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NIDA offers a host of free materials on drugs and drug use to support your NDAFW event, or to use any time of the year. You can download them below. To see the full selection and order from us directly, check out NIDA's publication website.
To ensure materials arrive in time for NDAFW, please order no later than 2 weeks prior to your event or activity.

Booklets and Other Educational Materials

Educational Posters To Decorate Your Event

National Drugs & Alcohol IQ Challenge

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NIDA offers a host of free materials on drugs and drug use to support your NDAFW event, or to use any time of the year. You can download them below. To see the full selection and order from us directly, check out NIDA's publication website.

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A Guide to Teenagers, Vaping & Substance Use

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Following Up On Wednesday, December 5, 2018, we partnered with the Abington School District to have a conversation about some warning signs of substance use, as well as how to best address these challenging topics. "Being more knowledgeable about vaping will

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Turning Point Addiction Treatment In Southaven MS

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Substance abuse and addiction arise from many things, the specifics varying from individual to individual, however, one predominant characteristic of a drug and alcohol addiction is that it originated in part from a person's attempt to cope with some aspect of their life.

As a person becomes overwhelmed with life's struggles-the loss of a job, a failing marriage, physical health concerns, increasing amounts of stress, emotional instability or co-occurring mental health disorders such as anxiety or depression, they may begin self-medicating with drugs or alcohol. Gradually this pattern of abuse accelerates into a more compulsive realm, and addiction is borne.

The Benefit Of Developing A Multi-Faceted Approach

While it may seem intimidating to see the number of strategies that follow, instead, consider the contrary-it should be liberating-here exists the power to take greater control over your life, health and happiness. You don't have to practice all of them or try to utilize them all at the same time. Recovery takes a varied path for each person, hence, the combination of coping skills that bring the greatest benefit will vary from person to person.

Despite this, it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with each, as overtime, life experiences change, exposing you to new situations that might be challenging in different ways. You can't anticipate every scenario, nor plan to the T how you will react or cope. This doesn't mean you shouldn't consider these things, as preemptive prevention can often be the best defense.

Instead of becoming overwhelmed by these many tactics, look at these as if they are a toolkit-finely tuned instruments you carry around-should the need arise to use them, you'll be prepared to implement them to ward off temptation and doubt.

Creating A Social Support Network

It is commonplace for a person struggling with an addiction to withdraw from healthy and engaging relationships and turn to individuals who share the same self-destructive habits or behaviors. Once you're striving toward sobriety, or maintaining a sober life, you need to revamp your in-person social network.

Developing meaningful and supportive relationships can help to bolster your sense of belonging, self-confidence and even self-awareness. Whether it be rekindling an old relationship with a family member or friend, or establishing a new one, these positive relationships are an important part of recovery. Not only can they help to banish loneliness, but they can be a sounding board throughout your journey. These people may reflect your state back to you and express encouragement or concern should you stray from your focus, so that you remain in touch with who you are and where you're at.

Becoming A Member Of A Support Group

Additionally, you can engage in various support groups, whether they be faith-based or secular, 12-step or non-12-step, these groups can offer you the benefit of shared experiences through the peer-to-peer support. These interactions offer greater accountability, encouragement, and access to various other coping skills. These groups can also be a great place to meet new, sober friends.

Enhanced Interpersonal Skills

As we've noted, a person may push well-meaning family and friends away as they descend deeper into an addiction. Beyond this, your relationships may falter under the weight of the drugs or alcohol, creating tensions between you and a spouse, parent, child, friend or coworker. The caliber of your relationships and support systems can improve by learning how to establish and honor boundaries, how to react to and around these people in social situations, how to cultivate healthful ways of expressing needs and how to understand the role of healthy intimacy.

Within this, communication skills training can aid you in succinctly conveying your needs and understanding others, relating your feelings and thoughts honestly, listening more effectively and understanding the other party's view. When you're struggling with thoughts of drug use, you need to be able to reach out to those who care and communicate the danger you're facing and articulate that you need help.

Spiritual Practices

Spirituality or religiousness has been shown to offer great benefit to those who practice these elements both during and after substance abuse treatment. Not only are these things sources of hope, inspiration, and empowerment, but they allow you a means by which to keep yourself accountable. Another beneficial aspect is that in many cases these practices will lead you to a supportive group, whether it be a church or other house of worship, a bible study or a faith-based support group.

