“It’s easy to say you’d do anything for your kids,” Cassandra Hazen of Neodesha said. But for someone in the throes of addiction, it takes something even more powerful than love to keep those kinds…

Editor’s note: This is the first in a new series of weekly columns by Jessica Jones. Jones, who spent part of her childhood in Iola and now lives in Pittsburg, is a certified fitness and…

Tony Hoffman had a lot of questions as a child. His search for answers would lead him down a difficult path, from drug addiction to armed robbery to prison and, ultimately, toward redemption. After a…

As millions of dollars flow into the state of Kansas from opioid settlement funds, local and statewide groups are vying for that money to address the growing opioid crisis in their communities. The money is…

Changing the way people think about substance misuse starts with changing the language. That’s not easy, Charlie Harding, SEK Recovery House manager, said. “I come from a 12-step background so that’s a lot of ‘hi,…

Their stories were markedly different in many aspects, but with similar themes. The four most recent graduates of Allen County Drug Court — an intense, supervised recovery program drug offenders can complete as a means…

Far too often, when an addict gets attention in the community, it’s usually because of something bad, Charlie Harding noted Tuesday. “This time, we get to talk about success stories,” Harding said. Harding serves as…

At times, the atmosphere in Allen County District Court on Thursday afternoon felt like a festive celebration. “Big round of applause!” Chief District Judge Dan Creitz would shout, again and again.  Sometimes, there were tears.…

Dear Carolyn: I’m 57; I met the love of my life about four years ago, and we have lived together for two years. I knew he drank too much before we moved in together. He…

LOS ANGELES — Melanie Senn’s father, long dead, appeared to her as she lay back in the dimly lit room at the Santa Monica clinic, a mask over her closed eyes, and the psychedelic trip…