In this bonus episode we talk with a guy who pretty much knows it all from personal experience.  Shannon Hearndon is a successful business man, minister and father but there was a time when he was on a trajectory to no where fast.  He started experimenting with drugs at age 10, through his older brother, that lead him down a path to multiple addictions, loosing everything and culminating into him sitting on the end of his bed with a gun pointed at his head.  Fortunately, Shannon did not pull the trigger that day listen to learn why.  

Why does someone decide to take their own life?  Are there any signs that someone is at risk?  Is suicide preventable?  We have raised as many questions in this series as we have presented answers.  No one knows exactly what brings someone to a place of such hopelessness; however, there are some commonalities among suicide victims.  In this episode we turn to the Clinical Director of Ridgeview Institute in Monroe for some answers and expert advice.  

Suicide intervention and response in our community largely falls to our men and women wearing a badge.  However there is nothing illegal about committing suicide and officers have limited training in this area.  This is a strange paradox in the protocol of our society.  Officers are often put in a situation where they need a degree in counseling or psychology to be most effective.  In this episode Major Scott Whisnant  of the Walton County Sheriff's office speaks to this dilemma and how the Sheriff's Office is dealing with it.   

Suicide never happens in isolation there is always a ripple effect.  The pain that a suicide victim is trying to escape lives on long after their death in the lives of those who loved them.  In this episode hear the very personal story of a young family torn apart by the husband's suicide from the voice of the wife he left behind.

What does the Bible tells us about Suicide?  Faith is as much a part of the conversation on suicide as mental health.  Suicide is a tough conversation for Christians.  The church is often split on what suicide means for the person who falls victim to it.    Adam Turner, Minister of Corinth Christian Church, tackles these tough questions and shares some surprising answers in this episode.  

Suicide has claimed 169 lives in Walton County in the past 10 years.  In 2016 Walton County was counted among the top 30 counties in the state of Georgia with the highest suicide rates.

In this episode Host Dede Harris along with her co-host Bruce Young introduces the topic and shares some of Walton County's alarming statistics.  LT. Ben Cornelius with the Walton County Sheriff's Office shares his professional experience with answering suicide calls.  He takes us inside the mind of law enforcement when responding to a suicide call and provides unique insight into this tragic situation.

The united states is the largest consumer of opioids in the world both prescription and non-prescription.  Our consumption rate has contributed to the current national crisis of addiction.  Almost 2 and half million people in the U.S. are addicted to a type of opioid like oxycodone or heroine.  Opioid addiction is one of the hardest addictions to recover from due to the painful withdraw from the drug.  Often opioid users have increase rates of suicide as well.  There is hope from all of these horrible statistics.  One of the places to find hope is located right here in Walton County, Twin Lakes Recovery Center in Monroe.  

In this episode we talk with Amanda Kiner, LPC, NCC Director of Clinical services at Twin Lakes.  Amanda opens up the doors of hope to us and shows us what the first steps of recovery can look like.  She shares some words of wisdom for family members as well as for those who may be in the midst of their own battle with addiction.  

The opioid crisis is a perfect example of a few bad apples spoil the bunch.  The United States medical community as a whole bears much responsibility in creating our current national opioid crisis.  In most cases doctors were unknowingly contributing to the problem of over prescribing pain medication to their patients.  The medical community was sold a bag of lies from the drug manufacturer starting with Oxycontin.  Now they are working hard to clean up the mess which impacts us all.

In this episode our own Dr. Garrison of Piedmont Healthcare sheds some light on the science of Opioid addiction.  He gives us some insight on how and why doctors choose what medications to prescribe to their patients.

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Think we live in a bubble because we are not in downtown Atlanta? Think again.  Sergeant Cory Ward has been with the Walton County Sheriff's Office for 9 years.  Over his 9 years he has witnessed first hand the rise and effects of opioid addiction in our community.  Sergeant Ward gives us an insightful look into the drug trade in Walton County. 

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Erinn Warren was only 9 years old when she had her first taste of alcohol from the hands of her great aunt.  Unfortunately for Erinn, she liked it.  From a young age she started getting drunk and experimenting with other vices.   She quickly moved into a life of full blown addiction.  Erinn's addiction took her to highs she never thought possible and lows she never imagined existed.  She broke free from opioid addiction 7 years ago and has dedicated her life to working with those still gripped by addiction.  She tells her story to us and exposes what goes on in the mind of an addict.

*This episode contains mature subject matter and may not be suitable for younger audiences adult discretion is advised.

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