Start Here | Prevention | Treatment | Recovery
A $1 investment in prevention and early intervention for mental illness and addiction programs yields $2 to $10 in savings in health costs, criminal and juvenile justice costs, and low productivity (Steinberg Institute, n.d.).
The Time To Invest … Is Now .
A comprehensive prevention plan includes:
1) K-12 Prevention Education Curriculum
School Districts are a major influence in keeping kids from using drugs and alcohol. We help districts and communities make prevention a year-round, naturally embedded part of school culture by providing guidance choosing and purchasing age-appropriate prevention curriculum and getting facilitators trained. Follow this link for a sample of a well thought-out prevention plan:
2) Surveys to Measure Behavioral Trends. . .
GRADES 9-12 NH Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) given every other year
Helps identify where prevention efforts should be focused.
2021 Results for New Hampshire
2019 Results for Monadnock Region
GRADES 6-8: Teen Assessment Project (TAP) survey every 3 years
Helps identify behaviors and substances to address in middle schools.
2023 TAP RESULTS: Monadnock Region
3) Modify Policies & Procedures to be Supportive. . .
We encourage districts to create more supportive, less punitive policies and procedures for drug and alcohol-related issues. We view each interaction as a critical point of intervention that could change a student’s entire path.
Supportive Policies may include:
less out-of-school suspension time
meeting with parents and behavior team within 24 hours of a violation
reintegration recovery supports post-treatment
allowing kids to attend support meetings during the day
allowing kids to make up missed work
brief screening and intervention, and referrals to treatment
4) Addiction Professional Development for Staff
We know if students are not "present" they suffer personally and academically. Our trainings increase understanding and improve response skill sets when confronting the new challenges students face. Trainings include:
Brief Assessments & Treatment Referrals
Identifying Suicidal Ideation
Suicide Post-vention
Youth and Adult Mental Health First Aid
Using Trauma-Informed Best Practices
Motivational Interviewing
Post-treatment Student Reintegration
Supporting Families of Veterans
Critical Incident Response
LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning/queer)
Prevention Ethics
Supporting Families of Veterans
Adverse Childhood Experiences
Protecting Students From Violence
*If there is a topic you would like to see, just ask.
5) Transition Workshops
Reality Check provides transition workshops to prepare students and parents for the culture in a new school:
from elementary to middle school
from middle school to high school
from high school to college and beyond
Workshops outline what parents can expect in the new year, how to better provide extra support, and how to identify possible use and spot red flags.
6) Youth Campaigns and Opportunities
We provide access to a variety of youth activities including:
Youth Leadership Academy (summer program)
Police and Rescue Personnel apprentice programs
4-H Monadnock Robotics (all year) & Equestrian Therapy
Student Ambassador programs (school year)
Community service opportunities and Volunteerism
Business Internships and Scholarship Contests
After school option with character building components
Community Prevention Plan
Everyone plays an essential role in preventing use and abuse. Many communities don't think they have a problem, while others have prevention already happening.
STEP 1 - Conduct a Community Assessment to determine its level of readiness to take action: identify assets, strengths, gaps, substances to address, resources and other efforts currently happening (to reduce duplication).
STEP 2 - Build Social Capacity and secure resources to move forward with prevention plan development and implementation.
STEP 3 - A 12-month Action Plan is developed to address priorities and includes seven strategies:
Provide Information — Educational presentations, workshops, seminars, articles, and press releases
Enhance Skills — Training to increase skills
Provide Support — Support groups for various addictive behaviors
Enhance Access & Reducing Barriers — Improving access to treatment, and providing recovery supports to reduce relapse
Change Consequence — Increase alcohol or tobacco taxes to decrease underage purchases and use
Change Physical Design — Change physical design to reduce use, like installing cameras and lights, or cleaning up parks
Modify & Changing Policies — Update policies to be less punitive and more supportive; for example less out of school suspension time, making up missed work, making referrals, providing recovery supports in the school or workplace, or financial incentives for quitting smoking.
Step 4 - Implement the plan noting benchmarks and challenges.
Step 5 - Evaluate the plan annually to measure how its working, areas of success and needed changes, then update to address newly identified priorities.
Remember - A Good Plan is . . .
1. Sustainable — prevention activities are built into school and business budgets to ensure long-term sustainability.
2. Culturally Competent — strategies must be culturally appropriate for the school or community they take place in.
Want to help? Become a Certified Prevention Specialist . . .
Prevention Certification Board of New Hampshire
PO Box 1088, Manchester, NH nhpreventcert.org
Visit IC & RC Credentialing http://www.internationalcredentialing.org/cred101
Certified Prevention Specialist Matrix: Addressing Alcohol and Drug Misuse
Register for training here:: NH Training Institute on Addictive Disorders .
*Reality Check will help pay for training to get certified.
Are you a new Parent or potential Parent?
Check this out!
NEW-PARENT PARENTING
DOES
PREVENTION WORK?
The science behind it:
STRATEGIC PREVENTION FRAMEWORK
MAYO CLINIC:
How to Talk About SUICIDE
A Toolkit for Educators
PARENT TALK KIT
Talking to kids…
HAVING ”THE TALK”
OTHER PEOPLE’S MEDS
Opioids ~ can cause choking, slowed breathing, paranoia, fever, abnormal heartbeat, seizures, coma, or death.
Addiction ~ Once you become dependent on a drug, you need more and more of it. Quitting can cause nausea, shaking, sweating, insomnia, vomiting, depression, and life-threatening issues.
• Accidents ~ Driving while drugged could get you in an accident, and if you get stopped you could face severe penalties.
• Failing Grades ~ While some students take medication to do better in school - don't, you can become addicted.
• Legal trouble ~ Taking medication that isn’t yours - is illegal. Chances of committing a crime go up when you’re high - and if you’re caught, you can face suspension, fines, jail time.
NHS students participating in the Walk for Recovery!
PARENTS & CAREGIVERS .....
Talk with your kids about the risks of using alcohol, illegal drugs, and medicine not prescribed to them.
..................................................
Set consequences for breaking rules.
If they break rules, enforce them!
.....................................................
Make it clear to kids - never take
medicine that isn’t theirs.
.....................................................
Be involved ~ Go to after-school activities, have dinner together, and meet your kids teachers.
.....................................................
When your kids aren’t home, make sure you know where they are and who they’re with.
......................................................
Know the signs of use, depression
and anxiety. Get help by asking your school nurse and family doctor.
....................................................
Be a good role model. Kids who see parents abusing drugs or medications are more likely to develop problems.
....................................................
Know the signs of stress and how to manage it by exercising, talking to a friend or therapist, watching something funny, or playing a game.
...................................................
RESOURCES:
Office of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention
Program guides of evidence-based prevention programs for youth
The National Institute on Drug Abuse
Preventing drug use and abuse among youth, teens, and young adults.
New Futures
100 N Main St, Suite 400, Concord, NH
www.new-futures.org/
Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws
NH Dept. of Justice
33 Capitol Street, Concord, NH
NH Teen Institute
112 West Pearl Street, Nashua, NH
www.nhteeninstitute.org/
NH Tobacco Helpline
Text QUITNOW to 22122
www.TryToStopNH.org
Partnership for A Drug-Free NH 10 Ferry Street, Concord, NH 03301
www.drugfreenh.org