absolutely, yes. So I cannot tell you how excited I am that NAADAC is going to be in my state this year. this national conference brings in thousands of people, and so for Kansas City to be the host this year, I am super excited about. my first experience with the national conference, I think I went [00:32:00] in a little bit with, it's gonna be another conference.

We're gonna go. We're gonna get some CEs. We're gonna come home. We'll spend a few days somewhere else. and so I was really a little unsure of what it was going to be like. NAADAC has this amazing ability where it's not only about CEs. Yes, I get all of my CEs in this one conference, and so every year it is on my list that's the conference I'm going to go to.

But bigger than that, it's the relationships, which is exactly what I've been talking about with the Valley Hope connection with what I feel like is our substance use disorder one of the things. And so when we go to the national conference, we get to have a conversation and have a relationship with people all over the world.

NAADAC is not just a North [00:33:00] America Entity, it is outside of that as well. So there are people from other countries that come in, and we get to talk about the thing that most of us love, and that is substance use disorder. we get to mingle with people, we get to have great conversations, and we get to have a lot of fun.

So we have a big gala that we get to, attend, where we give out national awards to different states. we get to have conversations with all of the people that we have met on Zoom. We get to meet in person. I am super excited because, of course, it's expensive to travel anywhere. So for the opportunity to be in our backyard this year, I'm super excited about it.

They also bring in national speakers, so we get to hear nationally what's going on and what is [00:34:00] on the crest for substance use disorder. And then we get to take that opportunity to share back to our states and really start to build those relationships so that when we do go to Washington, D.C.,

we're going as a front. We're going with the knowledge and the experience together, and that's really what this national conference is about. So I'm super excited. Iowa is gonna play a big role in our conference this year. you will be there, I believe. And Gus, the president of Iowa, is going to be speaking, as a, guest speaker.

He's a phenomenal speaker, so I'm ex- super excited to hear Gus' presentation. and of course, Nebraska will be there and all of the states around us because it is so local. So I'm super excited that my first year as the, as the North Central Regional [00:35:00] vice president, we get that national conference in our backyard.

So I encourage everybody to attend. Go for a day, go for two days, go for three days. I'm gonna be there for six days, and I welcome all of you to come meet me, talk to me, share what's going on in your state, and we'll learn from each other.

Chris Langley: Gonna be a very exciting event, and the fact it's in Missouri, it's, an amazing, it's amazing opportunities for everyone here to come and meet. And I'm personally looking forward to coming to meet everyone that I've been talking to for the last three years as well, and obviously to come meet yourself, Angi.

So very much looking forward to it. It's the 29th of August to the 31st at,

is it the

Angi Allphin: Correct

Chris Langley: Hotel in Mis- in, Kansas City? leave a link below this podcast to s- show where people can get tickets and all the information. one other thing I'd like to speak about, Angi, you've got an extensive career within the addiction field and, but what would you say to someone who [00:36:00] is just starting out their career in this field someone who's maybe considering joining NAADAC?

Angi Allphin: Absolutely. What I would tell them is don't ever stop asking questions. when we ask questions, we are really able to learn. Part of asking a question is then hearing the answer. When I hear of people starting with NAADAC, I love it when they're students. NAADAC has this amazing, program for students where the dues are very cheap, very reliable, but they also have a mentoring program that students can get involved with.

And NAADAC has joined up with another partner, and they have, the ability to help with tuition. They have the ability to pay for students to come to our conference and then be, connected with a lifelong mentor. [00:37:00] I could not encourage more, for people to get involved as a student. it's an amazing program.

And so if anyone's interested in knowing more about that, I'd be glad for them to reach out to me. And also, for people who are wondering what's going to be their specialty, I ask them always to look at, what do you see connected together the most often? It's really hard to find co-occurring mental health that doesn't have some connection to addiction.

It's really hard to find a lot of relationship work that doesn't have a connection to addiction. It's really hard to look at the cost in our prisons without looking at the connection to addiction. And so by saying all of that, for students or for people [00:38:00] getting started in their careers, be careful what you ignore because it will keep coming up, addiction.

As you're trying to get involved more and more into other things, all of a sudden addiction comes back up. And so be aware of that. Ask questions, and then listen to the answer. Get involved. Come to one conference and see what your thoughts are. Just experience it, and then you can make those decisions even better

Chris Langley: Yeah. Most definitely. with people joining, NADAC, Angi, can join their, obviously their state's affiliate. So what roles can a new member get involved with helping within their state affiliates? 'Cause I think that's quite an important question 'cause there are some really important roles that people can come con- contribute to

Angi Allphin: Absolutely. So we have a lot, speak mainly for Missouri just because that's the one that I'm most familiar with. but as [00:39:00] a new member into the Missouri Affiliate for Addiction Professionals, which is MAAP, M-A-A-P for short, there's a wide opportunity of things you can do. They have committees that you can be involved in.

