Start A Conversation: 10 Questions Teens Ask About Drugs and Health
From the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
NIDA’s goal is to help people get accurate, science-based information about drugs and health. To help you start a conversation about drugs and health with your teen, they have compiled teens’ most frequently asked questions from more than 118,000 queries.
Check out the questions and learn how to answer them here.
Managing the Seemingly Inevitable Holiday Season Stress
From Very Well Mind
Welcome to the holiday season—that whirlwind of gift-giving holidays, marketing blitzes, holiday parties, and activities galore that begins right after Halloween, builds to Thanksgiving and continues gaining momentum through the end of the year. While this season is meant to bring feelings of love and cheer, it’s also the harbinger of holiday stress for many. Read more.
Facts About Fentanyl
Wyatt’s Story: A Message on Fentanyl
With his big and shining personality, 23-year-old Wyatt Williamson lit up every room he entered. “Wyatt really didn’t know a stranger,” his mother, Julie Hofmans, said. “Everybody loved Wyatt. He was my best friend.” Wyatt tragically passed away at age 23 after taking a pill he thought was Xanax, but was actually laced with the powerful synthetic opioid, fentanyl. By sharing Wyatt’s story, Julie hopes to save other families from tragedy and heartache. “Are you willing to take a chance with your life … to take a pill and you don’t know where it came from?”
Volunteer Opportunities
There are a variety of volunteer opportunities at awesome nonprofits throughout Westchester and Putnam Counties. To view these opportunities, please check out Volunteer New York!
The John C. Hart Memorial Library in Shrub Oak can always use some volunteers! To find out about their Teen Volunteer Program, click here.
Yorktown Leos Club
Leadership, Experience, Opportunity! The Yorktown Leos are a community service club for people ages 12-25 willing to help others in the community. They host and participate in a variety of fun and collaborative events. The Yorktown Leos Club has been helping the Yorktown community for over 25 years and to learn how to get involved, click here.
Weekly Spotlight Family Support Groups
From our partners at Drug Crisis in Our Backyard, weekly Spotlight Family Support Groups, held virtually every Tuesday and Wednesday via Zoom. Spotlight on Recovery is a Family Educational and Support Group for families struggling with a loved one misusing substances. For more information, click here.
Weekly Yoga for Resilience
Do you have a loved one struggling with addiction? Are you feeling overwhelmed? Carve out time for yourself so you may respond to your loved one with a clearmind and an open heart. Join us on Zoom and we will come together in a safe space to practice somatic mindfulness, grounding and centering, containment and breath regulation. For more information, click here.
November 9 – Invitation to Change Workshop with CRAFT Strategies
CRAFT (Community Reinforcement and Family Training) presented by Center for Motivation and Change and Drug Crisis in Our Backyard. Learn tools that can give you hope, help a loved one move away from substance use and apply better techniques to help you take care of yourself. Some strategies that will be covered are: Positive communication, Setting Boundaries, Natural Consequences and Positive Reinforcement. Excellent workshop for anyone hoping to influence change in a loved one’s behavior. Register here.
Student Assistance Services Corner
“Helping Students Enhance Their Well Being by Making Healthy Decisions and Remaining Substance Free”
A partnership between a parent/guardian and Student Assistance Counselor best supports the nurturing of the social and emotional wellbeing of students. We encourage you to contact the SAC at your child’s school for a confidential consultation. Click here to learn more.
Lakeland High School: Sasha Meyer Porco, LMSW, CASAC, smeyerporco@lakelandschools.org
Yorktown High School: Kiara Loughran, MSsacounselor@yorktown.org
Lakeland Copper Beech Middle School: Ms. Finan, MSlfinan@lakelandschools.org
Check out what we have been up to in the schools!
Upcoming Events
November 4 – You Worry Too Much! Understanding Anxiety in Children & Adolescents
Explore the causes and symptoms of anxiety in children and adolescents, evidence-based treatment options, and practical ways you can provide support. Register here.
November 12 – Safe Roads Ahead: How to Discuss Impaired Driving with Children and Teens
Talking to your kids about impaired driving, underage drinking, alcohol, and cannabis can be tough, but it’s vital for their safety. Join Tess Rowland, a Traffic Safety Liaison, traffic crash survivor, and former National President of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), as she shares practical prevention strategies to help parents navigate these conversations. Register here.
November 14 – Virtual Mental Health First Aid Training
Mental Health First Aid for Adults teaches people how to recognize signs of mental health or substance use challenges in adults ages 18 and older, how to offer and provide initial help, and how to guide a person toward appropriate care if necessary. Register here.
December 3 – GivingTuesday
ASK provides a safety net that supports a healthy lifestyle for our youth and families. ASK’s mission is to connect the community to important resources that promote Youth Mental Health; Substance Use Prevention, Treatment and Recovery; and Opportunities for Thoughtful Service.
As the fiscal sponsor for Drug Crisis in Our Backyard, ASK supports their mission to bring awareness of the rampant abuse of prescription and illegal drugs in our community; bring recognition that substance misuse is a chronic disease; and to assist individuals and their families who are struggling with the effects of substance use in a friend or loved one.
Your donation will not only support the ongoing connections between the community and potentially lifesaving resources, but will allow for important programs to continue.
NAMI Westchester
The families and members of NAMI Westchester are here to help! They offer understanding to anyone concerned about mental illnesses and the treatment of mental illness. To view their calendar, click here.
Westchester Breathes is an ongoing program offered by the Westchester Library System offering an experience of gentle movement, breathing and relaxation exercises that reduce stress and anxiety and increase a sense of calm and well-being. These exercises are simple and evidence-based – which is to say …they work! They are free and on Zoom. Register here.