(March, 2024) Facing Realities: Insights from National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week
From March 18th to the 24th, we had National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week (NDAFW) sweeping across communities nationwide! This amazing public health campaign, backed by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, aimed to spread crucial information about alcohol, drugs, and addiction.
But guess what? March also happens to be Vaping Awareness Month, which fits right into the spirit of NDAFW. Vaping is not just addictive; it can also mess with your brain and development. Big Tobacco often targets young folks with all sorts of tempting vape flavors. Thankfully, in 2022, California scored a big victory with Proposition 31, putting an end to most flavored tobacco products in the state. Yet, it's still super important to chat with kids about the not-so-great effects of tobacco. Did you know that nicotine salts in vapes pack a stronger punch, making addiction more likely? In fact, teens who vape are 3x more likely to become daily cigarette smokers!
Now, let's talk about another raising issue: fentanyl. More and more young adults and teens are hopping onto social media to score pills like Percocet, Xanax, and Adderall. But here's the scary part—they're often not the real deal. Sometimes, these pills are mixed with other drugs, like fentanyl, and shaped to look legit. But just a tiny 2 milligrams of fentanyl can be deadly. Shockingly, fentanyl overdoses made up over 80% of drug-related deaths among young people in California in 2021. Fentanyl isn't just dangerous; it's highly addictive and can even push folks towards other harmful drugs like heroin and meth. That's why it's crucial for parents and guardians to have honest conversations with youth about the risks of drugs, especially fentanyl.
Sources: Check out more about California's flavored tobacco law here!
Let's keep the conversation going!
September: Recovery Month
September is a significant month for those who have experienced recovery. It is a time when we come together to raise awareness and celebrate the progress made by individuals who have faced challenges with substance abuse and mental health issues. Recovery is a unique and personal journey, and it is not a one-size-fits-all solution. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has played a critical role in defining what recovery is, acknowledging that it is not just about symptom management or being “cured”
Recovery is a journey that is filled with ups and downs. However, having the support of personal relationships and peer support can make it easier. While different perspectives have emerged, leading to uncertainty in clinical social work practice and the mental health field (Massazza et al., 2022), it is important to recognize the resilience of those who have made strides in their recovery journeys. Let's come together to celebrate their accomplishments and acknowledge the importance of recovery.
Source: Massazza, A., Kienzler, H., Al-Mitwalli, S., Tamimi, N., & Giacaman, R. (2022). The association between uncertainty and mental health: a scoping review of the quantitative literature. Journal of Mental Health, 32(2), 480-491. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638237.2021.2022620
May is National Mental Health month
This is a time to raise awareness for those living with mental health issues as well as to reduce the stigma around mental health and mental health care. According to the California Health Care Foundation, in 2022 1 in 7 California adults experience a mental illness and 1 in 14 youth experience an emotional disturbance that limits their functioning at home, in school, and in community activities. Close to two-thirds of Californians with mental illnesses are not seeking care and mental illness rates in adults and youth are higher among families and individuals living below the federal poverty lines. This is most likely due to the high cost of mental health care and lack of adequate mental health care resources in lower income communities.
The Los Angeles County (LA County) Department of Mental Health is hoping to combat these statistics by offering resources and services to Angelenos of all ages. For example, they offer a School-Based Community Access Point for youth enrolled in LAUSD schools. This program helps to identify students with mental health or behavioral issues and work with their families to work on coping mechanisms, socio-emotional wellbeing, and referring families to more intensive Medi-Cali supported treatment as needed. For adults in LA County, the Department Mental Health offers access to LA County run wellness centers that focus on trauma recovery as well as prevention and intervention programs that focus on working through immediate mental health concerns and creating strategies with patients to establish a healthy future.
Proper mental health care is the first step to ensuring a healthier future for Californians. Mental health is equally as important for well being as physical health. It is important that early childhood intervention programs and quality mental health care continued to be offer especially for susceptible communities such as foster youth, veterans, and low-income individuals.
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BHM: SUD Treatment in Black Communities
As Black History Month comes to a close, it is important to highlight not only the wins of the Black community but also the challenges that the community continues to face. According to a study conducted by the University of Southern California Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics, Black individuals only seek treatment for alcohol and drug substance use disorders 18.6% of the time and are less likely to finish treatment for substance use disorders when compared to other racial and ethnic groups. This presents a challenge for the Black community. It has been shown that those in need are not seeking the proper care or not finishing through the care, which could lead to relapse. There are several ways that this gap in care can be addressed.
