The way Substance Use Disorder Prevention should work is
you get to decide your future at a young age …

Substance use/mental health disorders can have a powerful effect on the health of individuals, their families, and their communities. Why do we wait to educate or intervene on someone’s life until consequences are experienced, families broken, lives are devasted? It doesn’t have to be that way.

Substance Use Disorders CAN be prevented but it takes ALL OF US understanding and supporting the facts and changing the social norms that today supports that “all teens experiment, it’s a right-of-passage, and they will grow out of it.” This is NOT the truth and it’s time that our communities get the information necessary to support our youth in substance use prevention.

Preventing substance use problems in children, adolescents, and young adults are critical to Americans’ behavioral and physical health. If communities and families can intervene early, behavioral health disorders might be prevented, or symptoms can be mitigated.

… which means, delaying drug/alcohol use significantly increases a young persons chances of not developing Substance Use Disorders each year they can delay.

a new Initiative

We believe prevention is the Cure, but until prevention education and awareness becomes commonplace, prevention needs to be knowing where to go for help. That is why CLA was part of bringing two first of their kind youth recovery initiatives to Oregon. The first is an Alternative Peer Group, Madrona Families. The second is a recovery high school Harmony Academy. Both initiatives support youth who would like a place where hope and healing are not only possible but real. 
  

We were told to take the keys, and we did.  Now there is more to the story…

This program brings awareness to the local conditions around underage drinking to our community – to leaders, parents, and youth – and sends a message that parents who provide alcohol to teenagers do so at great risk to our community. Taking the keys was a start but understanding that substance abuse/substance use disorder (SUD) for 9 out of 10 of people in recovery started when they were teenagers.  Many different factors act together to affect a person’s risk for SUD. 

 

Despite being identified by youth as one of their primary sources of alcohol, hands down, parents are the most influential person or thing in a child’s decision not to drink at all or not to drink on occasion. Learn more
Oregon ranks #6 of the States with the biggest drug problem. Learn more
Adolescents, genetic vulnerability, and people with mental disorders are at greater risk of drug abuse and addiction than the general population. Genetic factors account for between 40 and 60 percent of a person’s vulnerability to addiction. Learn more
2 of every 3 Oregonians either struggle with a substance abuse disorder or have a family member or friend who does. Learn more
Oregon ranks 49th in the country for a higher prevalence of mental illness and lower rates of access to care. Learn more
Teenagers Embrace JUUL, Saying It's Discreet Enough To Vape In Class Learn more
Kratom sold in Oregon tests positive for salmonella; two people report sickness Learn more

News, Stats, Facts, Laws, and Trends seen in Oregon

Where does Oregon rank in the country with regard to substance (drug/alcohol) use – looking at the problem areas?

Substance use disorder and many mental health concerns are insidious – they proceed in a gradual, subtle way, but with harmful effects many life-altering. So in the same incremental way, it appears there is not a quick fix or solution to substance use/mental health disorders.

Substance use/mental health disorders aren’t an adult or youth problem it’s a human problem. It’s complicated and important that communities come together to bring awareness and an understanding to what prevention, intervention, acute treatment needs, and aftercare/recovery could look like in communities where individuals and families feel safe to share their experiences and receive support.

 

Healing for families and communities starts when substance use/mental health prevention education is discussed and learned about in our homes, schools, healthcare systems, law enforcement agencies, local/state governments, faith communities, anywhere community members thrive and more often the prevention focus needs to be on our youth.

It’s time to Engage, Educate, and Empower ourselves and members of our community. Together anything is possible!