Answer Addiction

Tag: drug prevention

  • Improbable Players Use Theater To Teach Kids About Addiction, Recovery

    Improbable Players Use Theater To Teach Kids About Addiction, Recovery

    The Massachusetts-based group has brought their message to more than one million students.

    For the past three decades, a dedicated group of professional actors, all of whom are in recovery from dependency issues, have made it their goal to provide “prevention education” about all forms of addiction and recovery to the public through dramatic performances and theater workshops.

    In doing so, the Massachusetts-based Improbable Players – which is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year with a gala and fundraising event – has brought their message to more than one million students in New England, the Northeast United States and Ohio.

    Photo credit: Ally Rzesa

    They’ve also supported more than 200 individuals in recovery by giving them a unique forum to share their experiences.

    The Founder

    Founded in 1984 by actor and educator Lynn Bratley whose own experiences with alcoholism and sobriety formed the basis for the Players’ first show, the company soon became a “foundational program,” as executive director Andy Short tells The Fix. “It took actors in recovery and created plays from true stories,” he said. “Often, these were stories from the actors who were part of the playmaking process. We brought that to schools as a 45-minute show.”

    Photo credit: Ally Rzesa

    The Players perform for school audiences starting at the sixth grade level; of the 118 shows they put on in 2018, Short says that 105 were for schools, with the remainder at conferences, treatment centers and community events, all in the New England area, as well as New York, New Jersey and Cleveland, Ohio.

    Each show is followed by a Q&A session with the performers. The focus is, as Short says, “agnostic, to use a 12-step term. We show people in treatment and seeking help from peers, relatives and professionals, but we don’t get very specific [about forms of treatment] within the play itself.”

    For audiences, the Improbable Players offers an honest and unfiltered look at addiction and recovery that’s drawn from real-life experience. We have two things going for us,” says Short.

    “Right off the bat, we say that we have this problem, and that wakes them up a little bit. The other thing is that we don’t preach – we show addiction and recovery as it could happen – and just because someone doesn’t have an addiction, that doesn’t mean you couldn’t benefit from seeing it, because you could think, ‘Oh, this could help my friends.’ And at the end of every show, we say, “Who here knows someone who might have a problem?” We get 80% of hands going up in middle school.

    For the actors, the shows are a chance to share what they’ve learned, and in the process, gain support for their own recovery. For Short, who joined after three years in recovery, that feedback proved invaluable. “I was working at Starbucks and having a tough time – really depressed,” he recalls. 

    Shared Experiences

    “My first show, this girl came up to me and asked how she could talk to her brother – they weren’t talking and he had just dropped out of school because of addiction,” he says. “I had a conversation and hooked her up with counselors at the school. For me, I felt, ‘I can be really useful with my experience here.’ That was really important for my recovery, and other people have had the same experience.”

    On October 28, 2019, the Improbable Players will celebrate their 35th anniversary with a fundraising gala and performances at the Lyric Stage Company in Boston, Massachusetts. It’s a chance for the group to honor its work and to support its performers, as well as introduce audiences and potential supporters to their mission of prevention education. Space is limited, so for individuals and businesses who may want more information on the Improbable Players, they can find information on the company and its gala at improbableplayers.org.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • "Weeded Out" Game Show Aims To Educate Teens About Cannabis Use

    "Weeded Out" Game Show Aims To Educate Teens About Cannabis Use

    Some of the show’s target audience of young people have questioned whether Weeded Out presents all sides of the argument for or against marijuana use.

    The city of Denver, Colorado has launched a new marijuana education initiative aimed at providing teenagers with facts about cannabis use, as well as related health and policy issues.

    The campaign takes a decidedly different approach than previous programs: it’s a game show called Weeded Out, which quizzes teen contestants on marijuana fact and fallacy.

    As both High Times and CBS This Morning noted, the game show—which is reportedly funded by tax revenue from cannabis sales in Denver—underscores the city’s hopes that marijuana education programs can contribute to a decline in cannabis use among teenagers. But the show’s target audience of young people has questioned whether Weeded Out presents all sides of the argument for or against marijuana use.