Mindfulness Practices

Mindfulness practices have garnered increasing support and massive momentum within the world of addiction treatment and recovery, and are even supported by research. Too often, a person who is struggling with an addiction, or striving to manage their recovery, finds their thoughts stuck in the past or lingering too heavily in the future, in a way that detracts from the power of the present. Mindfulness encourages a person to be present at the moment. In this way, you deal with things as they come, neither berating yourself for your past behaviors nor creating an unhealthy environment of stress and expectation over the future.

When successful in doing this, you will be better able to accept your situation and access the power and skills to change it. In terms of coping skills, it allows you a moment to reaffirm your direction and pursuit of wellness, and time to empty your mind and refresh, before refocusing on your sobriety. Mindfulness has been shown to enhance self-control and temper impulsivity, two things that are of great benefit when you are striving to cope with a potential trigger. Mindfulness practices are often accompanied by yoga and may include meditation, breathing exercises and even spending time outdoors to clear your mind.

Evaluating Your Decisions

This follows suit with mindfulness, essentially bringing your attention to your actions, in a way that observes, anticipates and evaluates what will happen if you make specific choices. Instead of blindly making a seemingly innocuous choice, you will take a step back and look to see if it has any potential for self-harm or harboring cues. In many cases, by doing so, you can avoid these negative consequences. An example would be driving down a certain street on the way to the grocery store that takes you by your old drug dealer's house. Choosing an alternative route ahead of time would avoid the possibility of temptation that might arise from seeing their house.

Strategizing Your Behaviors

Avoiding high-risk situations is key towards protecting yourself from cues or triggers. Within recovery, there is a handy acronym "H.A.L.T." that can help you to remember the most common mindsets that may lead to substance abuse or thoughts of relapse. This stands for Hungry, Lonely, Angry and Tired, situations that might aggravate you towards using drugs or alcohol to reduce these feelings.

If you can't avoid a situation that makes you feel this way, say an intense day of work, be mindful or control of what you can. For instance, make arrangements to see a good friend on a day you know you'll be feeling drained and lonely, that way they can help to bolster your mood and reaffirm your sober intentions.

Problem Solving

Sometimes a difficult situation is unavoidable, and instead of being reactive (and turning to drugs or alcohol) you need to be proactive and mindfully and deliberately strategize your behaviors or actions to achieve the best and most positive outcome possible. Instead of becoming overwhelmed by the result, look to the root of the issue and see if it's something you can change to alleviate the negative result or temptation.

Practicing Your Refusal Skills

This may seem obvious to some, and it is a very basic task, however, it is a powerful one. You cannot always shield yourself from cues and temptations. Because of this, you need to develop the confidence to be able to assert yourself and articulate the answer "no." It may sound silly, but practicing different ways of saying "no" to drugs or alcohol, out loud, and even in the mirror, may be helpful.

Emotional Regulation Skills

Negative emotions can wreak havoc on a person, creating an imbalanced state that makes them more susceptible to drugs or alcohol. Emotional reactions are present in most situations and are something you cannot avoid; due to this, you must learn to moderate and control your reactions, being mindful to squash the negative and cultivate positive ones. However, when negative emotions do arise, you need to learn how to process them and let them go, so you can move forward. These skills are a critical part of dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), a progressive modality that is used within Turning Point's addiction treatment program.

Anger Management

Anger is an intense emotion, one that influences not only your mind but also your physiological state. Your blood pressure, heart rate, and body temperature may rise, fueling your awareness that you're feeling out of control. Collectively, this state may lead you to consider managing these feelings by substance use.

Anger management will help you to articulate your anger in a more assertive way that is not aggressive or confrontational, thus offering you a greater opportunity to incite change and lessen the instance of a confrontation. You may also be directed towards other, healthier outlets, such as taking time away from the conversation or immersing yourself in physical activity to calm your mind and release tension.

