International Overdose Awareness Day

 

International Overdose Awareness Day is the world's largest annual campaign to end overdose, remember those who have lost their lives, and acknowledge the grief of the family and friends left behind.

The campaign raises awareness of overdose, which is one of the world's worst public health crisis. It helps to stimulate action and discussion about evidence-based overdose prevention and drug policy. The campaign also acknowledges the profound grief felt by families and friends whose loved ones have died or suffered permanent injury from a drug overdose.

International Overdose Awareness Day spreads the message about the tragedy of drug overdose death and that drug overdose is preventable.

Stay safe and talk to your kids early and often about the facts and dangers of alcohol and other drug use - they will listen!

Happy Last Day of August!

 

Happy last day of August! As we ease into the back to school routines, it's nice to savor the warm weather and memories of summer while we look forward to the sights and scents of fall, like apple cider and pumpkin spice! 🍂🧡 Embrace Fall as a time of change and remember the importance of self-care to maintain positive mental wellness at this turning point in the year. 

Here's 6 great Fall Season suggestions:

* Take advantage of the hopefully cooler temps to get outside more. A quick walk and fresh air can do wonders for your mental health. Plan a family picnic with apple cider or hike a new trail. 

* Create a healthy sleep schedule to regulate hormones in the brain that affect emotions, energy levels, cognitive abilities, appetite, and more. Sleep is crucial for staying on top of our busy day-to-day activities.

* Move your body with exercises you enjoy to encourage physical, mental, and emotional wellness. Getting in 30 minutes of light or moderate activity can help improve your mood, reduce stress, and strengthen the immune system. Sign up for the Red Ribbon Kids Fun Run for K-8 students and the Family Fun Run to walk or run with your kids on Saturday, October 28 at Lake Mirror in Lakeland. Register today at www.inneractalliance.org

* Food can have a significant impact on both our physical and mental health. Try new recipes with fall fruits and veggies - plan a trip to the weekend farmers market to pick them out with your kids!

* Set time boundaries that allow you to focus on giving your energy to what is most important. Be comfortable saying NO to avoid overscheduling yourself and your kids. Create a schedule that is healthy and maintainable.

* While a little digital media technology is okay, too much can be harmful. Set some "no screen time" times during family dinners, road trips with friends, and date nights to allow everyone to be more engaged in the present. 

Storm Preparations for Hurricane Idalia

  

Whether you're new to Florida or already a resident, you may have questions about how to prepare for a tropical storm or hurricane. Being prepared means having your own food, water, and other basic items your household may need in the event of an emergency. After an emergency, you may need to survive on your own for a few days. Some things most people forget are extra medications and CASH. If the power is out, ATMs, credit cards, and phone wallets are worthless.

Recommended items for a Basic Emergency Supply Kit includes lots of water, non-perishable food, prescription medication, extra cell phone battery and charger, battery-powered radio to receive weather and emergency alerts, flashlights with extra batteries, pen and paper. It's a good idea to put together a basic first-aid kit with band-aids, first aid cream, aspirin, etc. You may want a dust mask, plastic sheeting, and duct tape in case you need to shelter in place. Other helpful items are soap, hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, garbage bags, a can opener, eating utensils, and basic tools like a screwdriver, hammer, wrench, or pliers. If you have a baby, be sure to have formula, bottles, diapers, and wipes on hand. For pets, have a good supply of food, snacks, and extra water for them to drink.

Be safe neighbors 🌀🌀🌀. Locally, stay tuned to weather and news reports on PGTV (Polk-County.TV), online Polk-County.net, or on radio stations WPCV 97.5 FM and WONN 1230 AM. For more helpful storm prep tips, visit https://www.ready.gov/kit or download the free Lakeland Electric Hurricane Guide at https://lakelandgov.net/Hurricane

Heads Up – Know the Facts About Alcohol & the Teen Brain

It’s a Fact – Alcohol affects the adolescent brain differently than the adult brain because the human brain isn’t fully developed until about age 25. Teens who begin drinking before age 15 are 5X more likely to develop alcohol use disorder than if they start after turning 21.

The brain undergoes massive changes during the teen years particularly in the areas of decision making and impulse control. This makes the teen years a period of great promise, but also of potential risk - especially for addiction. That's why preventing and delaying substance use during this time is so important to long-term health. 

Here are some highlights from Alcohol & The Adolescent Brain: Immediate Impairment, Long-Term Consequences, a comprehensive report presented to the North Carolina Governor’s Substance Abuse and Underage Drinking Prevention and Treatment Task Force in 2016.

* Emotional areas of the brain mature before the frontal cortex - evident in the thrill-seeking, risky decision making, and impulsiveness that define adolescence.

