Tips for Talking With Your Kids
While at home together celebrating the holidays, take time to talk with your children about healthy choices. See Tips for talking with your kids about vaping, drugs and alcohol.
- Remember: Parents are the #1 reason that kids choose not to use drugs.
- Start young and make talking about it a regular habit.
September is National Recovery Month
Recovery Month celebrates the gains made by those in recovery from substance use and mental health, just as we celebrate improvements made by those who are managing other health conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, asthma, and heart disease. Each September, Recovery Month works to promote and support new evidence-based treatment and recovery practices, the emergence of a strong and proud recovery community, and the dedication of service providers and community members across the nation who make recovery in all its forms possible.
Learn more:
National Prevention Week
National Prevention Week (NPW) is a national public education platform bringing together communities and organizations to raise awareness about the importance of substance use prevention and positive mental health.
Through National Prevention Week, people become more aware and able to recognize the signs of mental health and substance use disorders. Community members learn how they can help build community, strengthen resilience, and create hope to keep those around them healthy and safe.
Learn more:
National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week® , March 21-27
National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week®, or NDAFW, is an annual, week-long, health observance that inspires dialogue about the science of drug use and addiction among youth. It provides an opportunity to bring together scientists, students, educators, healthcare providers, and community partners—to help advance the science, so that we can improve the prevention and awareness of substance misuse in our own communities and nationwide. It was launched in 2010 by scientists at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to stimulate educational events in communities so teens can learn what science has taught us about drug use and addiction. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism became a partner in 2016, and alcohol has been added as a topic area for the week.
Learn more:
In the News: Percentage of adolescents reporting drug use decreased significantly in 2021 as the COVID-19 pandemic endured
December 15, 2021
The percentage of adolescents reporting substance use decreased significantly in 2021, according to the latest results from the Monitoring the Future survey of substance use behaviors and related attitudes among eighth, 10th, and 12th graders in the United States. In line with continued long-term declines in the use of many illicit substances among adolescents previously reported by the Monitoring the Future survey, these findings represent the largest one-year decrease in overall illicit drug use reported since the survey began in 1975. The Monitoring the Future survey is conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health.
U.S. Students Reporting Any Past-Year Illicit Drug Use
The 2021 survey reported significant decreases in use across many substances, including those most commonly used in adolescence – alcohol, marijuana, and vaped nicotine. The 2021 decrease in vaping for both marijuana and tobacco follows sharp increases in use between 2017 and 2019, which then leveled off in 2020. This year, the study surveyed students on their mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study found that students across all age-groups reported moderate increases in feelings of boredom, anxiety, depression, loneliness, worry, difficulty sleeping, and other negative mental health indicators since the beginning of the pandemic.
Learn more:
NIDA. 2021, December 15. Percentage of adolescents reporting drug use decreased significantly in 2021 as the COVID-19 pandemic endured.
Featured Campaign: Vaping Historietas
See our latest campaign about the risks of secondhand vaping. We developed this campaign to address the health risks related to vaping and how it can affect others. The historieta format shares the information through engaging short stories and highlights how vaping can affect children and other family members. The goal is to increase awareness that can lead to a safer home environment, especially for children who may be most vulnerable.
Learn more:
Secondhand Vaping Historietas
English videos: www.vapingfactcheckvc.org
Spanish videos: www.vapeoverificado.org
"Marijuana: What You Need to Know" Presentation
CVUSD's BreakThrough Student Assistance Program and The Conejo Schools Foundation gave a workshop for parents and students on Tuesday, March 23 on "Marijuana: What You Need to Know." Presentations were given by professionals from Los Robles Regional Medical Center, Ventura County Behavioral Health and the Thousand Oaks Police Department followed by a Q&A. This workshop was for all CVUSD Parents/Guardians and students 12 years of age and older.
See the presentation at https://youtu.be/EXkoaikkkVQ
Learn more:
Marijuana FactCheck
March Parent/Guardian Workshop: "Marijuana: What You Need to Know"
Please join CVUSD's BreakThrough Student Assistance Program and The Conejo Schools Foundation for an online workshop on Tuesday, March 23 at 6:00 PM - "Marijuana: What You Need to Know."
Presentations will be given by professionals from Los Robles Regional Medical Center, Ventura County Behavioral Health and the Thousand Oaks Police Department followed by a Q&A.
This workshop is open to all CVUSD Parents/Guardians and students 12 years of age and older. A presentation will be given by Erika Fernandez, SUS Prevention Services, Community Services Coordinator.
Learn more:
National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week® 2021
March 22-28, 2021
National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week® links students with scientists and other experts to counteract the myths about drugs and alcohol that teens get from the internet, social media, TV, movies, music, or from friends. It was launched in 2010 by scientists at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to stimulate educational events in communities so teens can learn what science has taught us about drug use and addiction.
Teens may be seeking coping mechanisms to handle the increased stress that has come with many changes and challenges in their daily lives. Teens also need resources to develop the necessary skills to make informed decisions about their health.
Learn more:
National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week®
National Institute on Drug Abuse
https://teens.drugabuse.gov/national-drug-alcohol-facts-week
2021 Teens Kick Ash Virtual Conference
Teens Kick Ash is intended to develop the next generation of tobacco-free advocates. Through hands-on training and team-building activities, middle and high school students from all over Ventura County learn about e-products and other tobacco-related health risks. They do this while networking with peers on how to effect positive change in their own behavior, in their schools, and within their communities. The conference teaches students about nicotine addiction and the e-product and tobacco industry’s marketing strategies to attract young people.
Ventura County Office of Education (VCOE)
February 23 & 25, 2021
For information: www.vcoe.org/health/tka
Featured Resource: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Mind Matters Series
The Mind Matters series is a resource for teachers. Each booklet is devoted to a specific drug or drug group. Hard copies of the booklets in English can be ordered for free and both English and Spanish booklets are available online as printable PDFs. There is an accompanying Teacher’s Guide which includes background information and activities to enhance students’ learning.
Teens, Vaping and COVID-19
Vaping puts teens and young adults at much higher risk of COVID-19
- A Stanford University study found that young people who have ever vaped are at 5X higher risk for being diagnosed with COVID-19.
- Youth believe their age protects them from COVID-19, but data show this is not true for those who vape.
Why teens and young adults?
- Sharing vapes with friends can increase infection rate
- COVID-19 can spread by hand-to-mouth touching during vaping
- Youth who vape in a group usually don’t distance or wear masks
- Vaping or smoking weakens and scars lungs and may lower resistance
- Vape aerosol may have virus-containing droplets
Research also shows:
- Users of vapes and cigarettes are 7X more likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19
- Vapers are also at risk for EVALI and other harmful lung diseases
Now is the time to be someone who NEVER vapes.
How to Quit Vaping
- teen.smokefree.gov/quit-vaping/how-to-quit-vaping
- or download the app: teen.smokefree.gov/become-smokefree/quitstart-app
Learn more:
Sources:
- Davies, N.G., Klepac, P., Liu, Y. et al. Age-dependent effects in the transmission and control of COVID-19 epidemics. Nat Med 26, 1205–1211 (2020).
- Gaiha, S. M., Cheng, J., & Halpern-Felsher, B. (2020). Association Between Youth Smoking, Electronic Cigarette Use, and Coronavirus Disease 2019. Journal of Adolescent Health.