SWC PRINT Winter 2014 - The Southwest Council, Inc.

The Southwest Council, Inc.
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Prevention Resource Information News and Trends
W I N T E R 2 0 1 3 V O L U M E 1 I S S U E 3 Joseph M. Williams
Executive Director
execdirector@southwestcouncil.org
Janine Fabrizio, MSW, LSW, CPS
Director of Prevention Programs
cumberlandresource
@southwestcouncil.org
Alexis Regenelli
Operations Manager
admin@southwestcouncil.org
Cory Gilden, MEd
Newsletter Editor
cory@southwestcouncil.org
Administrative Office
1405 N. Delsea Drive
Vineland, NJ 08360
Phone: (856) 794-1011
Fax: (856) 794-1239
info@southwestcouncil.org
Satellite Office
550 Bridgeton Pike, Suite 4
Mantua, NJ 08051
Phone: (856) 494-4950
1-800-856-9609
Fax: (856) 494-4954
http://www.southwestcouncil.org
A Look Inside…
ATOD Watch……..….1
Parent Prevention…...2
ATOD Watch (cont.).3
Coalition Corner…..4-6
Military Family Nights
Out Program..……….7
“Where the science of prevention
meets the needs of the community.”
Medicine Cabinet Addiction
If you had to guess what the top three
most commonly used illicit drugs would
be for American teenagers, what would
they be? The first two drugs that probably
come to mind are alcohol and marijuana,
which is correct, but the third most
commonly used illicit drug may be a
surprise to most.
It can be found in most medicine
cabinets. After alcohol and marijuana,
over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription
drugs are the most commonly used and
abused drugs by kids ages 14 and over.
According to drugabuse.gov, a
government run website dedicated to
substance abuse education, most OTC
and prescription drugs taken in sufficient
quantities can produce pleasurable effects
and also be addictive, putting its users at
risk for negative consequences such as
overdosing.
Some commonly abused prescription
drugs by teenagers include Opioid pain
relievers, such as Vicodin and Oxytocin,
and stimulants, such as Adderall and
Ritalin.
But there’s an even more surprising
drug on the rise among youth that is both
incredibly common in households and
also an OTC drug:
“Purple Drank,” also known as
“Syrup,” “Sizzurp” and “Lean,” is cough
syrup containing Codeine and
Promethazine mixed with soda or candy,
which is usually consumed in Styrofoam
cups.
The opioid Codeine in cough syrup is
a cough suppressant and also a pain
reliever. In large quantities it can produce
euphoria and a feeling of relaxation.
Promethazine, the second drug in
cough syrup, is a depressant of the
Central Nervous System (CNS), a known
antihistamine, a weak sedative, and used
to treat motion sickness and nausea.
...continued on Page 3
cough syrup containing codeine, which,
when mixed with soda or candy, is also
known as “Purple Drank”
Note from SWC……8
www.southwestcouncil.org
1
Volume 1, Issue 3
The Southwest Council, Inc.
SWC Parent Prevention Page
One of the greatest fears many parents have today is
that their children may become involved with drugs and
alcohol. The National Survey of American Attitudes on
Substance Abuse II states: “Every child in America is at
risk of using drugs, regardless of race, ethnicity, or
economic status.”
According to the Partnership for a Drug-Free
America:
• Eighteen percent of parents think their child has tried
marijuana versus 40 percent of teens who say they have
tried marijuana.
• Thirty-seven percent of parents believe their teen has
been offered drugs versus 54 percent of teens who say
they have been offered drugs.
• Five percent of parents think their child has abused
inhalants versus 21 percent of teens who say they have
abused inhalants.
The good news is that parental influence is a primary
reason that youth don’t use drugs. Most teens who do not
use alcohol, tobacco, or illegal drugs credit their parents
as a major factor in that decision.
There are many things that parents can do to influence
teens’ decisions to abstain from using alcohol, tobacco
and illegal drugs.
Making sure there is good communication between
parent and child is crucial to a child’s understanding of
expectations.
Making sure there are clear rules for both in the home
and in the community, and enforcing them with
consistency and appropriate consequences helps everyone
in the family understand clear
messages regarding behaviors.
Parents who teach children
about the health, safety, and legal
consequences of using alcohol,
tobacco and illegal drugs also
lowers the risk of their children
becoming drug users.
It is important for parents to be
involved in their child’s lives. Children’s activities should
be monitored by asking them questions about what he or
she is doing, with whom, for how long and where.
Parents should teach their children to choose friends
wisely and get to know the friends of their children, as
well as their friends’ parents. Communicating with the
friends’ parents will help ensure that family standards are
extended into the homes of other families.
Whether they’re with their friends or on their own, be
sure children have easy access to a wide range of
appealing, drug free, alternative activities and safe,
monitored areas where they gather, especially during after
-school hours.
