ADDICTIONS AWARENESS WEEK

"Alcohol kills 6.5 times more youth than all other illicit drugs
combined."

November 18-24th is Addictions Awareness Week and it is the focus for
raising awareness on the problematic use of substances in our lives.
In Newfoundland and Labrador the theme chosen by Addictions Services
this year centers on the topic of alcohol and the importance of the
family as the first point of learning about substances and how we can
begin to reexamine the current trends. The NL Addictions Services
catch phrase: "Get up on it" means: get informed, do some thinking and
talking to youth in your lives about this important topic. The website
is interactive and offers information for parents and young people
alike on substances and gambling. A contest will soon be posted on the
website.

Firstly - do most families see substance use by adolescents as a
problem? Is it expected and accepted that alcohol and nicotine will be
used by most adolescents, that they will binge drink and that they
will probably escape harm? What about marijuana, ecstasy,
methamphetamine and cocaine? There is probably an increase in the
level of discomfort when the possibilities of the use by a loved one
of the last three are contemplated. Why? They are not socially
accepted, they are not promoted in glossy ads and instead we have many
articles in the news about the horrors of these addictive substances.
Alcohol however is socially acceptable, is widely advertised and its
use is portrayed in numerous TV shows as humorous, glamorous and fun.
Take your own survey in a given week of the number of ads, TV shows
etc that portray alcohol in a positive light.

In reality alcohol, cigarettes and marijuana will likely be the three
substances that your child will likely be exposed to and try first.
Children as young as nine and ten are experiencing pressure to begin
experimenting with alcohol and tobacco or other drugs.

While many youth do not go on to other drugs it is recognized that
early alcohol, tobacco and marihuana use acts as a gateway to other
drug use especially when individuals begin drinking and smoking at a
young age. So while we fear meth, cocaine and crack, the effects of
alcohol and smoking cannot be underestimated when looking at families
and individuals and the importance of influencing early decision making.

The brain undergoes a tremendous amount of development during the teen
years, including a major remodeling of the frontal lobes, which are
involved in planning, decision-making, impulse control and language.
For this reason alcohol and drug use affects teens differently and
more dramatically than adults, potential for bigger impairments in
learning and brain damage. Alcohol also frequently plays a
statistically significant role in adolescent deaths from other causes:
homicides, suicides, drowning, falls, motorcycle and bicycle crashes.
Alcohol can cause brain and other organ damage to the fetus when
consumed during pregnancy. No one wants their loved ones, friends or
neighbors to experience the negative effects of alcohol and other
substance abuse problems. No one wants their adolescent involved in an
impaired driving crash; no one wants to undergo the agony of
addiction, or severe health consequences. No one wants the increase in
violence that is linked with abuse of alcohol. No one wants a fetus to
be harmed by exposure to alcohol. No one wants even the lesser
consequences of fines and charges. How then do we find a way to have
less harm in our family, community and province from the most common
and most socially accepted drug, which is alcohol?

Attend a parent information session on alcohol and drugs at Mealy
Mountain Collegiate School on Wed. Nov.21st at 7:30 p.m. in
partnership with the RCMP Labrador District Drug and Organized Crime
Awareness Coordinator where you can ask questions and get the answers
you need. Pamphlets and resource information will be made available.
If you can't make it, Addictions Services offers an invitation to come
in for a parent information session at any time. Call to speak to an
addictions counselor at the Labrador Health Center or a
counselor in your community. Take in some of the variety of activities
planned throughout the week in your local area as advertised.

We encourage you to talk to and listen to your children, your
adolescents and teens and to other parents. Many children are feeling
pressure at a young age, to experiment with alcohol, cigarettes or
marijuana so having excellent communication when they are young is the
best strategy. While some parent's feel it is a great idea to offer
their children and teen's alcohol, parents, given the information
available should reconsider this strategy and instead teach coping
skills and develop guidelines to assist their children to negotiate
through the difficult decisions they need to make.

If you have recognized a substance abuse problem and you want to know
where to go for help you can contact your local addictions counselor
or email:

Make wise choices, say no to drugs and alcohol.