The Penn Highlands Mon Valley Hospital sponsored an educational event Thursday. The “Breaking Barriers: Understanding Substance Use Disorder, Trauma and Stigma” allowed addiction and recovery experts to weigh in on issues that hinder recovery for addicts. Leading off the discussion was Joey Pagano. He is a licensed social worker and Project Supervisor for SPHS and author of the book “No Addict Left Behind”. Pagano spoke of his experiences in trying to break his addiction and the stigma he faced from not only people in the general public, but from medical personnel that would tell him that he would never get clean. He also spoke of education. He stressed that in 2024, children are much more advanced and prevention education must be integral not only in high schools, but in middle schools as well. Dr. Gopi Vadlamudi is the Medical Director of hospital’s CNX Foundation Substance Recovery Unit. He spoke of to the way substances affect the brain. He stated that it could take up to five years from the first SUD event before someone actually seeks treatment. If that person maintains sobriety, they are still susceptible to relapse for an additional five years. He says that it takes that long for the brain to recover from the damage caused by the abuse of the chosen substance. Adam Gillingham is the Lead Counselor for the Substance Recovery Unit. He says that it is important for the hospital to build a solid base for a patient to recover, but it is equally important for that patient to find appropriate surroundings once they leave to continue their recovery. Rachel Carpenter from the University of Pittsburgh Program Evaluation and Research Unit presented information that reminded the community that addiction is a disease. It is initially set off by some sort of trauma and that stigma about addiction is the main reason that it takes so long for addicts to seek treatment.