    Weeded Out—which airs on social media—follows a traditional quiz show structure, with a panel of teenage contestants answering questions about marijuana. Those that answer incorrectly are “weeded out” until a final group of nine players is left. As High Times noted, the show adopts a Jeopardy-style format, with contestants fielding questions until a final winner is declared.

    Education programs like these make a difference, according to Ashley Kilroy, executive director of marijuana policy for the city. According to her, recent statistics show that the number of young people who report using marijuana over a 30-day period has dropped from 26% to less than 21% over the last two years—a trend also echoed in other states where marijuana is legal. “The numbers are showing that use has dropped significantly,” she said.

    But CBS This Morning found that the focus and tone of the questions asked on the show skew towards the risks involved in cannabis use, and do not always address possible medical benefits. Both the homepage and the Facebook page for the initiative, called High Costs, appear to lean towards a fairly gloomy view of marijuana use; videos on the latter address the connection between cannabis and bronchitis, performance and reaction time, depression and other issues.

    Students have picked up on the tone as well. “There’s obviously medical benefits to it, otherwise it wouldn’t be legal,” said high school junior Isaiah Diaz. “It’s not properly balanced.” Senior Hana Elghoul echoed his sentiment: “I think they are afraid to tell us the good side, just because they think it might influence the way with think,” she said. “They might encourage us to use it.”

    Some teachers who have observed the program and students’ reactions to it also feel that a more balanced approach could have greater impact on its audience. “I think at the end of the day, they want the whole truth,” said North High School teacher Vince Trujillo. “If you were able to bring both sides, I think more students would be in tune with that.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Teen Drug Use Drops In Ohio

    Teen Drug Use Drops In Ohio

    A local prevention expert credits greater awareness, media attention and personal tragedies for the decrease. 

    There’s some good news out of Ohio, as a new survey indicates teen prescription painkiller and heroin use are on the decline.

    According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, the numbers come from a survey administered every two years by PreventionFirst, a nonprofit with the goal of stopping teen drug use before it begins. 

    “2018 is the lowest I’ve ever seen it,” Mary Haag, president and CEO of PreventionFirst, told the Enquirer. 

    The survey involved almost 33,000 students in grades 7-12 from both private and public schools in the greater Cincinnati area. 

    According to the findings, 2.4% of surveyed students reported using any type of prescription drugs in the 30 days prior to the survey, and 0.3% reported using heroin in that same timeframe. In comparison, in 2012, 6.5% reported using prescription pain pills and 1.8% reported heroin use. 

    Haag tells the Enquirer that these numbers are encouraging and she credits greater awareness, media attention and personal tragedies for the decrease. 

    However, the survey did raise some concerns when it came to alcohol and marijuana. According to the results, in the 30 days before the survey, 13.7% of students reported using alcohol and 8.1% reported using marijuana.

    Another recent survey, the CDC’s 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, also asked questions about teen opioid use. This survey asked whether students had ever misused prescription opioids and the number answering yes was higher, at 14%. 

    Nancy Brener, lead health scientist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Adolescent and School Health, tells the Enquirer that this response is concerning. However, the same survey also showed a decrease in overall drug use in teens. 

    “I think it’s important to understand that we have made progress,“ Brener noted. 

    The survey also indicates that those who do not smoke cigarettes or use alcohol, illegal drugs or prescription drugs by age 21 are “virtually certain never to do so.”

    According to Marc Fishman, medical director of Maryland Treatment Centers and assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University Department of Psychiatry, tells the Enquirer that it’s vital that treatment centers be willing to treat all types of substance use disorders in teenagers.

    “We need more treatment,” Fishman told the Enquirer. “Treatment of cocaine-use disorder. Treatment of alcohol-use disorder. Treatment of marijuana-use disorder.”

