Wellness & Well-being Highlights December 15th
Wellness & Well-being Highlights
for the
Week of December 15, 2025
This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog looks into how ChatGPT and Instagram have damaged people’s lives—to how a farming community in MO is addressing their MH needs—to the negative impact of nepotism on employee morale.
This week I would like to follow up on a topic I discussed in last week’s blog. If you recall, I mentioned 2 people in the STL area who have had a positive impact on our region. The latter was Percy Menzies. Last night, along with some family and friends, I had the honor and pleasure of attending the world premiere of the film Antagonist at the STL County Library’s main branch. There were nearly 300 people in attendance. A brief panel discussion provided the segue into the nearly 2-hour movie. Ben Westhoff is the author and producer of the film. I met Ben pre-COVID at the launch of his book Fentanyl Inc. As an investigative reporter, Ben went undercover—in China—to examine the ‘where and how’ Fentanyl was making its way to the USA and killing so many of our citizens.
Antagonist, the film, is a follow up to Ben’s aforementioned book. Herein, he describes how a participant at his 2019 book launch challenged his work…and what he ‘knew’ about addiction. That person (abrasively) pushing back was Percy Menzies. While it took some time for the 2 of these bright minds to finally connect, I, for one, am glad they did. Percy is a headstrong man on a mission…truly, pushing a boulder uphill. Why? Well, as Ben found out, Percy promotes the use of Naltrexone (aka Vivitrol) for the treatment of OUD (opioid use disorder) vs the so-called (age-old) ‘gold standards’ of methadone and suboxone. While, I cannot speak for Percy, I do know that the latter 2 are opioids-based and are considered agonists. Some purists in the addiction-science field believe that we should not be using an opioid to address opioid addiction. Vivitrol is the ONLY 1 of these 3 drugs that is not an opioid and is considered an antagonist. In simple terms, an agonist binds to and activates brain receptors producing a biological response; while an antagonist blocks those same receptors but does not activate them or produce a biological response.
As in most aspects of our lives, there are pros and cons to any matter. Accordingly, the 2 agonists are often disparaged for being inconvenient or addictive. And, it is no secret that a major drawback for the 1 antagonist is the (7-day) waiting period before use…which is a crucial time for people seeking their next ‘fix’. Nonetheless, self-serving (money) interests continue to promote methadone and suboxone while they sideline Vivitrol in spite of the fact that modern science has advanced it to a 1x per month shot. With a number of success stories in last night’s audience, it is difficult to ignore how one man’s mission has saved so many lives. Thanks to Ben for naming his new film after the rightful antagonist: Percy!
Please check out the rest of this week’s blog: https://moworksinitiative.org/category/worker-wellness-news/
STL: New MH Hospital for Youth
Youth / MH / Schools Reopening
Supporting Women in Construction
Construction / MH / Retaining Talent
Character AI / Children / Dangers
Firearms & Self Defense: Bystanders Die
Farming / MH / Community Action
Construction: Recruiting Disabled Workers
Philly: SEPTA Workers’ Agreement
Montreal Transportation Strike
Kushner: Self-dealing Diplomat?
Buying Influence: Money & Politics
MO: Losing Fed Food Assistance
Autonomy / Burnout / Resilience
MO: Lowering Youth’s Minimum Wage?
Upcoming webinars, etc.:
LT Impact of Gender-based Violence (1/22)
NOTE: The links provided above are for informational purposes only. None of these serve as a substitute for medical advice one should obtain from his/her own primary care physician and/or mental health professional. Please contact jgaal@moworks.org with related questions or comments.
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