Since 2011, October has been the month of working toward the prevention of substance misuse. Knowing and understanding the resources available in your community are the first steps to ensuring you can support someone in need. What are the resources in your area? Where can you gain knowledge about drugs and alcohol, that will support prevention efforts at work, home or school?
If you are someone who wants to support prevention efforts, it is critical to understand that addiction does not discriminate, it does not have to be street drugs, and it is not “those people”. Those people are someone’s child, parent, spouse or community member. They can be any age or race or hold any type of employment. There is no boundary for addiction. Remember that.
Secondly, prevention does not have to be hard. It can be as simple as a heartfelt discussion around your dinner table. Get some resources from a reliable source in your community and talk about the material with your family members. And I don’t mean just your fifth grader, have a real conversation with everyone in your house, together. Saying “don’t do drugs” is not enough. Answer questions, discuss how to ask or talk to someone who may be in need of assistance.
Here is a helpful video for starting the conversation with your children:
Remove the stigma surrounding addiction and become a beacon of hope for others. That’s how we make change. If your community is holding prevention events, SHOW UP. Recovery events are amazing times to learn more about those who have walked in addiction and are finding their way to and establishing recovery. Be part of those stories with supportive efforts. You will learn a lot. I challenge you to get out there and learn something this month (and every month) that will improve lives at home, work or in the community.
Where can I learn more?
- The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration website
- The National Institute of Drug Abuse prevention page
- Youth.gov
- The Ask Listen and Learn program