    “The vast majority of people with opioid-use disorder start with non-opioid use,” Fishman added. “Most of them don’t progress, but almost all of the cases of opioid-use disorder started there.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • "Killing Pain" Docu-Series Spotlights Oklahoma's Opioid Crisis

    "Killing Pain" Docu-Series Spotlights Oklahoma's Opioid Crisis

    Oklahoma’s Attorney General, who is interviewed for Killing Pain, lauded its coverage of the “many tragic aspects” of the state’s opioid crisis.

    A new seven-part documentary focuses on the impact of the opioid crisis on Oklahomans.

    Killing Pain, which is free to watch online, is a multi-faceted exploration of the opioid crisis, from the perspective of Oklahomans.

    The seven-part series was produced by the Oklahoma City-based non-profit organization Fighting Addiction Through Education (FATE). The docu-series is just another arm of founder Reggie Whitten’s fight to spread awareness about the risks of opioid drugs.

    Whitten has been doing this for 16 years, since the death of his son Brandon. Brandon’s addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs led to his death in 2002 at the age of 25.

    “That’s when a part of me died and my life changed forever,” said Reggie Whitten. “I really don’t even remember who I used to be. It’s hard to believe the power of this little molecule called an opioid.”

    Whitten travels to Oklahoma communities to tell Brandon’s story and speak about the opioid crisis. “You can’t fight an enemy until you know everything there is to know about it and I’ve spent the last 16 years obsessively learning about the enemy,” said Whitten. “Addiction is a very difficult adversary.”

    Whitten noted that opioid-based prescription drugs are important for some, but that education about the risks is just as important. “For every one person that dies, we have tens of thousands who are living a life of misery,” said Whitten. “They’re highly addicted to this… drug.”

    FATE also offers various programs designed for specific audiences such as the Life of an Athlete program, Native Fate (designed for Native American communities), elementary schoolers, college students, working professionals, and everyone in between.

    Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunger, who is interviewed for Killing Pain, lauded the documentary’s coverage of the “many tragic aspects” of Oklahoma’s opioid crisis.

    “Although the reality of the story is painful, the good news is, Oklahoma is rising to meet this challenge,” said Hunger, according to News 4. “State officials, business leaders and community organizers are tired of watching our families suffer and are stepping up and doing something about it.”

    The entire Killing Pain series is available to watch for free on YouTube.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • "Shock Value" Anti-Opioid PSAs Debut To Mixed Response

    "Shock Value" Anti-Opioid PSAs Debut To Mixed Response

    The four videos feature actors portraying individuals who go to extremely violent lengths to enable their opioid dependency.

    The Trump administration unveiled a quartet of public service announcements (PSAs) as part of its proposed $4.6 billion fight against the opioid epidemic.

    The four videos, all purported to be based on true stories, feature actors portraying individuals who go to extreme lengths to enable their opioid dependency: one is seen smashing their hand with a hammer, while another drives a car into a dumpster.

    The videos, which began airing on television and and social media on June 7, have drawn not only comparison to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America’s “This is your brain on drugs” campaign of the 1980s, but also a mixed response from drug policy organizations, with some expressing positive views while others labeled the PSAs as “shock value” or “disingenuous and misleading.”

    The ad campaign, which is the first stage in an educational effort called “The Truth About Opioids,” is a joint effort between the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), the Truth Initiative and the Ad Council.

    An array of media partners, including Facebook, Google, YouTube and Amazon have committed to donating airtime and ad space for the PSAs, which according to Ad Council CEO Lisa Sherman, is worth roughly $30 million.

    Jim Carroll, deputy director of the ONDCP, was unable to provide an exact figure on how much his agency spent on the campaign, but noted that “very few government dollars” were used, due to the Truth Initiative and Ad Council donating their work and the media partners’ donated airtime.

    Fred Mensch, president of the nonprofit Partnership for Drug-Free Kids—the Partnership for a Drug-Free America’s moniker since 2010—spoke highly of the PSAs, which he described as having “the potential to generate a dialogue between parents and kids on this complex health issue.”

