October is National Substance Use Prevention Month

October is National Substance Use Prevention Month – an observance to highlight the vital role of substance use prevention for both individual and community health. Millions of Americans suffer from a substance use disorder, including underage drinking, alcohol dependency, non-medical use of prescription drugs, misuse of over-the-counter medications, and illicit drug use. Prevention strategies targeting the root of the problem are essential to reduce drug use and help people lead healthier lives. Read on to learn more from Teen Advisory Board member, Brijesh Abboy on how to prevent substance use in your home.

Today, I spent time with my friends and learned some new things. Although not nearly perfect, I enjoyed my day. Most people have days like this pretty often. However, there are people who cannot have a day like this naturally. These people have been caught up in a wave of a massive wave of an opioid crisis. According to the World Health Organization, in 2019, 270 million people globally used a psychoactive drug. Big numbers like that are overwhelming. If you are reading this in a public place, look around you. Undoubtedly, there is someone where you are that knows someone, or they have personally struggled with a substance use disorder which makes this an issue particularly important, especially to teenagers.

According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, the brain is not fully developed until 25 which makes the maturing brain especially vulnerable to the effects of drugs and increases the likelihood of a teenager developing a substance use disorder later in life. According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), youth who begin drinking by age 13 are four times more likely to develop an alcohol dependency problem later in life than someone who drank at 20.  In the United States, high school students abuse alcohol more than an illicit drug. Not surprisingly, it causes the most harm, and underage alcohol is responsible for more than 3,900 deaths each year among people under the age of 21. According to the CDC, nearly 92,000 persons in the U.S. died from a drug-involved overdose in 2020, including illicit drugs and prescription opioids. We are losing our loved ones; we are losing teenagers. 

How do we prevent substance use? One of the risk factors of substance use in teens is access, especially in their homes. Simple actions like locking your alcohol and medicine cabinet and throwing out old prescriptions can be lifesaving. Our Teen Advisory Board developed liquor locks and prescription lock boxes and would love to provide one to your family..

Please contact Amber Jones at Amber.L.Jones@TeenHealthConnection.org for your free locks.

Brijesh Abboy, Teen Health Connection Teen Advisory Board Member