New Milford Substance Abuse Council

New Grant Approval

kkwas — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 16:02:36 +0000

The Youth Agency and NM Substance Abuse Prevention Council are excited to announce that our grant application through HVCASA (Housatonic Valley Coalition Against Substance Abuse) has been approved once again. Grant funding is distributed throughout the community towards Substance Abuse Prevention programming. Our local task force is made up of members from the YouthAgency, New Milford High School, the Police Department, and NM Hospital. Our council has a big year planned. We recently ran an extremely successful Parent University where over 60 parents came through to listen to local and regional professionals discuss and strategize on parenting challenges that many in our community are facing. Due to the overwhelming positive feedback from parents at the event, we will host follow-up sessions starting in January at the Maxx. Online registration will again be available as we draw closer. In addition, the council will be hosting the Health & Wellness Fair at New Milford High School on May 23rd 2012. The event gets bigger and better each time it’s held and we have some very exciting ideas to make this year’s event the best yet. Other local programs that are funded include Prescription Drug Take Back Day, Family Day at New Milford Hospital, and many more. Please stay tuned to our website/Facebook for further program information or give us a call at (860) 354-0047.

Parent University

kkwas — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 17:47:35 +0000

Check out our Parent U page HERE for info and registration!

“Bath Salts”

kkwas — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 18:45:22 +0000

For information about the new drug known as “Bath Salts” try these sites:

http://www.drugs.com/bath-salts.html

http://chemistry.about.com/od/drugs/a/Bath-Salts-Chemistry.htm

Web Update

kkwas — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 20:35:52 +0000

If you want to make the best decisions, it is important to have the correct information. This website includes information and resources to help you learn about the dangers of specific drugs, the impact drug and alcohol use can have on the still developing brain of a young person, and how to intervene when substance use becomes abuse or addiction.

Young people start using drugs or alcohol for many reasons: to reduce stress, to feel something, to escape troubles, to fit in socially or just out of curiosity. Some teens are able to try drugs or alcohol without major disruption to their health and safety. However, any use of drugs or alcohol by young people puts them at risk in various ways.

Even occasional drug or alcohol use can lead to situations and decisions that are destructive and dangerous. Also, teens who use and abuse substances often do not learn healthy ways to cope with difficulties: they do not learn healthier ways to handle feelings such as sadness, disappointment, frustration, etc.

No one wakes up one morning and decides they want to be an addict. Most teens who start using drugs or alcohol intend to use it only once in a while. However, drugs are chemicals and their effects can be unpredictable. Even with only occasional use, changes are happening in the brain that can lead to addiction and other long term problems.