Don't Let Your Child Become a Statistic! LYME-OLD LYME -- Did you know that roughly one third of of alcohol-related traffic fatalities happen during Prom/Graduation/Summer season? Approximately 1,000 young people under 21 will die from preventable tragedy in the coming months according to the National Highway and Safety Administration. This season the Lyme-Old Lyme … [Read more...] about April is National Alcohol Awareness Month: A Timely Message From Lyme-Old Lyme Prevention Coalition
A Tool Kit for Parents: Cannabis Legalization and Marijuana’s Impact on Our Youth
LYME/OLD LYME -- Cannabis is now legal for adult use in Connecticut and retail sales officially began in January. How do we support our children and parents through this change and what it means moving forward? Learning more about today’s marijuana, its impact on our youth, and the new law is a great way to start. Over the next few months, the Lyme-Old … [Read more...] about A Tool Kit for Parents: Cannabis Legalization and Marijuana’s Impact on Our Youth
It’s Prom/Summer Party Season! Let’s Work Together to Stop Teen Access to Alcohol
LYME/OLD LYME -- With Prom and summer just around the corner, it’s a great time to focus awareness in Lyme and Old Lyme on underage drinking. Remember alcohol continues to be the number one substance used by youth. One way we can work to prevent teens from drinking is to prevent easy access to alcohol and recognizing that teen drinking is not inevitable. The Lyme-Old … [Read more...] about It’s Prom/Summer Party Season! Let’s Work Together to Stop Teen Access to Alcohol
Lyme-Old Lyme Students Present Findings from Community Survey at Forum
LYME/OLD LYME -- On March 29, results from the 2021 Lymes' Youth Service Bureau (LYSB)/Lyme-Old Lyme Prevention Coalition (LOLPC) Youth Survey were discussed at a Community Forum at Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School. This survey was conducted in December 2021 with 662 students in 6th through 12th grade reporting on behaviors and trends related to alcohol, marijuana, vaping, other … [Read more...] about Lyme-Old Lyme Students Present Findings from Community Survey at Forum
Letter to the Editor: Lyme-Old Lyme Prevention Coalition Responds to Hartford Fentanyl Tragedy, Encourages Community Approach to Substance Abuse Issues Locally
To the Editor: An Open Letter to the Lyme-Old Lyme Community I’m sure many of you have heard the tragic news about two recent drug exposure incidents in two Connecticut middle schools. Tragically, a young 13-year-old boy died after being exposed to fentanyl at his middle school in Hartford. The following day, five students were hospitalized after ingesting THC … [Read more...] about Letter to the Editor: Lyme-Old Lyme Prevention Coalition Responds to Hartford Fentanyl Tragedy, Encourages Community Approach to Substance Abuse Issues Locally
Keeping Kids Safe Through the Wonders of Winter Ball
LYME-OLD LYME -- The Winter Ball and all milestone celebrations are amazing events where memories are made for our teenagers. They also offer unique opportunities for open conversation with teens about alcohol/other drugs and the risks they pose for individual and group safety. The best thing parents and other adults can do in an adolescent’s life is to talk often and … [Read more...] about Keeping Kids Safe Through the Wonders of Winter Ball
Red Ribbon Week Includes Virtual Presentation on Marijuana Dangers, Thursday
LYME/OLD LYME -- Lymes' Youth Service Bureau (LYSB) and Lyme/Old Lyme Prevention Coalition (LOLPC) are planning a number of activities to celebrate Red Ribbon Week, which is taking place through Oct. 31. The week is aimed at uniting youth, parents, schools, and communities in order to take a stand against drug misuse. As part of this year’s observance — which will be themed … [Read more...] about Red Ribbon Week Includes Virtual Presentation on Marijuana Dangers, Thursday
In It Together: College Drinking — Rite of Passage or Risky Business?
Underage college drinking is a significant public health problem, and it exacts an enormous toll on the intellectual and social lives of students on campuses across the United States. Drinking at college has become a ritual that students often see as an integral part of their higher education experience. Many students come to college with established drinking habits, and … [Read more...] about In It Together: College Drinking — Rite of Passage or Risky Business?
Lyme-Old Lyme Prevention Coalition Needs Community Input, Asks Readers to Take Online Survey
LYME/OLD LYME -- The Lyme/Old Lyme Prevention Coalition (LOLPC) is a group of volunteers, who collaborate with all sectors of the community to prevent substance misuse and abuse. Working together over the past 16 years, they have achieved significant reductions in adolescent substance misuse. Their work continues to change as the culture, climate, and concerns facing … [Read more...] about Lyme-Old Lyme Prevention Coalition Needs Community Input, Asks Readers to Take Online Survey
LYSB, LOL Prevention Coalition to Hold Free NARCAN, QPR Training for Community, Tonight; All Welcome to These Potentially Life-Saving Sessions
LYME/OLD LYME -- On Thursday, Aug. 19, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., Lymes' Youth Service Bureau (LYSB) and the Lyme/Old Lyme Prevention Coalition will be hosting a free Narcan and Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) training session. NARCAN (naloxone) is an opiate antidote. Opioids include heroin and prescription pain pills such as oxycodone, codeine and morphine. NARCAN is a … [Read more...] about LYSB, LOL Prevention Coalition to Hold Free NARCAN, QPR Training for Community, Tonight; All Welcome to These Potentially Life-Saving Sessions
In It Together: Binge Drinking is Bad for the Brain … Even for Teens
Summer is here, parties are happening, and alcohol consumption will increase. This is a good time of year to dive deeper into the effects of binge drinking on the brain and development. You have surely heard that abusing alcohol hurts your health. But how many years of drinking do you think it takes to visibly affect your brain? Ten years? Twenty? Turns out that it … [Read more...] about In It Together: Binge Drinking is Bad for the Brain … Even for Teens
In It Together: Understanding Critical Connections Between Drug Use/Abuse and Mental Illness
LYME/OLD LYME -- As we recognize both National Prevention Week this week (May 9-15) and National Mental Health Awareness Month during the whole month of May, the Lyme-Old Lyme Prevention Coalition is actively working to educate the community about substance abuse, our youth, and the role of prevention. Understanding how substance use and abuse before the age of 25 has a … [Read more...] about In It Together: Understanding Critical Connections Between Drug Use/Abuse and Mental Illness
In It Together: April is Alcohol Awareness Month so Let’s STOP Teen Access to Alcohol
LYME/OLD LYME -- April is Alcohol Awareness month and one way we can work to prevent teens from drinking is to prevent easy access to alcohol. Teen drinking is not inevitable. Nationally, more than 70 percent of high school seniors do not drink alcohol regularly. Unfortunately, according to 2019 data, 73 percent of 12th graders at Lyme-Old Lyme High School (LOLHS) … [Read more...] about In It Together: April is Alcohol Awareness Month so Let’s STOP Teen Access to Alcohol
In It Together: The E-cigarette Epidemic Among Youth
LYME/OLD LYME -- The Lyme/Old Lyme Prevention Coalition is recognizing National Drug and Alcohol Fact Week (March 22-28) with a look at e-cigarettes, vaping and its impact on our youth. We are proud to be working with youth leaders at both the High School (REACH) and Middle School (Upstanders) to bring awareness to peers, families, and the community. Considerable progress … [Read more...] about In It Together: The E-cigarette Epidemic Among Youth