By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Tina Bradley and Kyle Clark realize that abstinence from drugs and alcohol is an unrealistic goal for many teens. But as leaders in the Wood County Prevention Coalition, they want to make kids and their parents aware of the risks.
Working with all the public schools in Wood County, mental health officials and law enforcement, the coalition is trying to give youth the best chance of surviving their teenage years as unscathed by substance abuse as possible.
“Science has broken through about how a brain develops,” Clark said. And that research shows that the damage from substance abuse can be especially harmful before the age of 25, he said.
“The longer you can delay the use, the better,” Clark said. “They are going to experiment – we know that.”
But if armed with information about the risks, they hope more teens will be less likely to become addicts.
“We’re not just saying abstinence,” Bradley said.
But the coalition wants to help delay the onset of experimentation with drugs like heroin and fentanyl.
The Wood County Prevention Coalition recently earned accolades from CADCA, Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America.
“It really provided me the tools to do my job,” Bradley said. “It’s so helpful to understand the challenges in our community.”
To grasp the challenges facing local youth, the Wood County Prevention Coalition relies on data gathered every two years by the youth surveys conducted in schools. The surveys collect information on use of alcohol, tobacco, drugs and mental health issues experienced by students.
Following are some factors affecting youth:
- The more mainstream acceptance of marijuana. “Kids don’t see the harm involved,” Clark said. “It’s being legalized everywhere.”
- The willingness of parents to host parties where youth are allowed to drink alcohol or use drugs. “Parents who host – that’s still a big problem,” Clark said. “It almost seems like a rite of passage that enables the kids.”
The Wood County Prevention Coalition is working on some programs to combat alcohol and drug use among local youth. The organization recently received a $3,000 grant to help promote safe high school prom and graduation seasons at Bowling Green High School.
“If it’s successful, we’ll be able to replicate it at other schools,” Clark said.
Working with law enforcement and social media, Bradley and Clark hope to debunk the idea that all students drink alcohol at such celebratory events.
“We want to remind them that a big percentage don’t drink while celebrating,” Bradley said.
“This is a way of getting down to the root cause, and trying to educate them,” Clark said.
The coalition has also received a $15,000 Prevention Action Alliance grant to prevent gambling among teens. Many seniors celebrate adulthood by going to casinos, so this grant will be aimed at making them aware of the risks.
Efforts are also being made locally to provide safe drug disposal locations or home packets, to prevent old prescriptions from being used improperly.
The coalition is also reaching out to younger children with materials on the dangers of smoking.
“It’s a way to be creative and make a difference doing it,” Bradley said. “It’s prevention – every little bit we can do to plant the seed.”
Wood County has seen a decrease in youth alcohol and drug use in recent years, according to the surveys conducted in schools. It is unusual for all the public schools in a county to be onboard with such a project, Bradley said.
“A lot of schools don’t do that,” she said.
The key to success for the Wood County Prevention Coalition is its teamwork with so many community organizations, Bradley and Clark said.
“It’s because of the collaboration we do, and all the agencies that work with us,” Clark said. “We complement each others’ work – and we stay out of each others’ way.”