First and foremost, substance use programs must be culturally, racially, and ethnically appropriate to meet the needs of all those who seek treatment. The gap in care may also be fixed through cost-efficient and adequate healthcare. It is unlikely someone will seek or finish treatment for a substance use disorder if they are unable to afford the program or if the program does not adequately address the specific needs of the individual. In addition, when the sociodemographic characteristics of providers match those of individuals seeking care, patients are more likely to feel comfortable seeking care and more likely to feel that their concerns and needs are being addressed.
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January: CBD Awareness Month: What to Know About the Chemical
The beginning of January marks national cannabidiol(CBD)month. CBD is derived from the marijuana plant and can be found in a variety of items including foods, oils, lotions, and cosmetics. CBD is often associated with tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, yet the compounds are markedly different. Although they are two of more than 100 chemicals derived from the marijuana leaf, CBD does not produce the psychological effects commonly associated with marijuana, while THC does. CBD lotions and oils are often used topically to treat pain and discomfort associated with arthritis and multiple sclerosis. Others utilize CBD orally to help with insomnia, anxiety, and chronic pain, although so far there’s little evidence that can treat any of the illnesses listed above. However, the FDA has approved one CBD-based drug, Epidiolex, that has shown to treat several rare forms of childhood epilepsy.
The California State Senate passed the California Industrial Hemp Farming Act in 2013, which allows for hemp products like CBD to be commercially grown and sold in California. In October 2021, Governor Gavin Newson signed California Assembly Bill 45 which officially allows for CBD infused food and drink products to be sold in the state of California. This law contradicts federal law which does not allow the sale of food to which CBD has been added.
As the effects of CBD continue to be researched, it is important to note some of the known negative effects of the chemical. CBD is known to cause liver damage, drowsiness or sleepiness, and changes in mood or appetite. For these reasons, parents, guardians, and other adults should be cautious to keep any CBD-related medications or items out of children’s reach.
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December: National Impaired Driving Month
In the United States, about 32 people die from drunk driving crashes daily, averaging approximately one person every 45 minutes (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, 2022). In 2020, more than 11,000 people died from alcohol-impaired driving, which tends to get exceedingly terrible during the holiday season. For example, in 2019, the NHTSA reported approximately 210 lives were lost due to alcohol-impaired driving crashes between Christmas and New Year's Day.
Even if you do not crash, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is illegal. While under the influence, a person's brain function, reasoning, and muscle coordination decrease, which are all essential for driving safely. Sometimes the alcohol you drink may take longer than usual to wear off, and if it shows no effect on you before you start driving, it can affect you as you drive to your final destination. The consequences of driving impaired are getting fined or possibly jail time.
Impaired driving incidents are preventive. If you are going to be driving, do not engage in any substance use, and if you do, make sure a sober close friend can drive you home or call a car-riding service (e.g., Uber, taxi, Lyft).
So let's be mindful to ensure the holidays are full of joy.
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November: Vaping is not safe, Okay. Lung Cancer Awareness Month
It has been long established that smoking cigarettes is terrible for your lungs. But vaping, a relatively new type of recreational drug use, though not as harmful as smoking, is still harmful to one's body. It is steadily growing in popularity with adolescents in the U.S. with more than 2 million U.S. middle and high school students reporting using them. To define vaping, vaping is the act of heating up a substance and inhaling along with exhaling the resulting nicotine fumes of that substance from a device. Some of the effects of vaping on your lungs are the small passageways in your lungs becoming damaged, developing lung disease along with heart disease, and increasing your chance of having a heart attack. Not only that, but once you start vaping you increase your chance of starting to smoke cigarettes. Damaging your lungs even more. So if a friend or peer offers you a vape pen or e-cigarette, say no, and educate others that though vaping is safer than smoking, it does not mean it's safe.
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Reimagining South LA Liquor Stores
Reimagining South LA Liquor Stores
In LA County, there are more liquor stores than markets. These liquor stores sell alcohol that exposes people in our community to liquor in our area more than in any other part of LA County. Not only that, but it harms our community by destroying families, causing a higher rate of crime, a higher rate of obesity, and a higher rate of poverty. That has to start changing. A solution is transforming old liquor stores into small healthy markets that benefit the community's wellness. An example is Hank’s, Mini Market.
Hank's mini-mart used to be a liquor store that sold the usual items found in most liquor stores; chips, soda, candy, etc. But now, it has transformed into a healthy mini-mart that sells fresh fruits and vegetables. Although it sells some of the same items, it has become a place where people in the community can shop for healthy food options. With our efforts, let's try to change these outdated liquor stores into healthy mini-markets that will help our community prosper and stay healthy!
References:
https://mailchimp.com/courier/article/new-grassroots-kelli-jackson/
https://la.curbed.com/2019/10/8/20897705/toms-liquor-stores-south-la
http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/epi/docs/aod%20final%20revised%20web%20ed.pdf