Alcohol and Other Drugs

Transcription

1 Please take a moment to fill out your pre-workshop survey. Test your knowledge in our Alcohol and Other Drugs Fact vs Fiction Do-Now!

2 South Brunswick Parent Academy December 3, 2015

3

4 Students who abuse alcohol and other drugs Create barriers to their learning Threaten their physical and mental health, safety and general well-being and that of those around them Jeopardize their opportunities and chances for success in life

5

6 Alcohol is the most commonly used and abused DRUG among youth in the United States, more than tobacco and illicit drugs.

7 Youth who drink alcohol are more likely to experience: School problems (absences, poor/failing grades) Social problems (fighting, lack of participation in activities, relationship issues, victim of sexual assaults) Legal problems (arrests for driving, physically hurting someone when drunk, perpetrator of sexual/physical assaults, higher risk for homicide) Physical problems (illnesses, unprotected sex, disruption of development, unintended injuries, memory loss, higher risk for suicide, alcohol poisoning/death)

8 Youth who start drinking before age 15 are 5 times more likely to develop an addiction later in life than those who begin drinking at or after age 21. (NSDUH Report)

9 In 2014, an estimated 1 in 17 high school seniors in Middlesex County was a daily marijuana user. (2014 MTF survey)

10 Studies show that marijuana: Interferes with attention, motivation, memory and learning.

11 Kids who use marijuana: Are more likely to get lower grades Drop out of school Function at a lower intellectual level Hurt their developing brain (resulting in a lower IQ) Are less likely to enroll in college or graduate.

12 Marijuana Users: Have a lower satisfaction with life Are more likely to earn a lower income Are more likely to be unemployed (MTF Survey/NSDUH,SAMSHA, 2014)

13 After marijuana and alcohol, the most common drugs teens are misusing or abusing are prescription medications. Almost 1 in every 4 teens in America say they have misused or abused a prescription drug. (The Partnership Attitude Tracking Study: Teens and Parents 2013, The Partnership for Drug-Free Kids)

14 The most commonly abused prescription drugs are pain medications, sleeping pills, anti-anxiety medications and stimulants (used to treat attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders). (2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration) 60% to 70% say that home medicine cabinets are their source of drugs.

15 Teens who abuse prescription drugs are twice as likely to use alcohol, five times more likely to use marijuana, and twelve to twenty times more likely to use illegal street drugs such as heroin, ecstasy and cocaine than teens who do not abuse prescription drugs. (National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University)

16 Alcohol 56% Do not use 11% Use 6x a year 4% Use once a month 6% Use once a week 1% Use daily Prescription Drugs 96% Do not use 0.5% Use 6x a year 0.5% Use once a month 0.2% Use once a week 0.1% Use daily Marijuana 75% Do not use 6% Use 6x a year 2% Use once a month 2% Use once a week 5% Use daily Heroin 99% Do not use ( NCADD Pride Surveys Questionnaire)

17 ACCESS 47% of Students surveyed say Alcohol is Fairly Easy or Very Easy to Get 34% of Students surveyed say Marijuana is Fairly Easy or Very Easy to Get 24% of Students surveyed say Prescription Drugs are Fairly Easy or Very Easy to Get ( NCADD Pride Surveys Questionnaire)

18 WHERE IT HAPPENS 32% of Students who use Alcohol, use At Home; 40% use at a Friend s Home <2% use at School 14% of Students who use Marijuana, use At Home; 34% use at a Friend s Home 3% use at School (Other reported locations: car, other) ( NCADD Pride Surveys Questionnaire)

19 AGE OF FIRST USE Alcohol 12% Age 12 and under 21% Age % Age 16 and older Marijuana 3% Age 12 and under 11% Age % Age 16 and older ( NCADD Pride Surveys Questionnaire)

20 Brains aren t done developing until age 20+. The frontal lobe is the last part to be completed; the part of the brain that controls impulsivity, risk taking, insight, empathy, executive functions. Teens reward receptors get changed to accommodate the drugs addiction happens quicker.

21 Our Panel Discussion moderated by Amy Finkelstein, Supervisor of Student Assistance & Wellness Panelists: Benjamin Brisson Cleo Lowinger Aaron Millman Donna Sichta Linda Surks Program Director of the BRIDGE Center Rutgers UBHC SBYS Student Assistance Counselor, SBHS Counselor, SBHS School Nurse, SBHS Preventionist, Wellspring Center for Prevention

22 Township Municipal Alliance SB Police Department SAFE, Youth Police Academy, CSO Program Permanent Medication Drop Box SUDZ Stop Underage Drinking Zone Underage Drinking & Parent Hosting Ordinances Billboards Project Graduation Healthy Youth Assets Initiative Collaborations with Library -Teen Programming Collaborations with School District, SBYS Student & Parent Programming

23 School District District Goal Mental Wellness including Drug & Alcohol component By June 2016, the SBSD will examine data and trends related to alcohol/drug use by SB students and young adults in the community in order to develop and integrate a more focused, studentcentered curriculum, parenting programs, and young adult education (together with community partners) in order to provide awareness, promote positive life choices and save lives.

24 School District (cont.) Curriculum Health Classes (K-12) SAFE (6 th grade) Alcohol.edu (9 th grade) Hi-Tops (12 th ) Staff Student Assistance Counselor (SBHS) Professional Development Training Partnerships South Brunswick Parent Academy Rutgers UBHC/SBYS BRIDGE Center (XRDS/SBHS) Just 4 Seniors (12 th ) Prevention programming (XRDS/SBHS) Municipal Alliance

25 Spend time with your child. Unplug. Pay Attention. Encourage kids to be involved with constructive activities. Get to know your child s friends. Next to you, they re the single greatest influence on their behavior. Send clear messages to kids regarding the use of alcohol and other drugs. Kids do what you do. Not what you say. Hold kids accountable for their behavior and don t enable. Provide clear and consistent rules and consequences.

26 Educate yourself. Ask questions. Talk to your child. Ask questions. Don t be afraid to talk with other parents. Agree to work together to keep kids safe. If you see or suspect something, say something. If there is a concern, consult with a professional who can help to properly assess the situation and most importantly, help to remedy it. Know that you are not alone!

27 The greater parental disapproval, the less likely children will use drugs. The prevention of adolescent drug and alcohol use, bullying and related behaviors is most likely to occur when parents, teachers, faith leaders, other individuals and community organizations, who are part of the child s friendship circle : are well informed of the harmful effects of drugs, understand potential danger from threatening behaviors, recognize behavioral changes that accompany drug use, and understand how drug use and violence is encouraged and accepted in the social world of the child. ( NCADD Pride Surveys Questionnaire)

28