Parents who celebrate their children’s strengths and
accept their unique talents and personalities will naturally
build a supportive environment that encourages children
to make the right choices about potentially destructive
behaviors.
Parents can also take a more calculated approach to
teaching their children about drugs by having youth
practice ways to refuse drugs, alcohol and tobacco with
methods that fit their personality. Youth will be
comfortable implementing these strategies in real life if
they’ve had an opportunity to practice them in a loving
environment first.
Finally, parents must be positive role models. Adults
in a home with children and youth should not engage in
any illegal, unhealthy, or dangerous drug use practices.
Adults should also not talk positively about any
experiences with alcohol or drugs in front of children.
Instead it’s important to provide an
example consistent with the
standards laid out for the home.
By setting a good example and
getting involved in their child’s
life, parents can become the ultimate anti-drug.
Parental influence is a
primary reason that
youth don’t use drugs.
—Tom Worrell, EAP &
Early Intervention Services Director
For more information on what you can do to help your child to be drug-free,
check out these online resources:
→
→
→
→
→
→
www.theantidrug.com
http://pact360.org/programs/parents360rx
www.drugfree.org
www.drugfreenj.org
http://theparenttoolkit.org/
http://www.couragetospeak.org/EducationalPrograms/CourageousParenting101.aspx
www.southwestcouncil.org
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Volume 1, Issue 3
...continued from page 1
Drugfree.org goes into detail about
this dangerous aspect of “Sizzurp,”
saying “Codeine is an opiate that is in
the same family of drugs as Heroin and
Morphine and can be very addictive in
high doses.”
“Promethazine has anecdotally
been noted to intensify the euphoric
effects of codeine in the brain.”
The prevalence and ease of getting
OTC drugs fools many youth into
thinking that they are harmless.
According to drugfree.org, “Only
about half of teens (52 percent) say
they see serious risks in using OTC
cough medicine for something other
than its intended use, while
approximately two-thirds of teens (66
percent) report they see serious risk in
using (Rx) prescriptions not meant for
them.”
But what teenagers don’t know is
that these drugs are very risky and
have serious effects if abused.
Some of these risks regarding
“Purple Drank” include not being able
to breathe, seizures, overdose (death),
and the depression of the Central
Nervous System, which can slow or
stop the lungs and heart.”
Mixing this drug with alcohol,
The Southwest Council, Inc.
which is very common, also greatly
increases the risks of CNS depression,
seizures and overdose. In fact,
a c c or di ng t o dr u ga b us e . go v’ s
Emerging Trends link, “Deaths from
prescription opioid medications now
outnumber overdose deaths from all
other drugs (including Cocaine and
Heroin).”
Onemoreouncewillmake
mefeelsogreat/Wait...now
Ican’tfeelmyface/Upin
thestudiomeandmydrank
LyricsfromLil’Wayne’ssong“Me
andMyDrank”
The rising popularity of “Purple
Drank” is due in part to rappers across
the country promoting the strange
cough syrup concoction in their songs.
Chart topping rapper Lil’ Wayne
was hospitalized in March of 2013 for
seizing multiple times after consuming
large amounts of the codeine filled
“drank.”
Despite his hospitalization, Lil’
Wayne continues to advertise his love
for the dangerous drug, which he refers
to as “Sizzurp,” in
rap songs such as
“Mercy” and “Me
and My Drank,”
which is literally
dedicated to his
love
for
the
concoction. This
p r o mo t e s
the
wrong kind of message to youth, who
hear songs by the multiplatinum rapper
on the radio and may be influenced by
his one-sided infatuation with Sizzurp
and enticed to try it.
Because most teenagers have easy
access to OTC and prescription drugs
in their homes and from family and
friends, there is a need to monitor
medicine.
Some simple ways to deter OTC
and prescription drug abuse include
counting pills, locking them away, or
simply finding a safe way to get rid of
them such as calling a local pharmacy
or finding a prescription drop box near
you.
Rapper Lil’ Wayne shows off his bottle of
prescription cough syrup with codeine
(above) that he uses to make “drank..”
Talk to your children, family and
friends about the misuse of OTC and
prescription drugs and stay informed
about emerging drug trends by visiting
www.Drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/
emerging-trends.
— Val Everett, SWC Intern
EmergingTrends. (April 2013). Retrieved from http://
www.drugabuse.gov
DrugFacts:PrescriptionandOver-the-counterMedications.
(May2013).Retrievedfromhttp://www.drugabuse.gov
Goldberg, C. (September 24, 2012). TheMedicineAbuse
Project Launches Initiative to Curb Growing Epidemic.
Retrievedfromwww.drugfree.org
Feliz, J. (March 20, 2013). Rapper Lil’ Wayne Released
From Hospital After Seizures Linked to Reported Use of
“Sizzurp”.Retrievedfromwww.drugfree.org
www.southwestcouncil.org
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Volume 1, Issue 3
The Southwest Council, Inc.
