Transcript Youth Substance Use: Awareness, Prevention and Solutions

Youth Substance Use:
Awareness, Prevention and
Solutions
April 23, 2010
Tiffany Wood-Lycett, School Social Worker, TVDSB
Jessica Austin, Youth Prevention Worker, ADSTV
Welcome
Tiffany-- who are you?
Jessica-- who are you?
Challenge...
Getting to Know Each Other
What level of exposure do you have??
Minimal...
Regular...
Daily....
What We’re Here to Learn...
Youth Substance Use: Awareness, Prevention and Solutions
✢Youth substance use: a brief overview
✢Behavioural indicators of use
✢Impact of substance use on school success
✢Resources, programs and agencies that can help
✢Creative ways to prevent and support substance
involved youth
– Why?
Did you know....
In a provincial public health survey, 14.1 % of
youth(surveyed)in OUR Southwest area reported
having 3 or more of the following problems at the
same time: ✢ Psychological distress
✢ Hazardous drinking
✢ Drug problems
✢ Delinquent behaviour
Why is this significant to us?
This means that 14% of students are at significant risk!...by the way, this was the
second highest rating of co-morbid reports in all of Ontario-- and Toronto’s rating was
less than half of this.
Canadian Statistics
✢ The overwhelming majority of youth in Canada do no have
alcohol or drug problems...but most do ‘experiment’
✢ In Ontario, over 25% of youth used cannabis in 2007 (N=256 610)
✢ In Canada, the number of young persons charged with drug
posession has tripled over the past decade
✢ Between 1991 and 2005 the percentage of youth reporting selling
Cannabis more than doubled
✢ Over 1/3 of students grade 7-9 have binged on alcohol
✢ Over 40% of 15-19 year olds have binged on alcohol
✢ 29% of 15-17 year olds report use of Canabis
✢ 10% of students have used hallucinogenic drugs
✢ Under 10% have used other drugs such as cocaine, ecstasy
✢ Use of OxyContin and methamphetamines is a regional
issue(nationwide 1%)
School Related Factors
✢Between grade 7 and 8 the likelihood of using illicit drugs
increases
✢In Ontario, students with a C average or below are more
likely to report illicit drug use and hazardous alcohol use
✢Lack of commitment to school and low bonding with other
students and teachers is seen as a significant risk factor for
teen substance abuse
✢87% of teens reported that they believed their parents to
be a credible source of information about illicit drugs
✢Research has PROVEN that when youth:
1.speak to caring adults in their lives about drug use AND;
2. where the adult monitors the youth’s activities
the likelihood of use is much less!
Activity
Risk Factors
Protective Factors
Behavioural Indicators of
Addiction
Change is the key...
✢ School performance?
✢ Motivation/drive?
✢ Attitude toward sports and other activities?
✢ Weight or physical activity?
✢ Eating or sleeping habits?
✢ Friends or peer group?
✢ Behaviour?
✢ Future plans?
✢What do you do?
Is it a problem?
Four main areas when the youth wants to talk to you
about their drug use...
✢Tolerance
✢Physical Dependence
✢Psychological Dependence
✢Effects of use
Impact of Substance Use on
School Success...
✢ Impaired judgment
✢ Lack of concentration
✢ Lack of motivation
✢ Poor memory
✢ Actual physical illness
✢ Increased absenteeism
✢ Loss of trusting relationships
✢ Dammaged relationships with peers and adults
✢ Lack of access to extra-curriculars
✢ Progressive discipline
TVDSB Policies and
Procedures...
✢Codes of conduct: discourage use or
trafficing
✢Bill 157
✢What do you do?
Harm Reduction
“Accurate and unbiased information
on the harm of use to potential
users in order to help them make
informed decisions about whether
to use and if they choose to use
what precautions to take to
minimize their risk.”
Dr. Christiane Poulin, M.D.
Best Practices for Working with Youth
and Substances...
✢ Accessible and flexible
✢ Youth directed
✢ Location and atmosphere
✢ Holistic and biopsychosocial
✢ Strength based skill building
✢ Safe respectful service
✢ Meaningful involvement
✢ Youth not a homogeneous group
Creative Ways to Prevent and
Support Substance Involved
Youth
✢Multi-media communication, word of
mouth= main ways of communicting
✢PIER Project Research has shown
youth access the internet as their
primary information source on
substance
A real life example...
“I want to get the information straight. My health class
teacher told us that marijuana is not addictive and
does not give you cancer like cigarettes or is not as
dangerous as the other drugs like cocaine, meth, etc.,
WHY is it so bad to smoke marijuana, if it’s not that
bad for you?”
– annonymous youth at local Talbot Teen Centre
A Case Example
A High School Support Group...
✢ Joe: using since entrance to secondary, unstable home, CAS
involvement, living with grandparents in town, 18 credits, gr.12.
1x residential treatment
✢ Charlie: using since grade 7, siblings, rural home, 16 credits, 2
parents, gr.12, 2x residential treatment, best friend died in
elementary school
✢ Jason: using since entrance to secondary, BFF with Charlie,
siblings, rural home, 15 credits, 2 parents, gr.11, No previous
treatment
✢ Allan:single mother, living in rural area, no siblings in home,
gr.12, 13 credits, 1x residential treatment, father died
✢ Mike:using since entrance to secondary, single mother, living in
town, siblings, 21 credits, father died, 1x residential treatment
Resources Programs and
Agencies That Can Help
✢Handouts
Knowing All of this Info:
What level of exposure do you have??
Minimal...
Regular...
Daily....
Presentation Sources
✢ Kids and Drugs: a Parent’s Guide to Prevention. 2008. AND; Alberta
Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission. 2007. www.aadac.com
✢ The Mental Health and Well- Being of Ontario Students. 1991- 2005,
OSDUS and CAM-H. AND; Ontario Youth Strategy Project. 2008. All
available at-- www.camh.net
✢ Talking With Your Teen About Drugs. 2008. Government of Canada.
www.nationaldrugstrategy.gc.ca
✢ Substance Abuse in Canada: Youth in Focus. 2007. Canadian
Centre on Substance Abuse Activities. AND; Harm Reduction For
Special Populations in Canada AND; Action News March 2010 All
available at-- www.ccsa.ca
✢ Drug Use Among Ontario Students. 1977-2009
www.camh.net/research/osduhs.html
Questions?
Evaluation
Thank you for coming!
....and goodbye