All proceeds to this event (after expenses) will be split between Natural Highs and the outreach efforts of Periscope Foundation who brings Medicating Normal and these important conversations to more communities worldwide.

Synopsis:

Medicating Normal follows the journeys of a newly married couple, a female combat veteran, a waitress and a teenager whose doctors prescribed psychiatric drugs for stress, depression, sleeplessness, focus and trauma. Our subjects struggle with serious physical and mental side effects as well as neurological damage which resulted from taking the drugs as prescribed and also from attempting to withdraw.

Schedule for January 26, 2021:

6:30 pm MT: Livestream virtual screening of Medicating Normal via Zoom. 76-minute running time.

7:45 pm MT - 9:00 pm MT: Live Community Discussion immediately following the film

Community Discussion:

After the conclusion of the 76-minute film screening, there will be a community discussion and Q&A focused on youth and for parents to get the youth perspective featuring:

Avani G. Dilger, LPC, CACIII, ADS, the founder and Executive Director of the nonprofit, Natural Highs - Healthy Alternatives to Drugs & Alcohol, a Prevention/Intervention Program in Boulder, CO. Avani is also a substance abuse counselor and trauma therapist serving teens, families and adults with severe mental health, substance use and trauma issues.

Aaron Huey, Founder of Fire Mountain Residential Treatment Center in Estes Park, CO and Host of the #1 Parenting Podcast "Beyond Risk and Back"

Jazmine Gatt, she/they, Natural Highs Peer Mentor & Facilitator, student of Neuroscience and Psychology with nearly a decade in working in trauma/addiction recovery. They are passionate about healing, connection, and resilience.

Di Alvarez-Chao, ADS, Natural Highs Peer Mentor and Acupuncture Detoxification Specialist, using her own experiences as a teen in mental health and alternative treatments to support others. She is passionate about herbalism and acupuncture.

Angela Peacock, MSW, former Army Sergeant, subject of the film Medicating Normal

...the panel will be joined by a group of youth peer mentors from Natural Highs!

Review:

"Medicating Normal dares to challenge prevailing myths about how psychotropic medications work, or fail to, in our ongoing struggle to treat mental illness. It promises to spark a long-overdue national conversation on the growing problem of overprescribing.” - Anna Lembke M.D., psychiatrist, faculty Stanford University Medical School.

By RSVP'ing for this event, you will be added to Medicating Normal's and Natural High's mailing list. You can opt out at any time after the event has concluded.

Disclaimer: By purchasing a ticket, you agree NOT TO share, photograph, record, upload, download or otherwise distribute the film as doing so would put the film’s global distribution in jeopardy. All content in the film is the copyrighted property of Periscope Foundation.

VERY IMPORTANT: To access THIS EVENT, you must locate your "ticket," via the email you receive from Eventbrite after RSVP'ing, OR by clicking on the "online event page" in Eventbrite. You will be sent a reminder email with the information a day before the event from Eventbrite. There are no refunds if you are unable to figure out how to navigate back to where you purchased the ticket, and we are unable to answer frantic emails once the event has begun.