When It Comes to Substance Use Prevention – Communication is Key

Tonight is the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey’s (PDFNJ) Angel of Hope Gala, at which we will recognize two important honorees for their dedication in supporting PDFNJ’s mission to prevent substance use and the disease of addiction.

PDFNJ will be presenting Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey with the Angel of Hope Award for its unwavering support of PDFNJ over the last 25 years and for its leadership in addressing New Jersey’s opioid epidemic. The Partnership will also recognize PDFNJ’s late founder and former Chairman, Joseph (J.P.) Miele, who passed away in 2021. The Joseph (J.P.) Miele Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented posthumously to Mr. Miele’s family in his honor.

I also wanted to share a recent New York Times article, which discusses the deteriorating state of the mental health of today’s youth. I covered this topic in a blog post a few weeks ago. It is both sad and alarming that teens and adolescents are at a crisis point, which if not properly addressed, could lead to a substance use crisis as well.

I wrote a Letter to the Editor for the Star Ledger that further expresses my sentiments.

 

The Star Ledger
May 4, 2022

Communicate with Kids to Stave Off Crises

The recent opinion piece by Rutgers University psychology professor Maurice Elias, “What our children need in stressful times,” emphasized that today’s adolescents and teens are struggling with mental health issues. We all need to be paying attention and talking to our children.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a mental health crisis among children, who have paid a toll from isolation, remote learning and social distancing. A U.S. Surgeon General’s advisory last year warned of a youth mental health crisis, and the American Academy of Pediatrics has declared a national emergency in children’s mental health.

This crisis is now contributing to a substance use crisis, since people diagnosed with mental health conditions are about twice as likely as others to suffer from a substance use disorder.

It is vital that we focus on children’s mental health. A cornerstone of Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey is encouraging family communication. Talk to your kids every day. Know what they are doing and who they spend time with. Be a person your children can turn to if they feel stress or are approached to experiment with drugs or alcohol.

Open communication will address issues before they arise and will prevent substance use or misuse down the road.

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