They have, committees that are connected to the national conference as well. So we have committees nationally that if you are a member of your state affiliate, you can also become a member of the national committees. public policy is one of the committees. looking at student membership and student training, what does that look like?

So we have a committee for students. We have committees for, different entities, so looking at, maybe, gender identity and addiction. So there's a lot of different ways that a [00:40:00] member can become involved. And so there's a lot of opportunities to grow in your knowledge of that area. public policy is one of my favorite because we don't recognize the issues with public policies until we educate ourselves about what that means to all individuals.

Individuals with disabilities, individuals with substance use disorders, individuals with cancer, individuals with... there's all of these opportunities. But until we really get involved, we don't know the impact of those. So the state organization gets you started. The national organization takes you one step further.

And so there's a lot of opportunities. As well as, for Missouri, we have student representatives in their area, so you would be given the power to talk to other students, to go and start speaking in public, [00:41:00] if that's what you want. You don't have to. We have a lot of people who don't wanna speak. I can tell you that I used to be scared to death to s- speak or to act like I had knowledge of anything.

NAADAC has really started encouraging and giving me opportunities to talk about what I love. And so this is a way to get started, is to get started in your local NAADAC association and then grow that into wherever it is you want to grow.

Chris Langley: There's so many opportunities for people to, to join and to, be involved, especially at their state level. It really is. thank- thanks so much for that, Angi. I'd just like to move on just to ask a couple of questions. ask my guests all this, and I've had some quite, different opinions, but can you tell me your opinion of the model and treatment of, harm reduction and kind of your feelings around harm reduction and how it can be an important step to beginning the recovery [00:42:00] process?

Angi Allphin: Absolutely. I believe that harm reduction is, very educational. When we have the conversation about harm reduction, we start to see the difference between when is our substance become destructive, and when is it that we can still control it, right? Those are... it... And that's some language that I don't really like, but again, as I said before, it- w- we don't have really good language about this.

So the very first thing that I talk to with people who are coming to me wanting to explore, some deficits or some areas of their lives where they're not feeling fulfilled, typically I look at what are the areas that are causing the concern. And if it comes to an addictive type of behavior or substance, I look at what does that look like to cut back.

What is the [00:43:00] harm that it's causing, and can you control that? Because we know with addiction it becomes uncontrollable. And so some people really struggle with harm reduction and feel like they're unable to control it, and so then it becomes an abstinence question. And, that is totally an individual opinion and an individual trial and error.

I fully support harm reduction if that's what the folks want. I fully support abstinence if they feel like harm reduction is impossible, and I think that's a personal choice. So it comes with a lot of education. What does harm reduction mean? What does that look like? Having a really honest conversation about how much alcohol can I drink and still be harm reducing, or when does it [00:44:00] become impossible and it is very harmful.

and we talk really candid about that. Is it two beers? Is it two drinks? Is it, four beers? And when is it the decision-making no longer is you? and we talk about that. And so I make out a plan with almost everybody for that. When it comes to opioids, it's a little harder decision and discussion because of the fatality rate of, opioids, and so that's a little franker conversation about what does that look like.

and so I want to be where the patient is. Now, personally, it, for me, it's all or nothing. And so I have to be very candid about making sure that I check in with where I am in that conversation with the patient, because I don't want [00:45:00] my thoughts to influence their decisions. And so I'm very honest with them about that.

And so harm reduction for me is like you're walking on that tightrope, and I don't want anyone to slip off accidentally. So I want them to be very educated, I want them to be very aware, and I want the continued conversation around it as we process through whatever treatment they're in. So I know that didn't really answer your question, but harm reduction has a purpose, and it's a very individual purpose, and it's also a very socially driven decision, because it's hard to be abstinent in a world that's very allowable for alcohol, marijuana, getting opioids, prescribed to us.

It... So we have to have that [00:46:00] candid discussion all the time

Chris Langley: you definitely answered the

question, Angi.

Angi Allphin: Thank you.

Chris Langley: thank you. That was, perfect. Thank you so much. one of, one of the last questions I always like to ask my guests, 'cause I think this is such an important thing to discuss, and it's not discussed enough, but you touched on this when you spoke about families. the stigma of addiction. This is still sadly such a big problem for people who are considering going into treatment, and you probably see this all the time. what can we do, you think, to improve this and to make conversations about addiction much easier, and to help people access treatment without that stigma hanging over their shoulder?