SWC Coalitions Conduct Training
On Thursday, November 6, the
Southwest Council’s three
coalitions — SCRATCH, GRASP
and the CCHCC — hosted a
training entitled “The Science of
Prevention: Keys to Becoming an
Effective Coalition Member.” Each
of the coalitions was well
represented by coalition members at
the workshop.
Southwest Council Executive
Director Joe Williams facilitated the
day-long training, which satisfied
requirements for both initial and
recertification credits for the Certified Prevention Specialist (CPS)
accreditation.
Mr. Williams stressed the need
for collaborative efforts between
community partners to truly be
effective in creating lasting changes
in community norms.
Additional material included a
history of prevention efforts, the
science of prevention, and
prevention models.
Participants remained engaged
in the training throughout the day
and training evaluations were
overwhelmingly positive.
Coalition coordinators expect to
offer other CPS trainings in the future.
Coalition members are encouraged to suggests topics of future
workshops.
—Beth Mayers,
Regional Coalition Coordinator
SWC Executive Director Joe Williams
addresses a crowd of interested coalition
members at the SWC office in Mantua.
G.R.A.S.P.
Gloucester Regional Addictive Substances Prevention
COALITION
…?
w
o
n
K
u
o
Did Y
January is
“Support Group Awareness” month.
The American and New Jersey
Self-Help Group Clearinghouses are
asking individuals to show their support
for support groups with an awareness
ribbon. Awareness Ribbons are often
great “conversation starters” and can
help remind people that they can get
help. People are encouraged to make
and wear a maroon colored ribbon on
January 15th to show their support for
Support Group Awareness.
www.southwestcouncil.org
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Volume 1, Issue 3
The Southwest Council, Inc.
Get Involved — Join a SWC Coalition!
Southwest Council coalitions focus their efforts on the three counties our agency serves: Cumberland,
Salem and Gloucester counties. Our coalitions meet year-round and are constantly facilitating productive
events and efforts across the region. Coalition members spearhead events such as educational workshops and
guest speakers, research about drug use and awareness, canned food drives, and more! Our coalition members
consist of state and local officials, members of agencies and groups focused on drug and alcohol awareness,
and community members like you! Take the first step toward change by attending a meeting of a Southwest
Council coalition. Together we can make a difference!
G.R.A.S.P.
Gloucester Regional Addictive Substances Prevention
COALITION
CCHCC (Cumberland County
Healthy Communities Coalition)
meetings are held on Mondays at
1:30pm at the Southwest Council
Cumberland county office, 1405
N. Delsea Drive, Vineland, NJ
08360. Upcoming meeting dates
are: Jan. 13, Feb. 10 and Mar. 10.
For more information,
contact Jessica at
jessica@sountwestcouncil.org or
856-794-1011 ext. 302.
GRASP (Gloucester Regional Addictive Substance Prevention)
Coalition meetings are held on the
second Friday of each month at
9am at the Southwest Council
Gloucester county office, 550
Bridgeton Pike, Suite 4, Mantua,
NJ 08051.
Upcoming meeting dates are: Jan.
10 and Feb. 14.
For more information, contact
Jackie at
jackie@southwestcouncil.org or
856-794-1011 ext. 315.
www.southwestcouncil.org
SCRATCH (Salem Cumberland
Regional Action Toward
Community Health) meetings are
held from 9-10:30am on the second
Wednesday of each month in the
Community Room on the second
floor of South Jersey Hospital, 501
W. Front Street, Elmer, NJ, 08318.
Upcoming meeting dates are: Dec.
11, Jan. 8, Feb. 12 and Mar. 12.
For more information, contact Beth
at
bethmayers@southwestcouncil.org
856-794-1011 ext. 318.
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Volume 1, Issue 3
The Southwest Council, Inc.
Substance Abuse Forum Highlights Issues
Gloucester County Community Empowered
Through Substance Abuse Forum
“All too often, I’ve heard ‘this doesn’t happen in Pitman,’” said Police Chief Bob Zimmerman as he stood in
front of more than 70 Pitman community members during
a community forum for substance abuse prevention sponsored by the GRASP Coalition (Gloucester Regional Substance Abuse Prevention). “Pitman has a drug problem
and it’s real. Not worse than anywhere else, but we certainly do have a problem.”
On November 13, 2013 community members, school
officials, and parents joined the Pitman Chief of Police
and Mayor Russ Johnson in the Pitman High School auditorium for a discussion about substance abuse in our community.
Parent and GRASP Coalition member Maureen Fitzpatrick shared her family’s struggle with her daughter
Erin’s addiction, highlighting how important this kind of
discussion is.
