Opioid Abatement Coalition helps Bowling Green learn more about opioids

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The Opioid Abatement Coalition took place at the Corvette Museum on Monday.

Hosted by the Barren River Area Development District, one of the main features of the coalition was a keynote speaker talking about 13 Ways to Kill Your Community.

“One of the biggest impacts that comes along with drug addiction is the stigma. So that stigma, even after treatment is done, can lead to difficulty in finding a job, can lead to isolationism, which can lead back to addictions again. So eliminating that stigma helps people reintegrate back into the community better and feel more welcomed,” author Doug Griffiths says.

The panel opened up to the community about different aspects of opioids and how they affect them.

“I think what we heard today was there’s all kinds of different paths that lead people to addiction. It may be something related to peer pressure. It may be social circumstances, it may be something such as trauma, physical or psychological trauma, or it could just be experimentation,” Eric Hagan from Med Center Health says.

He hopes the community takes more than just awareness of opioids away from this panel.

“There’s some research that’s being done or some research is being proposed. I think South Central Kentucky could take and be part of this. That’s what part of our hope is through some of these work groups is to figure out how we can be part of something that’s more effective going forward,” Hagan says.