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National Great American Smoke Out Day
Tomorrow, November 17, is the Great American Smoke Out. Each year the American Cancer Society challenges smokers to give up cigarettes, vaping or e-cigarettes. The day is meant to encourage people to quit smoking tobacco and start the journey toward a healthy lifestyle.
Sadly, e-cigarette use among teens is on the rise. According to the CDC, in 2021, about one out of every 35 middle school students, and about one of every nine high school students reported that they had used electronic cigarettes in the past 30 days.
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PDFNJ Wants to Hear Your Song! Your Voice!
The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey’s (PDFNJ) Your Song! Your Voice! Shout Down Drugs New Jersey music and songwriting competition is back from its 19th year! Teenagers who are into making music, won’t want to miss this opportunity to have their songs heard by tens of thousands of people.
Each year, PDFNJ’s Your Song! Your Voice! competition challenges high school students from across the state to create original music with substance use prevention messages. It is a great opportunity for today’s youth to not only get exposure for their music but also become peer leaders by creating positive messages about substance use prevention that can have a positive impact on people’s lives.
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Communication is Key to Substance Use Prevention
The Food and Drug Administration recently issued a warning about a social media challenge encouraging individuals to cook chicken using Nyquil. This warning serves as another example of the need for continued efforts to raise awareness of the dangers associated with misusing and abusing medications.
I encourage you to share this information with your community. Additionally, in recognition of National Red Ribbon Week this week, please consider taking advantage of the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey’s (PDFNJ) 15-Minute Child Break Program.
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October is National Youth Substance Use Prevention Month
President Biden issued a proclamation declaring October as National Youth Substance Use Prevention Month. The need for substance use prevention among today’s youth has never been greater as studies show the earlier in life a young person starts using alcohol or other drugs, the greater their lifetime risk of misuse or addiction.
The Proclamation calls upon communities to take action to promote the health and safety of children through the adoption of prevention strategies. Communication is one of the greatest prevention tools in helping children lead healthy lives free of substance is use or misuse.
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Let’s Continue the Success of Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day All Month
I wanted to take a moment to thank all of the New Jersey residents, businesses and community leaders that have and continue to be a part of the 7th annual Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day.
From Atlantic County to Somerset County and from Essex County to Hunterdon County – residents, government leaders, addiction professionals, and law enforcement showed up in large numbers to raise awareness and shine a light on the opioid addiction crisis that continues to plague their communities and out state.
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Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day is TOMORROW!
Tomorrow is the 7th Annual Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day! I urge all of you to participate and raise awareness and understanding about the link between prescribed opioids and heroin and fentanyl overdoses and deaths in our state and to reduce stigma and encourage support of those in recovery.
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Experimenting with Prescription Pills is Deadly
I wanted to share with you this article that outlines the links between pills and fentanyl.
To find out more about this life threating issue join us on October 6 – Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day – for a Learning Series Webinar that will focus on this topic.
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Calling All Fourth Grade Artists
The new school year is upon us, and that means the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey’s (PDFNJ) Fourth Grade Prevention Folder Contest is underway for the 2022-23 school year. Each year, PDFNJ challenges fourth grade students throughout New Jersey to create substance use prevention artwork with the theme, “Fun Things to Do Instead of Drugs.” The winning artwork is reproduced on a school folder distributed to fourth grade classrooms the following school year.
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Join the New Jersey Recovery Walk!
This week’s guest blogger is Lisa Gladwell of New Jersey Recovery Advocates, a grassroots nonprofit organization whose mission is to offer real solutions to the plague of addiction currently devastating our children, families and loved ones. As September is National Recovery Month, I urge all of you to join their walk/rally on Saturday, September 17.
All the best,
Angelo M. Valente, Executive Director of PDFNJ -
Recognizing National Recovery Month
September is National Recovery Month. This national observance serves to support the recovery community and promote new evidence-based treatment and recovery practices. It is also a time to celebrate and honor those in recovery and the strides they make every day.
The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ) recognizes and honors those in recovery and the many prevention, treatment and recovery programs and services throughout New Jersey and the nation. We honor their successes this month and all year long.