Join Us to Stay Informed: Own the Upside Prevention Summit: April 17

 

Register Today!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/own-the-upside-prevention-summit-tickets-1219654261729?aff=oddtdtcreator

Addiction Can Happen to Anyone

 

Addiction can happen to anyone and it is a serious medical condition. Drugs change the brain's structure and how it works, which is why it is considered a brain disease. Addiction can take people to dark places - and delusional thinking, caused by chemical changes in the brain, can keep them there.

Brain-imaging studies on people addicted to drugs show physical changes in areas of the brain that are critical for judgment, decision-making, learning, memory, and behavior control. Scientists believe these changes affect the way the brain works and may help explain the many compulsive and destructive behaviors of someone who has a substance use disorder.

You Can Be Part of the Solution! Prevention and early intervention strategies can reduce the negative impact of substance use and mental disorders. When parents create supportive, nurturing environments, children learn to make better decisions. Foster strong, open relationships and talk to your kids about addiction being a disease. Help them learn the risks of using alcohol and other drugs. Also, encourage friends and loved ones who may have a substance use problem to seek help. All of this helps to reduce the stigma associated with substance use disorder - it can truly save lives. 

An excellent resource in our community is the Central Florida Behavioral Health Network (CFBHN), which supports prevention coalitions and partners through a 14-county network. Prevention partners provide information, resources, and coordinate efforts to help prevent substance abuse addiction. 

InnerAct Alliance is proud to serve as a prevention partner in Polk County, but if you live outside of Polk, CFBHN can help locate local prevention programs and partners in our community with their listing of services by county:

https://www.cfbhn.org/prevention-partners/

Did You Know Fact: Underage Drinking

 

Did You Know that 23% of high school teens drank alcohol in the past 30 days and 11% binge drank? Underage drinking causes 3,900+ deaths each year.

And a 5% increase in binge drinking among adults in a community is associated with a 12% increase in the chance of underage drinking. 

Youth drinking habits are greatly influenced by adults at home and in their community. Remember that prevention starts with us!

Impaired Driving: Talk with Your Kids

 

Impaired driving remains an issue that affects Americans every day. On average, 3-in-5 people will be involved in a crash due to impaired driving in their lifetime. Impaired driving can have serious consequences, including injury and death.

The most effective way to stop impaired driving is to prevent it from happening in the first place. Know the facts and talk with your kids about the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.

*Almost 1-in-4 teen car crashes involves an underage drinking driver

*Everyday about 800 people are injured in a drunk-driving crash

*Each day in America, another 29 people die as a result of drunk-driving crashes - that's 1 person every 50 minutes

*Marijuana use is increasing - 13% of weekend nighttime drivers have marijuana in their system

Click this link for tips to help parents talk with kids about drunk and drug-impaired driving

https://www.samhsa.gov/substance-use/prevention/talk-they-hear-you/parent-resources/impaired-driving

13 Simple Ideas to Help Your Mental Health

 

Mental Health includes emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Your mental health influences how you think, feel, and behave in daily life. It also affects your ability to cope with stress, overcome challenges, build relationships, and recover from life's setbacks and hardships.

Often, we have to work harder these days to ensure strong mental health simply because there are so many ways that life can take a toll on our emotional well-being. That's why it is important to take time to do things that help you live well.

Try one of the 13 Simple Ideas suggested by our friends at Positively Present to help find what you need and enjoy.😴🎵🎨🧩🌲🧘🌴💃 Practices like these can help elevate your mood, become more resilient, and enjoy life - this is an essential part of overall health and YOU are worth it!💓

Learn the Suicide Warning Signs for Youth

 

It is important to take the time to learn the warning signs for suicide, help those in crisis, and change the conversation. It could truly help to save the life of a family member or friend. 

Take Action if you notice these signs in family or friends:

*Talking about or making plans for suicide
*Expressing hopelessness about the future
*Displaying severe/overwhelming emotional pain or distress
*Showing worrisome changes in behavior

Specifically, this includes Significant:

*Changes in sleep (increased or decreased)
*Anger or hostility that seems out of character or context
*Recent increased agitation or irritability

If you or someone you know needs help, call or text 988 or chat: https://988lifeline.org/

Project Prom featured in Today's LAL Today!

 Thanks to our friends
at LAL Today for featuring
Project Prom in today's issue
with a great article and photos!

👗🤵🎀