Opioid Safety
Guidelines to Help Protect You and Your Family 1. Talk With Your Doctor Opioids are often prescribed after surgery to help relieve pain. If you have been prescribed an opioid, talk with your doctor about the risks and if possible, discuss alternatives to opioids. There are other ways to treat pain that are often more effective and have fewer risks and side effects. See UseOnlyAsDirected.org … Continue reading Opioid Safety
Choose Compassion, Break Down Stigma
People with medical conditions need a supportive network to help them recover. Substance use disorder is just as much a valid condition as someone who is recovering from cancer. Any chronic medical condition requires support from a recovery community. Unfortunately, not all health conditions receive the same level of support. People with a substance use disorder can experience social isolation, stigma, and shaming, all of … Continue reading Choose Compassion, Break Down Stigma
Staying Social During Social Distancing
Stuck at home to avoid COVID-19? During self-imposed or government regulated quarantines, many individuals and families are finding themselves spending the majority of their days inside. Keep yourself busy and enjoy this rare occasion to stay at home with these 13 fun ideas. Be creative and adapt the activities to suit kids, teens, adults and more! 1. Try the Karaoke feature on the Marco Polo … Continue reading Staying Social During Social Distancing
Encircle
Encircle is a resource center created to bring the family and community together to enable LGBTQ+ youth to thrive. Many LGBTQ+ individuals manifest symptoms of mental illness that they may not have otherwise expressed if it hadn’t been for the societal stigma and shame regarding queer identity. Unfortunately, in the state of Utah, we have one of the highest suicide rates in the nation. It is the … Continue reading Encircle
Free NAMI Classes
NAMI is the National Alliance on Mental Illness. NAMI Utah’s mission is to ensure the dignity and improve the lives of those who live with mental illness and their families through support, education and advocacy. NAMI Utah County offers the following FREE programs: Connections Support Group – Twice monthly for individuals living with a mental health condition Family Support Group – Twice monthly for families … Continue reading Free NAMI Classes
Tobacco policy and vaping updates 2020
We are entering an exciting time of the year where there is great potential for change in the field of tobacco and drug prevention, especially when talking about preventing use among our youth population. The Utah State Legislative Session begins January 27th and ends March 12th. During this time, the Utah State Legislature has the opportunity to pass many bills, but the ones that we … Continue reading Tobacco policy and vaping updates 2020
Alcohol Policy Summit Presentations
Thank you to all who attended the 2019 Utah Alcohol Policy Summit! Below are the powerpoints that have been submitted by our speakers. 2019 Steve Schmidt UT Alcohol Policy 10.18.19 The goals and challenges for alcohol policy and regulation today are very similar to those the country faced when prohibition of alcohol ended: preventing harms related to public health and safety; responsibly meeting consumer demands; … Continue reading Alcohol Policy Summit Presentations
Talking to Your Kids About Drugs
Starting a conversation about drugs with children can be difficult and awkward. However, communication between parents and children about this difficult topic is one of the most important protective and preventative factors. It may seem early, but starting these conversations with elementary school children is appropriate. Youth can experiment with drugs and alcohol even in elementary school, and it’s a great time to start clearly … Continue reading Talking to Your Kids About Drugs
Alpine School District
Alpine School District (ASD) is the largest school district in Utah, serving over 80,000 Utah County students. The goal of ASD is to help students gain the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to lead happy, productive lives. Ensuring students understand the risks of substance abuse and then helping them gain skills and dispositions (like communication and resiliency) to successfully resist drug and alcohol misuse is … Continue reading Alpine School District
Defend Your Mental Health
Depression, anxiety, or just chronically not feeling good affects a lot of people. It can be difficult to cope with negative feelings. There are many things you can do to support good mental health, including healthy hobbies, healthy coping strategies and increasing resilience. One of the most effective things you can do is choosing realistic, positive thoughts. It’s not about telling yourself everything is rainbows … Continue reading Defend Your Mental Health