For Communities, Parents and Schools
3 Coping Skills Parents Can Teach Teens to Prevent Substance Abuse?
During their teenage years, kids can push boundaries as they develop into adults. As teens move towards independence, it’s important for parents and caregivers to encourage children to explore and expand their experiences safely. At this time in life, their brain is wired for risky behavior and that must be safely channeled. Sometimes, teens … Read more
Whippets As Drugs: What Parents Need To Know
WHAT ARE WHIPPETS? Whippets, drugs that are steel cartridges filled with nitrous oxide, are meant to be used with whipped cream dispensers. Filled with nitrous oxide, whippets are the street name for what is also referred to as “laughing gas” or “hippy crack.” They are all too commonly used to get “high”. While nitrous oxide … Read more
Red Ribbon Week Ideas
If you’re an educator, you’re probably looking for Red Ribbon Week ideas for 2021. Here’s the beauty (and the challenge) of Red Ribbon Week messages… you’re not gonna please everyone. But, if you prepare lots of alternatives, stay positive, and think creatively, you’re sure to impress students, parents, and other staff this October 23. Still … Read more
Alcohol Use Disorder: Prevention Begins at Home
Underage Drinking May Lead to Alcohol Use Disorder More and more teens are developing Alcohol Use Disorder. Do you remember what it was like to be a teenager? Peer pressure, curiosity, and an urge to rebel are common factors that can lead to underage drinking. And recently, as remote learning and social distancing have become … Read more
Inhalant Use Disorder
Preventing Inhalant Use Disorder in Teens Inhalant use disorder is a rampant problem, especially among young people. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2020 saw a 64% increase in inhalant use for 8th graders. Many healthcare professionals attribute this unprecedented rise in inhalant abuse to the pandemic. Regardless of why teens have turned … Read more
Adderall
Misuse in Adderall among teens is a rising trend, as students are taking Adderall without a prescription. Living the life of a teen or a college student, our surroundings can be tempting. We are in school systems that want our A-game. Exams, homework, presentations, and endless hours of studying is exhausting. We must manage our … Read more
Botvin LifeSkills Training & Reality Tour Comparison
Life Skills Training Vs. Reality Tour Botvin LifeSkills Training (LST), like Reality Tour, is an evidence-based curriculum for substance abuse prevention. Both programs have been proven to provide adolescents with the social skills necessary to withstand peer pressure, but there are some key differences. Let’s look at each program’s main components. Botvin’s Life Skills Training … Read more
Drug Testing Strips: A Guide for Parents
Urine testing your kids is a decision that parents should take seriously. Experts agree that testing teens for the wrong reasons can damage trust. However, under the right circumstances, drug tests can be a tool to prevent substance abuse or to help children recovering from addiction. As a parent, it is crucial that you educate … Read more
Testing Waters of New Normal in Prevention
Doesn’t it feel as if some unseen force pressed play on Netflix so we are now collectively binge-watching an endless season of “Life Now”’? Red, green and yellow are the primary hues that manage our mobility, The red ‘stop’ or lockdown phase stopped everything but the periods of distress caused by knowing that normal couldn’t … Read more
‘Post-Panic’ Remote Internship A Plus!
Everything Is Going To Be Okay? My chair rolls sluggishly across the living room carpet in the spring of 2020. It is not the picture that was in my head a few months ago. In those intern scenarios I was free-wheeling at a desk cozily cubicled next to a whirring copy machine. I would … Read more