Stress Management Skills

Stress is hugely implicated in addiction. Stress is a normal part of life, however, sometimes people are unable to properly handle it, or they encounter situations that have undue amounts of stress. By learning how to more effectively manage your stress, you reduce the opportunity for thoughts of using and balance your emotional state to avoid further cues that could perpetuate substance use. Managing stress in a healthful way may entail counseling, exercise, family support and learning to confront issues head-on instead of letting them build and fall out of your control.

Engaging In Enjoyable Activities

When a person has an addiction, they often let activities that were once meaningful or enjoyable to them fall to the wayside, as they devote increasing amounts of time and energy to the pursuit and use of drugs or alcohol. Now is the time to reconnect with these interests, or branch out and find new hobbies or activities that can distract you and foster a sense of fulfillment, accomplishment, and well-being. Various hobbies may spark your interest, including gardening, crafting, sports, reading, playing an instrument, listening to music or cooking. Volunteering is another great option, as it forces you out of your head and your own concerns by allowing you the opportunity to care for another individual or cause.

Develop Healthy Habits As An Outlet

As an addiction accelerates, a person may forget about important aspects of their self-care. They may forget about self-grooming, healthy eating, and exercise. The lack of these things all contribute to a general state of disrepair and feeling unwell. To counter them, it is important that you begin to develop better habits, taking care to nurture yourself, body and mind. Good dietary choices and nutrition can help your body to repair, while also avoiding a state of hunger that can trigger thoughts of drug use. Exercising is a very powerful coping tool, as it helps take your mind off of things and releases endorphins, which are your body's natural feel-good chemicals.

We Can Point You In The Right Direction

Whether you're looking to become sober or are already well within your recovery journey, it is always important to stay active and invested in positive coping skills. If you're concerned about your drug or alcohol abuse, or that you may sacrifice your hard work and progress by relapsing, contact us at Turning Point today. Our compassionate staff can offer you resources to help you further develop an arsenal of coping skills and direct you to our treatment options, should the need arise.

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Substance abuse and addiction arise from many things, the specifics varying from individual to individual, however, one predominant characteristic of a drug and alcohol addiction is that it originated in part from a person's attempt to cope with some aspect of their life.

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Hiking

Swimming

Hiking

Running

Yoga

Walking

Playing instruments

singing and dancing

Creating or performing art

Hanging out in a safe an comfortable place

Journal

Talk to a support person

Bowling

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http://butlercountycoalition.org/resource-links/

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SAMHSA’s National Helpline
1-800-662-HELP (4357)

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SAMHSA's substance use prevention campaign helps parents and caregivers start talking to their children early about the dangers of alcohol and other drugs.

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ASAP Cincinnati | Teen Drug & Alcohol Treatment

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ASAP Cincinnati is a teen outpatient rehab for those with mental health and addiction issues. ASAP offers different levels of care and programs.

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Coping Skills

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Negative consequences of teen drug use might include:

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Negative consequences of teen drug use might include:

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Drug dependence. Teens who misuse drugs are at increased risk of serious drug use later in life.

Sexual activity. Drug use is associated with high-risk sexual activity, unsafe sex and unplanned pregnancy.

Mental health disorders. Drug use can complicate or increase the risk of mental health disorders, such as depression and anxiety.

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Parents often tell us that their child is "self medicating" with alcohol or other drugs. One of the goals of treatment is to teach coping skills while also connecting families to clinicians who can provide the appropriate medications (if necessary).

Learning to manage intense feelings can seem difficult. It can be terrifying to experience these feelings if you are used to reaching for a drink or a "hit" any time something doesn't feel right. Everyone can learn emotion regulation and can practice to get better.

Emotion regulation is the ability to manage the extremes of emotion. Young kids often have temper tantrums that involve kicking and screaming. We hope by adulthood that they have developed the skills to deal with their once overwhelming feelings in a less harmful way.

The pre-frontal cortex controls emotional regulation. It is not fully developed until young adulthood - in the mid 20s. So teens and young adults are still not done developing - just one reason alcohol and other drug use is so harmful to them.

Emotion regulation can look different throughout a person's life. Babies might suck their thumbs. Younger children may hug a favorite stuffed animal when they get upset. Older children could read or journal. Teens and adults sometimes reach out to a friend on the phone. Learning different coping skills for each stage of life is an important part of emotion regulation. PLEASE Skills can help encourage emotion regulation.

Where do intense feelings come from?