“If we pretend it doesn’t exist, nobody gets help,” said
Fitzpatrick.
Another Pitman parent, Valerie Furlong, shared the
story of her two sons who have both suffered with addiction, with hope that other parents in the audience might
not experience the same agony her family has endured
over the years.
Mayor Johnson and Chief Zimmerman emphasized
their unwavering commitment to addressing the war on
drugs during the forum. The Pitman Police Department
has made over 108 drug related arrests, and they continue
to make more than one drug arrest every week.
Chief Zimmerman shared his plans to raise funds to
bring a narcotic detecting K9 unit into Pitman to help police efforts.
When asked how the community could help the Pitman Police Department’s efforts, Sergeant Hunter Moore
assured the audience that no tip was too small.
“If something doesn’t feel right to you, we want to
know about it” he said.
Superintendent of schools Dr. Pat McAleer also stood
up from the audience to voice his support of prevention
efforts, sharing that the Pitman school system was heavily
represented at the forum, and ready to share in the discussion.
Mayor Russ Johnson closed the conversation, praising
the police department for their proactive nature and guaranteeing his support for substance abuse prevention efforts in the community.
“I express deep gratitude to Maureen and Valerie for
sharing their stories, and I say that as a father, not a
mayor.” Johnson said. “Public safety is my number one
priority… tonight is a great start. We are in this together,
and I am committed to being part of the solution.”
GRASP member Fitzpatrick echoed this sentiment,
stating that awareness and education are just some of the
prevention efforts that start at home. She encouraged all
audience members to seek out organized prevention efforts, like GRASP, to get both the support and momentum
necessary to address this problem with community based
grass roots efforts.
— Jackie Williams, Regional Coalition Coordinator
For a complete listing of programs
offered by the Southwest Council, please visit
www.southwestcouncil.org
Like us on Facebook at
Southwest Council
www.southwestcouncil.org
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Volume 1, Issue 3
The Southwest Council, Inc.
Military Family Nights Out Program
Starting Soon in Gloucester County!
Register by January 3
for the Family Program
The Military Family Nights
Out program uses the
Strengthening Families curriculum,
which involves both parents and
their children learning and
practicing new behaviors and skills
together that will benefit their
family unit and decrease unwanted
behaviors.
Some areas of focus during the
sessions include: improving family
communication and bonding,
increasing family organization and
planning, decreasing family
conflict, reducing ph ysical
punishment and increasing positive
attention and praise, along with
many other key skills.
A new cycle of the program is
set to start Jan. 9 and will meet
once a week for 7 weeks, ending
Feb. 20. Each session will meet
from 5:30-7:30pm on Thursday
evenings.
Parents and children will enjoy
a dinner provided by the Southwest
Council and then break up into age
appropriate groups. Families will
reunite after about an hour for a
joint family session to play a game
or do an activity that reinforces
behaviors and skills learned in their
separate lessons.
This program is for any family
with a military connection (active
or veterans) who have at least one
10-14 year old child. Any primary
caregivers are welcome to attend.
Childcare for younger siblings
can be provided if needed.
A FREE meal, FREE program
materials, and GIFTS/
INCENTIVES will be offered to
participants throughout the
program.
All families that participate
will be invited to attend an
www.southwestcouncil.org
additional Booster Session, which
will be an opportunity for families
to spend time together during a
family fun event.
Please call or email Cory
Gilden (contact info listed above)
to register for the program.
7
Volume 1, Issue 3
The Southwest Council, Inc.
Keep Your Holidays Safe and Healthy!
December is a busy month for everyone. It is
a time of year for gatherings, socializing, and
celebrations. However, The Southwest Council would
like to remind everyone that drinking tends to
increase dramatically during the holiday season.
Although DUI’s happen year-round, more
unsuspecting drivers tend to
put themselves and others at
risk during the holiday season.
To make the holiday
season more enjoyable and
healthy, The Southwest
Council would like to offer
tips in remaining safe.
As a the host of a
holiday celebration you can
offer plenty of alternatives to
alcohol so that drinking guests can drink in
moderation and non-drinking guests will not feel left
out. Good alternatives include juice, soft drinks, bottled water and mocktails.
Mocktails are alcohol-free versions of drinks
that would normally contain alcohol or other creative
non-alcoholic beverages. Some good examples of
holiday mocktails are mistletoe punch and fireside
cider.
Another important tip when celebrating would
be to make your transportation plans well in advance.
Designate a sober driver, call a cab or stay over.
The primary message during the
holiday season is to remain
safe
and
healthy.
The Southwest Council urges
all to celebrate your holiday
season responsibly.
With this information in mind,
please make it a safe holiday
season!
For more information on
hosting a safe holiday party or
for alcohol free ideas, please
contact The Southwest Council, Inc. at 856-794-1011
ext314.
www.southwestcouncil.org
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