Barbara Bruce
DRUGNET - Hosted by Barbara Bruce & Roger N.
In the fall of 2004 Addictionologist Dr. C.J. Shaw was a guest on “Smoke Break,” a stop smoking show that ran for over 9 years on radio. During that show, Dr. Shaw told Barbara Bruce, the show’s host, that while he recognized smoking as a gateway drug, the real problem we had on our Mountain was marijuana. As a physician working at Community Counseling Center, he said he saw so many people come in that felt “pot” was not really a problem; after all, they had been smoking it for years. He suggested they look into doing a show together on this subject. Bruce began laying the groundwork. By the time a sponsor was in place, and the show launched on March 15, 2005, marijuana was no longer the issue - METH had run a fast race and had become the No. 1 problem nationwide, and was being noticed in Navajo County.
DRUGNET began as an educational show. The show focused on addiction, co-dependency, intervention, recovery and every drug known to man – including the designer drugs. People were interested.
One myth that was being circulated in the community was that one could not recover from Meth. DRUGNET made it their mission to “disprove” that myth. They started searching for Meth addicts in recovery. Much to their delight, they were out there. The people were invited to come on the show and share their stories. These were real local people who wanted to help keep others from making the same mistake. Since Meth was not the only addiction problem, they invited other people in recovery to be their guests. This seemed to be what people wanted to hear – the stories of hope. DRUGNET started billing itself as the White Mountain Radio Source for information on drugs for the community, business, family, friends, addicts and alcoholics who want to know more. Families really rallied to our new format, because they wanted to understand their addict or alcoholic. One of the local police officers said that each Tuesday, night kids were hanging around the Circle K, listening to the show.
Drugnet is an educational tool for the community, but it has become more than that, according to Bruce, who created the show, “It has become a show that gives people hope. Everyone loves to hear a success story, especially when the person has ‘turned his or her life around’ from a life of addiction. People also love to hear from people in the community who are being proactive about the drug/alcohol problems that we face. Addicts and alcoholics tell us that they listen; we are told that the show is actually played in some of the recovery meetings. With Parents, Grandparents and Aunts and Uncles raising the children of their loved ones who are addicts, they also turn to DRUGNET for knowledge. They, too, have stories – stories of abuse, neglect, crime – and they need to tell their stories so others will know what can happen when a family member or friend becomes addicted to drugs and alcohol.”
DRUGNET did a series of the 12 Steps to share with the community so they would understand what recovery is all about. (These shows are posted on the DRUGNET website for review.) Bruce said, “We want this show to be real – something everyone can relate to.”
DRUGNET is a call-in show, but people have told the DRUGNET Co-hosts that with a 30-minute show, they do not like to call in for fear of missing something; therefore, the hosts often stay another hour after the show answering or returning telephone calls. Most of the callers want information on where to “get help,” or find a meeting, or just to share their own story, according to Bruce. “We answer the callers questions and always refer them to the coalition website at www.navajocountydrugproject.com. We actually have a coalition member call in at the beginning of the show each week to let people know what is going on with the coalition and how they can get involved. “
As to an hour show, DRUGNET did go to an hour a couple of years ago but the hour-long show was short-lived. The Show Low Police Department had some funds they were able to use toward drug education and they shared the law enforcement point of view to educate the public on what happens when someone drinks or drugs. After the funds were expended, DRUGNET returned to the current half hour format. White Mountain Radio is considering extending the show to a full hour because of the number of calls received after the show.
White Mountain Radio goes to extra lengths to protect the anonymity of the show’s callers. Being in a small community where so many people know their neighbors and co-workers, and their voices so easily recognized, the station Tech sends the question to the hosts so it “pops” upon their computer screen to be answered. Some people do not mind having their voice heard, but the problem is still “missing” what is being said while they call in. If someone does miss a show, they can go to the website at www.drugnetonline.com and download it. If they live outside of the area and have access to a computer, they can hear the show by going to www.965krfm.com during the show. Though at times, they turn the web cam on, it is frequently turned off to protect the identity of the guests.
Dr. C.J. Shaw, who started the show with Bruce, moved to Oklahoma a couple of months ago. Dr. Shaw’s departure is a great loss, not only because he helped so many people in this community, but also because he was a recovering alcoholic and one of only a hand full of addictionologists – a physician certified in addiction medicine – in the Southwest. Prior to his even thinking about leaving, Dr. Shaw had specifically requested that if he ever had to leave the show, that Roger N. replace him. Roger N. fulfilled Dr. Shaw’s request and is the perfect replacement for Dr. Shaw. With over16 years in recovery from alcohol, Roger understands what addiction and recovery mean. Between Roger’s 16 + years in recovery, and his running a NO TOLERANCE half-way house for recovering addicts/alcoholics and Talk Show Host Barbara Bruce, who has, she says, “ a Black Belt in Co-Dependency,” they keep each other and the listeners in check week to week by offering help through education and the sharing of their experiences, and the experiences of others.
Bruce is the Community Relations Director at White Mountain Radio, and when Coalition funds were threatened, White Mountain Radio stepped up to the plate to raise monies for the coalition. White Mountain Radio put on the first-ever Non-Drug/Non-Alcohol New Year’s Eve Party with the help of The City of Show Low in 2007. They obtained a street legal, electric golf cart and sold tickets to the community to raise money for the coalition and heavily promoted the event as DRIVE AWAY DRUGS. White Mountain Radio, City 4 Television and Frontier Communications partnered with The Navajo County Coalition Against Drug Abuse to bring the documentary “Crystal Darkness” to the White Mountains. The awareness-raising show about Meth was followed by the local telethon “Into the Light, ” (which can still be seen at www.showlowtv.com) which raised around $8K for the coalition. White Mountain Radio is currently working on other plans to continue with its assistance to the coalition.
DRUGNET has been on the air for three and one half years. “We wish we could say there is not a need for it,” said Bruce, “but there is.” “DRUGNET is committed to making a difference in the community and has now added a new quest to its laundry list: treatment facilities for The White Mountains– or should I say the LACK THEREOF.” Both Bruce and Roger N. say they will be working closely with the Drug Coalition and the community leaders to make this happen.
DRUGNET can be heard each Tuesday evening at 6:00 p.m. on White Mountain Radio’s 100K-Watt Station KSNX 93.5 and replayed every Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m. on KRFM 96.5.
If you or someone you know would like to be a guest, call Barbara Bruce at 928 368-8100 or 1 888 383-3232, or send your email to bbrucewmr@gmail.com.
White Mountain Radio "streams" this show at www.965krfm.com. By going to the site, you may listen to the show while it is "live" and you can see the host via the webcam.