* Due to the immaturity of the frontal cortex, adolescent brains respond more to both the promise of rewards and threats than adults brains - weighing immediate
rewards as more valuable than future rewards.

* "Brain Imbalance" is why adolescents pay more attention to their peers, and why they are more likely to do something without considering the consequences.

* Alcohol slows down brain activity. Negative effects of alcohol last far longer in a teen's brain than in an adult's - up to two weeks longer.

* If teens use alcohol before their brain is fully developed, it can keep the good judgment and impulse-control part of the brain from properly developing.

* Alcohol can also damage the memory and learning areas of the brain.

For more important facts and information, visit the Partnership to End Addiction at https://drugfree.org/article/teen-brain-development/

 

Help Save Lives by Supporting the Hands-Free Florida Safety Campaign

 

As the Labor Day travel weekend approaches, your support is needed to help kick off the Hands-Free Florida Campaign to make Florida's roads safer. The campaign launches next Tuesday, August 29 with a goal to secure 10,000 signatures on a petition to persuade state legislators to make Florida the 29th state with a hands-free phone usage law. 

In the 28 states where a Hands-Free Law already exists, the number of senseless crashes and deaths caused by distracted driving, along with insurance rates, have dropped considerably.

Statistics from the Florida Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles show:

* Distracted driving in Florida has caused 160,155 crashes - 8,154 serious injuries - 935 deaths

* Traffic fatalities decreased by 16% in 12 of the first states to adopt a hands-free law

* People who text while driving are 23 times more likely to be involved in a crash or near-miss event

* With a phone in your hand while driving, you are 4 times more likely to be involved in a crash

Be Part of the Solution by taking the pledge to save lives! To make our roads safer for everyone, put your phone down when you are driving. You can help spread the word about the dangers of distracted driving by contacting local lawmakers to let them know you are in favor of hands-free legislation in Florida. 

Visit HandsFreeFlorida.org and follow on social media: 

https://www.facebook.com/handsfreefl or https://www.instagram.com/handsfreeflorida/

National Fentanyl Prevention-Awareness Day Today - August 21, 2023

 

Today is National Fentanyl Prevention & Awareness Day to raise public awareness about the #1 killer of those age 18-45 in the U.S. Fentanyl is everywhere, including right here in our community, so we encourage you to talk to your family today - and often - because substance abuse prevention education saves lives!

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is approximately 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. It is inexpensive, widely available, highly addictive, and comes in a variety of colors, shapes, and forms - including powder and pills. Drug traffickers make and supply deadly fentanyl both as a standalone substance and to mix with other dangerous street drugs to drive addiction and create repeat business. Many victims of fentanyl poisoning were unaware that they ingested fentanyl.

Billboards have been created to remember the lives lost from illicit fentanyl poisoning and acknowledge the devastation caused to loved ones and communities all over our nation. Boards are being placed in school zones to bring awareness to the fact that over 150 people die each day from an overdose related to synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.

Educate yourself and your children about the dangers. It only takes one bad decision with fentanyl and it can be over in minutes. Even if you believe your child would never touch a drug of any kind, talk with them. Kids listen to their parents and this knowledge may help save the lives of their peers as well. 

Fentanyl comes across the U.S. border each day. Take Action - contact your local representatives and tell them to stop the flow of fentanyl into our country. Our youth are a precious resource!

Visit www.cdc.gov, https://facingfentanylnow.org, or https://www.dea.gov/fentanylawareness.  

Save the Date – Red Ribbon Run Saturday, October 28

 

Join us for InnerAct Alliance's Red Ribbon Run, presented by title sponsor Publix Supermarkets, featuring the Kids Fun Run around beautiful Lake Mirror in Lakeland on Saturday morning, October 28, to prevent substance abuse and promote health in our community. 

Students in grades K-8 can run in timed grade level heats and win trophies for first, second, and third place in each gender and grade or run/walk with their families in an untimed Family Fun Run. Check in for the Kids Fun Run, sponsored by MIDFLORIDA Credit Union, begins at 7 am at Lake Mirror Auditorium. Family Fun Run takes place at 8:30 am and grade heats begin at 8:45 am (times approximate). 

Registration for students in grades K-8 is FREE; Adults pay $5 for the Family Fun Run. Students registered by 10/14/23 will receive a free Run T-Shirt. A new Florida Dairy Farmers World Tour area will feature healthy snacks, activities, vendor booths, and celebrate cultures from around the globe. 

Weekly online challenges will begin on September 25 at InnerActAlliance.org for participants to complete and post on the InnerAct Alliance Facebook page to earn points for prizes!

 
Event Website for Registration

https://www.InnerActAlliance.org

Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/InnerActAlliance