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If you refer to this week's issue of the Dodgeville Chronicle, you will find information discussing an important issue.
Next week on September 25, there will be a Substance Abuse Panel Discussion at the Health and Human Services Building, starting at 5:30 p.m. The panel will feature local individuals who will bring awareness and share their experiences with addiction and recovery.
This past week, I had the opportunity to meet a mother who has seen firsthand the darkness of addiction, and how it cost her one of the most important things in her life. Addiction brought forth for her the horror of losing her son. It has been three years since his passing, and it has been hard.
However she felt that it was important to share her story to an issue that has not only affected our rural community, but also our nation. It was one of the hardest stories I've ever done. I have no children of my own, and I couldn't even imagine the heartbreak of anyone who has lost a friend or family member to addiction.
Iowa County has been taking great steps to bring awareness of a problem that needs addressing. I have had the pleasure of seeing Iowa County individuals take the necessary steps to help them in their path to recovery. We have to get rid of the stigma that is out there against people struggling with addiction. It was explained to me that it is almost as if the brain has been hijacked once a person uses illicit drugs for the first time, and it is up to us as a community to fight against addiction and the stigma that surrounds it.
I hope the Iowa County community considers attending this important upcoming event.