    But Daniel Raymond, deputy director of planning and policy at the Harm Reduction Coalition, called the spots “the 21st century version of the egg-in-the-frying-pan” commercial, referring to the “your brain on drugs” spot, which was created by Partnership for Drug-Free Kids.

    “We don’t need shock value to fight the overdose crisis,” said Raymond. We need empathy, connection and hope for people struggling with opioids. The White House missed an opportunity to combat stigma and stereotypes, portraying people who use opioids as irrational and self-destructive.”

    Stefanie Jones, director of audience development for the Drug Policy Alliance, praised the Truth About Opioids web site for providing useful information and resources, but found that the ads “take really extreme cases,” she said. “It’s all about self-harm to seek opioids, and they also end with the same ‘fact’ about how dependence can start after five days, and that’s just an incredible simplification.”

    The nature of the PSAs seem to suggest what Trump alluded to in March 2018 about a “large-scale rollout of commercials” intended to raise awareness about opioid dependency.

    At the time, Trump said that he had long been in favor of “spending a lot of money on great commercials showing how bad [opioid dependency] is.” He added that his administration would make the spots “very, very bad commercials” in which “you scare [audiences] from ending up like the people commercials,” and cited similar examples in anti-smoking PSAs.

    In May 2018, Axios quoted an unnamed source with an alleged connection to the PSAs, who said that “[Trump] thinks you have to engage and enrage.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • A Modern Approach To Drug Education

    A Modern Approach To Drug Education

    A California-based nonprofit’s modern approach to drug and alcohol education is garnering positive feedback from students and parents alike. 

    NPR profiled Being Adept, a non-profit, research- and science-based organization that provides alcohol and drug prevention education to more than 3,000 students in California.

    Adept’s approach is markedly different from drug education campaigns of the past, which emphasized total abstinence through “scare” tactics; the organization’s curriculum focuses on scientific findings that provide students with facts about the long-term health risks of drug use, and allows them to make informed decisions about their own future.

    As NPR notes, Adept’s strategy has been met with positive response from students and parents alike.

    As an example of Adept’s focus, the NPR piece covers an instructor’s presentation for a class of eighth-graders in Larkspur, California. Instructor Ashley Brady opens the session by informing the students that she “is not here to tell you what to do today.”

    From there, she provides a wealth of information that focuses on the impact of marijuana use on brain and body chemistry. Warnings about the side effects of edibles and concentrates on developing brains as well as the strength of THC levels in newer strains of cannabis and the possibility for dependency issues, are offered as fact-based information—modern cannabis is “not the same drug” as the marijuana consumed in the 1970s, Brady said—and without caveat.

    Other classes provide students with strategies to real-world scenarios in which they might encounter marijuana or other drugs—what to do at a party, or ways to cope with stress or emotion without drugs.

    The approach lacks the authoritarian tone that many previous prevention programs embraced; if there’s a key component to how Being Adept talks about drugs, it’s “delay, delay, delay,” said founder and psychotherapist Jennifer Grellman.

    “The way to handle that with your kids is to say: ‘you know, you don’t have to do this now. Maybe you want to use it someday, but not today, not now. It will always be there.’ Just tell them to wait,” she explained. 

    Parents are also included in Being Adept’s curriculum through a special “Parents Night” presentation, where responses like Grellman’s are offered as guidance for those who have expressed concerns over the right way to talk about drugs with children. The program also emphasizes honesty in words and actions—drinking responsibly in front of children, and being honest about their own drug and alcohol use as teenagers.

    “You don’t have to tell the full story,” noted Grellman. “You could say, ‘I did smoke, or I did drink, when I was 13. And you know, frankly? It was too early for me. I made some stupid decisions and I got in trouble.’ You can give them the consequences of it.”

    Students at the Larkspur presentation appeared to appreciate the program’s approach. “It made you feel more mature,” said 13-year-old Devon Soofer. “This class was actually telling you the long-term effects and what it can actually do to you. So it actually made you feel like, ‘Wow, this actually really bad,’ and not just being forced not to do it.”

    View the original article at thefix.com