A simple technique and a couple of hard questions have helped me shift my mindset to a calmer and healther focus. Read the Full Story >>
Health & Wellness
Local voices provide opinions and insights on topics relating to health and wellness including physical fitness, eating habits, outdoor activities, mental health, substance abuse disorders, COVID-19, and more.
D.O. or M.D.? What’s the Difference?
Have you ever seen the initials “D.O.” after a doctor’s name? In my experience, many people are curious — what exactly is an Osteopathic Doctor? How is this any different from an M.D.? What can I expect when I am being treated by a D.O. versus an M.D.? All of these are fair questions. Read the Full Story >>
Two Years of COVID in the Eastern Panhandle
wo years ago, in early March 2020, West Virginia was the only state in the country without a documented COVID-19 case. Anticipating the virus would soon arrive, Governor Jim Justice issued an order to close all West Virginia schools (pre-K to grade 12) after Friday the 13th of March. At the time there was very limited information about the virus, but the date was an omen of what was to come. Four days later the first case of COVID was diagnosed in Jefferson County. Read the Full Story >>
A Challenge to Stay Healthy — You Set The Bar
I see it as healthy for each of us to challenge ourselves every now and then to something where we have a risk of failure. This is what helps us grow. I look at the challenges my colleague Katie Nolan Thompson set for herself this year as a great example and posed a few questions to her about this topic. Read the Full Story >>
Running the COVID Marathon
Health experts around the globe have been warning of the risk of a pandemic like COVID-19 for years — and they tell us that we can expect similar viruses to break out in the future. Dr. Mark Cucuzzella suggests that our current approach has focused on hiding from this virus and he makes the case that it’s just as important to strengthen our resistance to COVID-19 and future viruses — in other words, healthier lifestyles for healthier immune systems. Read the Full Story >>
Gearing Up For Fun
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Peddle & Paddle in Shepherdstown is providing multiple avenues to get outside and be active while social distancing. Read the Full Story >>
From This Point Forward
My name is Josh. I’m 39. I’ve been sober just about nine months. I live in Chicago. I know the editor of this paper, Mike, and he encouraged me to write this—for various reasons, many of which you probably already know. Mainly because, apparently, this publication works hard to help addicts and their loved ones Read the Full Story >>
Understanding the Connection Between Loneliness and Addiction
I couldn’t move. I had reached the point where I could no longer continue living a life marred in addiction. It wasn’t simply a matter of being sick and tired of being sick and tired—I was, in a tangible way, killing myself. I laid on the floor of my wretched trailer apartment under a blanket, Read the Full Story >>
Addiction and Emotional Trauma in Childhood
The dynamic between my father and me was distant and unpalatable on so many levels—not the least of which was our contrasting physical statures. He was over 350 pounds for as long as I remember and I, having topped out in adulthood at 5’ 6” and 130 pounds, was always minuscule in his presence. Instead Read the Full Story >>
The Sobriety Hype
What does it mean to be sober? Do you have to be serious all of the time? What about fun—can you have any fun? There is a stigma surrounding addiction, recovery, and sobriety that has not been fully dealt with in our society. If, as a society, we are unable to talk about something, then Read the Full Story >>
Graduation
When someone was leaving rehab—we called it graduating—we would all gather in the great room for a goodbye ceremony. We would sit in a circle on dinged-up metal folding chairs, all of us a little too fidgety, a little too caffeinated, feeling something that was hard to pin down—some mix of worry and jealousy and Read the Full Story >>
The Me in the Mirror
After waking up, there is always the question of what comes next—what life might lie beyond the life you’ve left behind. — Leslie Jamison When I got sober four months ago, I began to wake up. With each passing day, my world came more sharply into focus, and the experience of assessing what surrounded me was Read the Full Story >>
Amendment 1: Government in Reverse
West Virginia Amendment 1, stating that “this Constitution does not protect the right to abortion,” is what I would call “backwards family planning.” We all agree that our goal is to bring children into the world who are wanted and able to thrive. We also agree that government is not just there to protect property, it’s there Read the Full Story >>
The Case for Cannabis in WV
The West Virginia Legislature passed a bill two years ago legalizing the consumption of marijuana for medicinal purposes. But no “weed” may yet be taken as medicine, because the administration of Governor Jim Justice has not been able to get the program under way. Read the Full Story >>
Is Legalization the Answer … to the Opioid Crisis?
On Thursday, January 4th, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions effectively ended the federal policy of non-interference with marijuana-friendly state laws. Needless to say, this is controversial for a lot of reasons, mainly because it’s a step back in the nation’s ongoing battle against opioid addiction. An interesting nugget the Trump administration might want to take Read the Full Story >>