Youth
Learning about substance misuse prevention is the first step to a healthier life. Whatever your age, it’s never too soon to become informed. Become involved with your school and local community groups. Let your voice be heard.
Vermont Resources
Addressing the Dangers of Vaping in Vermont Schools: An Electronic Vapor Product Education Toolkit for Schools Here is a toolkit to help you educate your students about making healthy choices for themselves, and to better understand what electronic vaping products are all about. Vermont Department of Health • 108 Cherry Street • PO Box 70 • Burlington, VT 05402 HealthVermont.gov
No Safe Vape (from the Dartmouth-HItchcock Health Website), Videos for adults and youth. With the growing number of vaping-related illnesses and deaths, “No Safe Vape” aims to educate young people and their families about the dangers of vaping and to provide resources for those seeking further information or help quitting.
802Quits Provides free cessation support for Vermonters ages 13 and older:
By phone, 24/7, at 1-800-QUIT-NOW Coaches can provide support for the tapering method (decrease in nicotine concentration, puff duration, frequency and power of the device battery).
Additional support is available by email, text or instant message. Online unlimited help
Turning Point Recovery Center of Springfield – Youth Leadership Program.
Pairing trained Youth Leaders with youth who may have their own struggles and/or struggles within their family.
Youth Support Groups
- Alcohol Anonymous: The AA website can help young people find AA meetings near them and has brochures directed at young people.
- Narcotics Anonymous: The NA website can help young people find NA meetings near them and has resources including brochures for young addicts.
- Smart Recovery: SMART Recovery is a leading self-empowering addiction recovery support group. The website provides resources for teens and youth support programs, meeting locations, and an online community.
Youth Tips
- Support community efforts to prevent substance use and participate in community activities that promote healthy behaviors – join your local community coalition or start one! see Coalition List
- Promote prevention at your school by joining or starting a school substance use prevention group.
- Above the Influence. It’s a state of mind. It’s about being yourself and not letting negative influence get to you. Pressure to drink, do drugs or do anything that goes against who you are in order to fit in—that’s negative influence. And if you’re one of the teens who want to stay above it, visit Above the Influence
- Students Against Destructive Decisions, a peer-to-peer education, prevention, and activism organization dedicated to preventing destructive decisions, particularly underage drinking, other drug use, risky and impaired driving, teen violence, and teen suicide.
- Practice different ways of saying no when people try to get you to do things that you don’t really want to do.
- Even if your family provides a warm, caring, supportive place to grow, also seek support through adults in your school, community organizations, or faith community. The more positive adult relationships you have, the better.
- Let your friends know that you are available when they need someone to talk to. If they need it, help them get additional assistance from a counselor, social worker, parent, or other adult.
- Spend time with people that help make your future dreams and plans come true.
- Remember that younger kids see you as a role model. Be sure your actions show younger kids how to be kind and to make healthy choices.
- If someone is being a bully to you or someone else, ask him or her to stop. If that doesn’t work, tell an adult.
National Resources for Youth
- CDC: Here you can find resources and information on prevention work at the national level
- Truth Campaign: This campaign provides information and uses videos and social media to engage youth in taking action against tobacco and tobacco companies.
- Johnny’s Ambassadors: Saving Our Youth from the Harms of Marijuana
Youth Helplines
- Crisis Call Center: call 1-800-273-8255, or text “ANSWER” to 839863
- Crisis Text Line: text “START” to 741-741
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: call 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
Youth Substance Use Institutes
- National Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependence: This informational website provides support to those who need assistance confronting the diseases of alcoholism and drug dependence.
- National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism: NIAAA supports and conducts research on the impact of alcohol use on human health and wellbeing. They provide resources directed toward young people to evaluate your drinking and tools to stay in control.