To the editor:
On Thursday, Nov. 19, 2015, a National Night of Conversation is being organized. The U.S. Surgeon General, Vice Admiral Vivek H. Murthy, is calling on everyone across the country to have dinner with the people they care about and to break the silence on drugs and addiction by discussing it.
Dependence on alcohol and drugs is a serious national public health problem. The federal government is taking steps to address the problem on a policy level, but evidence has also shown that emotional support plays a huge role in preventing drug addiction as well as supporting recovery. By having meaningful discussions about substance abuse, we can help those around us avoid the disease of addiction.
For many of us, this is not something we are used to talking about or comfortable with, so a guide (available at http://www.drugsoverdinner.org) is designed to help make the conversation easier. This guide provides tips to get a discussion started between adults and kids, but everyone can have this conversation.
Rebecca Miller, co-chairperson
The Link of Hope Coalition
Houlton
