October is National Substance Use Prevention Month!
This October, we celebrate National Substance Use Prevention Month, a time to lift up the local and national conversation about substance use prevention and showcase prevention’s positive effects on youth and communities. Each October, prevention efforts aim to prevent substance use in the first place, prevent the progression of substance use to a substance use disorder, and prevent and reduce harms associated with use. Youth and young adults continue to face significant substance and mental health challenges. Prevention helps us get ahead of these challenges so that youth, families, and communities can thrive. Join the WCRC as partners in prevention!
- To inspire action, each of us can share how prevention is improving lives in our communities.
- We aim to prevent substance use in the first place, prevent the progression of use, and reduce harms. And we have the prevention playbook to do so.
- Prevention science (with decades of research and community-based experience) shows that prevention works.
- Prevention strengthens protective factors and reduces risk factors ― in individuals, families, schools, communities, and society.
- Prevention helps us get ahead of substance use and mental health challenges — so that youth, families, and communities can thrive.
One way to prevent youth substance misuse is to safely dispose of unused or expired prescription and non-prescription drugs. Help keep WCRC youth safe by learning more about safe and secure disposal and medication take back options!
Be The 1!
If you think someone may be considering suicide, #BeThe1To help them by taking these 5 steps!
Suicidal thoughts, much like mental health conditions, can affect anyone regardless of age, gender or background. Though common, suicidal thoughts should not be considered normal and often indicate more serious issues. September is National Suicide Prevention Month, a time to raise awareness, shift public perception, reduce stigma, spread hope, share important resources for the community and provide information to those affected by suicide. This month should always serve as a reminder that there are steps we all must take in looking out for loved ones, the people in our community, and those who have been impacted by this leading cause of death. We ALL play a part in preventing suicide. In honor of Suicide Prevention Month, Voices for Prevention in Georgia released their Suicide Prevention Toolkit. This toolkit is filled with great information, including activities that you can take part in not only Suicide Prevention Month but throughout the year for suicide prevention! Visit V4P for more information and resources.
National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day!
Wednesday, August 21st is National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day. This observance was established in 2022 to remember loved ones lost to overdoses involving illegally made fentanyl, acknowledge the devastation of affected families and friends, and raise public awareness of the dangers of illegally made fentanyl. The theme this year is Be the Voice for Change: Take Action Against Illegally Made Fentanyl.
You can be the voice for change and take action against illegally made fentanyl and save lives by:
- Keeping naloxone readily available on you and at home. Naloxone is a life-saving medication that can reverse an overdose from opioids—including heroin, fentanyl, and prescription opioid medications—when given in time. Naloxone is available in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico and at pharmacies in most states without a prescription. Having naloxone available allows bystanders to help save lives by preventing a fatal overdose.
- Never taking pills that did not come from a pharmacy and weren’t prescribed to you. Be aware that pills bought illegally might contain highly potent illegal drugs. Drugs mixed with fentanyl are extremely dangerous, and many people may be unaware that their drugs contain it.
- Avoiding mixing drugs. Whether intentional or not, mixing drugs like cocaine, opioids, and alcohol is never safe because the effects from combining drugs may be stronger and more unpredictable than one drug alone, and even deadly.