Angi Allphin: I think the number one thing is to educate people. we need more education about substance use disorder. Number one, we have to educate. On a bigger note though, we have to get employers, insurance. our lifestyle doesn't agree with [00:47:00] 60 days of inpatient treatment. Our lifestyle does not, typically, unless you just have an amazing job that you can walk away from and not pay bills for 60 days, our lifestyle doesn't accommodate that well.

And so when we look at how do we start integrating all of this into a world that is very focused on recovery, it is a multilevel answer. And it comes with educating not only families, but talking about our genetic component, talking about our acceptance. I think about, the power of, Social media on our phones.

When we talk about addiction, n- part of that is a very internal, [00:48:00] am I okay feeling. Our drug of choice, our, whatever that is, is going to be the answer, and we've gotta make that answer different because that answer can only keep us okay for so long, and then that drug or alcohol starts to take over, and it no longer is, what makes us okay.

But by that point, we're already totally not okay. So I think getting families educated, understanding the impact of trauma, because I don't know of one person who grows up without trauma anymore, and not that they ever did. We're talking about it now. We're understanding the impact of trauma. I think it's always been there.

We're just more aware now. But really understanding, what is it going to take to make people feel connected and have the resilience to understand their actions if they're not [00:49:00] okay and to provide a platform for them to get the help they need? And insurance plays into that. Employers play into that.

Families play into that, our communities. I, recently became very observant about the amount of alcohol that we consume when we eat, and the places that provide alcohol compared to the places that don't provide alcohol. and that's a, that's a question we need to be asking ourselves is, what is the balance there?

And I don't think we have the balance. I think that our holidays don't have a balance. You think about, Fourth of July, we just celebrated Fourth of July, and you think about the amount of alcohol that was sold around Fourth of July, the amount of psychedelic drugs that are used around the Fourth of July.

All of these impact our systems, [00:50:00] and we've gotta start talking about it more.

Chris Langley: Instead

Angi Allphin: And I, I'm nearing the end of my career, so I really want the students and the people who are, building their careers to really be impacted by that, which is why it goes back to the NAADAC connection and those kind of things for me

Chris Langley: Absolutely. last question, Angi. Do you have a message for anyone who's going through an addiction? What would you say to them?

Angi Allphin: Please do it. Please do it. I cannot express the need for people who not only understand substance use disorder, but really want to make a difference to get involved. It is such a powerful, arena to be in, and the opportunities are outstanding. It doesn't get a lot of glory, and so [00:51:00] I want to change that.

I want to make the substance use disorder counselors, therapists out there to get all the glory in the world because I don't think there... Again, goes back to I don't think you can treat a lot of co-occurring without addiction coming in. There's- It's just there. And so do it. Be a part of making a difference in a lot of lives, and let's start educating and get onto a group of really fun people.

I think people think of, substance use disorder as not too fun, and we can have fun. We can be a part of something big. And so I encourage everyone to please get a residency program going in an inpatient facility and see the rewards. You will see it. that's another thing at Valley Hope. We offer residency for people getting their licensure [00:52:00] and, we will help people get that license, and we will show them the benefits of what it feels like when you see someone come back to pick up their cup in a year.

It's an amazing feeling, and it's just not something that ex- is describable. We don't have that language. So come help me and come help Chris. Come help all of us really learn that language of addiction, and let's make a difference together.

Chris Langley: Last question, Angi. Can you tell our listeners how to best to contact you and to find your service online?

Angi Allphin: Absolutely. Valley Hope is, just valleyhope.org. It's out there. And if you want to reach me, I... Chris has my contact, so he can link it. but it's Angi, A-N-G-I, no E. That's one of those that always throws everyone off. So Angi, A-N-G-I, Allphin, A-L-L, P as [00:53:00] in Paul, H-I-N, @valleyho- valleyhope.org.

AngiAllphin@valleyhope.org. and again, Chris, I'd be glad for you to link that as well so that they have that in the contacts.

Chris Langley: Certainly do that. Angie, it's been a real privilege and honor to speak to you today, and thank you so much for your time today. It's been fascinating hearing about your, extensive career and experience, and what you've done, I think for your state alone is, quite exceptional. It really is. And I think the model you described should really go national. So congratulations on everything you

Angi Allphin: Thank you

Chris Langley: looking forward to, you personally in, Kansas City in five, six weeks now. So no, that'd

be great.

Angi Allphin: Not long for sure. Thank you so much, Chris, for this opportunity, and I really look forward to meeting you in a couple weeks in person. So thank you. I'll see you in Kansas

Chris Langley: Thanks, Angi.

Thank

Angi Allphin: Thank you