Brenda Morris returns to promote a huge event for youth and parents in the Kenosha, Wisconsin area. The "This is My Story: Empowerment Speaker Series" event this coming Memorial Day weekend. "Young people need to ask for help early and often," says Brandon. "May is 'Mental Health Month,' which is the perfect time for this event." He and Tony also discuss how parents may miss the tell-tale signs of a child being depressed or suicidal. Kids also need to volunteer in their community and help others. They can share their skills and give to others.

"Fentanyl has been killing people!" said our guest, Darren Taylor, a substance abuse counselor and recovering addict (24 years) from Racine, Wisconsin. He tells Tony about how self-care was a major factor in his recovery. Darren also discusses the difference, and it is huge, between abstinence and recovery. They are NOT the same. Mental health assessments are also essential in treating the whole person. This is a fascinating and important podcast, especially if you are a drug addiction counselor. Darren and Tony have time-tested advice for you. Darren can be found at www.jaminracine.com.

Our guest, Dr. Galen C. Nelson, PA-C, is a Physician Assistant in Beloit, WI. He is an expert on drug addiction and the fentanyl crisis that is killing so many Americans. Dr. Nelson tells Tony how fentanyl is fifty times more potent than heroin and one hundred times more potent than morphine. He and Tony discuss the signs of fentanyl use and the keys to preventing people from using it and becoming addicted to it. Dr. Nelson can be reached at pagcnel@gmailcom or [email protected].

"We don't want to be in pain," said guest, Guida Brown, from Guided by Guida. Thus began a spirited discussion on fentanyl. Over 72,000 people died last year from using fentanyl. Unfortunately, "harm reduction" has become the catch-all phrase for everything. Guida and Tony talk about opioids and fentanyl and how it is so potent in making you feel good temporarily. Then the pain returns. Guida does have a solution to the epidemic and it starts in schools. If you have a fentanyl problem in your community, we highly recommend that you listen to this podcast. Guida Brown lives in Kenosha Wisconsin with her family. She is the author of a blog, 4 Cs of Addiction.

Podcast host, Tony Moore, begins the New Year in "encouragement mode". He uses the analogy of his basketball team where the students buy into the goal of winning a championship by making the sacrifices it takes to achieve it. Tony enjoys being a basketball coach because he enjoys seeing his players sacrifice and win. Life is the same for a substance abuser. They can prepare for the storm of getting and staying off substances by making the necessary sacrifices for a higher goal outside of themselves. Tony discusses the tree in the Bible that weathers the storm. He says that you cannot do it yourself. You need professional care. In his book, he talks about the "Four P's." He has been clean and sober for thirty years and you can do it, too.

"If I can't take care of myself, I can't take care of my kids." Scott Durkin returns to tell Tony about his life since going sober. He tells of how getting caught by his kids doing drugs was much worse than even getting arrested by the cops. Since becoming sober in 2017, Scott has learned to live in gratitude on a daily basis. He tells of the childhood trauma that negatively affected him. One big change he made was to take a parenting class. He learned something that every parent should know and gives much credit to Tony Moore and his therapy team. Hear Scott expound on his drug addiction recovery experience. He didn't do it alone and he is driven to remain sober for the rest of his life. You can do it, too.

Welcome back to another episode of Criminal Thinking Deterred! This week's segment features our host Tony Moore and new guest, Ramone Boston, a Youth Minister at Bethlehem Temple. Being a product of his environment inevitably threw him into circumstances that he couldn't avoid, involving all sorts of negative influences from the streets. Only until he went to jail for the first time at the age of 15 did Ramone's life begin to take a dramatic change. Enduring tough sleeping conditions, eating bad food, and living amongst other inmates, he knew instantly that he was made for more. Not long after much trial and error, and through the spirit of God, he was given the strength and direction to truly accomplish his most ambitious goals of receiving his business degree and having a commercial cleaning service with his wife, along with serving others who may need help in their own struggles as a minister. Listen to Ramone's true story of how putting in the necessary work to leave behind an old life will position you to receive a more righteous one.

In this episode of Criminal Thinking Deterred, Tony Moore is joined by our guest speaker Scott Durkin, a past member of Birds of a Feather. Full of extremely touching and heartfelt experiences, Scott lets us into the world that he battled with for so long. One that was filled with addiction, drugs, pain, and heartache. From resorting to old bad habits that severely damaged his connection with his children, to losing loved ones and enduring great loss, he was forced to make a simple choice within the noise of it all: What legacy do I want to leave behind? Through this revelation, our guest speaks on the huge strides that he made to alter his life in order for the second half of it to be far better than the first. In this pursuit, Tony Moore's Birds of a Feather program and the words of Tony himself resonated with Scott greatly, allowing him to build an even stronger footing within his life moving forward. Listen to exactly how Scott's inspiring journey led him back to having a positive lifestyle that is much more rewarding the his past and how despite being at your lowest point doesn't mean that you are incapable of turning your life around.

In this episode of Criminal Thinking Deterred, Tony Moore is joined by our guest speaker Brandy Essex, a minister at Bethlehem Temple Church of Kenosha! Throughout this very transparent and heartfelt conversation, Brandy offers a level of vulnerability that is instantly felt and admired from start to finish. He goes in depth with his complicated past, which ultimately made him into the person that he is today. After meeting Tony within his Living Free Program, he gained experience that not only helped continue to mold his lifestyle in a positive way, but it was there that he cultivated the mindset of being a true leader. Despite this growth, Brandy describes the genuine challenges of what comes with making the decision to change. In his own words, God intervened in his life and provided him with an opportunity to move on to a better situation, yet he still felt indebted to him. Thus ultimately leading him down the righteous path of becoming a minister. Consequently, because of his shift in focus, Brandy endured the judgement that followed swiftly from others who had a difficult time seeing him from anything other than what they were accustomed to previously. For anyone, this is a heavy price to bare; however, our guest confidently speaks on how he embraced these moments and used the strength that God gave him to continue to press forward in his mission to give back to his community. Listen to this truly authentic story of how a man chose to be a living example of who God guided him to be, so that he could become a beacon of change for others.

In this episode of Criminal Thinking Deterred, Tony Moore is joined by our guest speaker aka founder and executive director, Gerald Gibson!  An individual who has impacted not only his community but many others as well through his non profit, OMAC. The organization provides mentorship, coaching, and support to teens and adults to help improve their lives moving forward and driving home the need to break old habits in order to become the best versions of themselves. There were many peaks and valleys that Gerald had to overcome earlier on in his life, but as you'll listen to his story unfold, much of the adversity that he had to endure was none other than a blessing in disguise. Whether it was an ultimatum, sacrifice, or leap of faith, he managed to turn a hard decision into a big opportunity for him to excel. Many programs helped him significantly during his journey, but even more rewarding, the people he encountered along the way like Tony Moore. In his case, networking and genuinely wanting to help the youth soon led him to benefits he could've never imagined. In addition, embracing a high level of humility catapulted him into situations that not only changed him greatly, but soon led him into attracting people who were open to learning more about him, leading to many job opportunities in counseling, policing, and substance abuse violence intervention. Enjoy this very thought provoking dialogue between Tony Moore and Gerald Gibson as they both go in depth into how owning up to your past can present you with a lifetime of success. Website: https://www.teamomac.com/about