Substance Use, Opioids, Meth & Hope During the Pandemic (with Toni Simonson)

Host Jack Socha welcomes first-time guest Toni Simonson, executive director of behavioral health for HSHS Sacred Heart and St. Joseph’s Hospitals in Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls, to discuss the local and national rise in substance use disorders, worsened by the pandemic. Simonson explains that addiction affects all ages and backgrounds, with opioids (heroin, fentanyl, prescription painkillers) and methamphetamine most prevalent, and highlights overdose risks from contaminated street drugs and fentanyl’s potency. She describes how addiction changes brain dopamine pathways, why stigma is harmful, and what warning signs families may notice, urging compassionate, informed conversations. Resources include HSHS/Elie Phillips Treatment Center, national and Wisconsin helplines, AA/NA, crisis lines, and access to naloxone. The episode also notes increased anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and overdoses during isolation, and ends with reflections on faith, community support, and hope.

00:00 Show Opens

00:29 Meet Toni Simonson

00:51 Addiction Crisis Snapshot

03:40 Common Drugs Today

05:57 Fentanyl Explained

07:38 Why Drugs Hook You

11:23 Wisconsin Drinking Culture

13:13 Binge Drinking Basics

14:31 How Addiction Takes Hold

15:53 Breaking the Stigma

17:18 Break and Magazine Plug

19:37 Brain Chemistry of Addiction

22:11 Highs Lows and Crime

24:58 Warning Signs at Home

26:08 Talking to Loved Ones

28:12 Finding Help Resources

30:39 Shame Recovery Hope

32:21 Overdose Risks Naloxone

34:00 COVID Update Break

36:02 How Drugs Have Changed

38:00 Understanding Opioids

41:00 Pandemic Mental Health

45:18 Isolation Overdoses

48:29 Host Reflection Faith

53:52 Pope Francis Closing