Prevention & Education
Substance abuse prevention and social emotional learning education is critical in an effort to reduce, or at the very least, slow down, youth alcohol and drug use in our teens. Research has demonstrated that if a teen can hold off using alcohol or drugs until the mid-20s, their chances of becoming addicted to any substance is dramatically reduced.
Studies also show that 9 out 10 adults who struggle with some form of substance abuse began with nicotine, alcohol or marijuana.
Social emotional learning (SEL) skills teach youth how to deal with common every day stressors in a healthier way. These skills also help youth become resilient while providing them the ability to identify and process traumatic stress events that will affect them for a lifetime. This break down can add to risky behaviors as well as alcohol and substance abuse issues and the more we know, the stronger we will be.
Curriculum for All Ages!
Kindergarten
Zero to Three
Zero to Three provides resources to families with children 3 and under, promoting that early connections last a life time. With COVID-19, they have put together resources for caregivers to ensure children still progress through these critical developmental stages. Zero to Three provides resources on how to set limits, how to talk about topics (such as: masks, grief and death, and why children can't go to school or see their grandparents), and transitioning back to child care.
Visit the Zero to Three website to learn more.
National Institute on Drug Abuse
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has compiled an extensive list of curriculum for all ages from elementary through high school.
Multiple sources are utilized giving teacher and parents (who have become teachers) a variety to choose from. You can search by topic, grade level or academic standards. Something for everyone!
Elementary
Ask, Listen, Learn
Free classroom resources for at home learning! Videos, lesson plans, are our classrooms; here are multiple resources to help teach our kids to say "yes" to a healthy lifestyle and "no" to alcohol and other drug use/experimentation. We have a unique opportunity to talk to our kids and other children in our lives and help them cope with the stressful times we find ourselves in.
Visit the Ask, Listen, Learn website.
The Real Cost of Vaping
LifeSkills
Social emotional learning (SEL) helps our youth develop greater self-esteem and stronger eventually lead to substance abuse. Several of our communities are teaching a version of Botvin LifeSkills Training (LST) program. LST has been proven to reduce drug use rates by 75% in many instances. Rather than merely teaching information about the dangers of drug abuse, LST helps students develop greater self-esteem and effectively cope with anxiety. The link above provides you with free activities for parents to teach your middle school or younger youth, as well as a separate module for your child/children to do independently.
Cannabis Awareness
- Tewksbury CARES on Facebook
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
- Greater Lowell Health Alliance
- The NAN Project on Facebook
- Learn to Cope Flyer (JPG)
- Tewksbury Public Library: Prioritizing Health Over Tobacco Industry Profits on YouTube
- Tewksbury Public Library: Toxic Stress and Addiction on YouTube
- No Menthol. Know Why. (Quitting Smoking Resource)
- Wilmington Substance Abuse Coalition on Facebook
- Lowell General Hospital Well Connected
- Drug Free Greater Lowell
- Learn to Cope