When kids get excited (positively or negatively), it's a sign that they are acting on impulse. Some kids (like those with ADHD) are more apt to respond this way. Younger children are also more likely to be impulsive. The higher thinking part of the brain (the pre-frontal cortex) isn't always able to engage quickly enough to take control of the situation. Let kids know the following information, remembering that some of this information is better for younger or older kids:

Intense feelings are normal.

Your feelings belong to you.

If you are having an overly intense feeling, you may need to take a little break until the calmer part of your brain can help you out.

Learn and practice calming techniques when you are already calm in order to be prepared.

Techniques you learn to get you through an upset time, will strengthen your brain pathways. Over time, you will become better at calming yourself down.

Calming Techniques

Breathing techniques are great calming tools. Some ideas for younger kids can be found in this printable.

Reading, crafting/creating, writing, exercising, and talking to a friend or family member can all be good calming techniques.

During a calm and quiet time, help your child create a list of activities that help them feel calmer. Hang this list in a central location as a reminder of what to do during stressful times.

Teach children and teens other techniques (like positive self talk or staying present in the moment) that they may not already know how to do.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a skill that strengthens the brain's pathways to calmer responses. It helps kids and adults react less automatically or impulsively. It also strengthens the pre-frontal cortex, which is responsible for making mature decisions. Practice mindfulness when you take a walk or get out in nature. Take time to notice what is happening around you for a moment, rather than always being goal oriented.

Be Age Appropriate

Keep in mind that young children are less able to control their emotions than older children. This is a skill that will continue to develop over a person's whole life. Even as adults, we sometimes lose our cool, and kids are even more likely to struggle. Don't punish kids for having a lapse in emotion regulation. You wouldn't punish your child for not being able to write their name at 2 years old, or for being unable to drive a car at 12. This is a learned skill that everyone needs to practice to master it. Some people are naturally more able to regulate emotions compared to others, just as some are able to ride a bike earlier. Once kids and teens have the basics down, they begin to take ownership over their reactions, and they will be more likely to work for calmer responses.

When to Jump In

Parents sometimes rush to fix everything for their children. How many of us have said, "I just want them to be happy!"? We can't force an emotion onto our children. When we rush to soothe kids every time they are upset, they lose the opportunity to learn to self manage. Give your child the tools to get calmer, offer support (hugs, conversations, etc.), and remind them of their calming ideas, but remember that people often learn more when they have to fix something themselves.

Be Calm for Them

Showing kids how to work out problems without losing your cool is a good way to model emotion regulation. This means talking through your emotions as you are trying to calm down. An example might be: If your child comes home with a poor grade on a test, you could tell them, "I'm feeling really upset and disappointed about this right now. I'm going to make some tea to help me calm down. In 15 minutes we are going to talk about what happened and create a plan to do better in the future."

This is a way to support them and their efforts to learn to regulate their emotions, provide a solution to get calmer (making tea, reading, etc.), and coming back to the problem in a timely manner when you've had a minute to think. It doesn't ignore the problem, and it requires the child to help solve the difficulty, while also modeling how to be calm in a stressful situation.

Provide a Scaffold

Scaffolding is a teaching technique that bridges between what a student can already do with where you want them to be. In this context, it means helping your child solve the problem in real time (as much as possible) by meeting them where they are and providing additional resources as needed. If your child is having a problem cleaning their room and begins to throw a fit, you could approach the problem several ways. Some parents might begin to yell or lecture; others might clean up the room themselves to get it done faster. A good technique to try here, is to walk the child through the problem and some possible solutions.

Make sure you are reflecting their issue and concerns, so they know that you are hearing them. ("I hear that you don't want to clean up your room. You don't think it's fair that this is your job right now.") See if they have any ideas to make the task easier or more fun. Make some appropriate suggestions if they need help. (Some of my family's favorites for this common situation include: picking up everything that is a certain color, putting on music and seeing how much is put away before the end of the song, and doing fun movement after putting away every 5 items.) After the room is cleaned up, discuss ideas for not making such a mess next time. When it happens again, maybe they will remember some of the techniques you tried or suggested.

You don't need to wait until your child has an emotional outburst to begin teaching emotion regulation. Start by making a list of things that encourage calm behavior. Work on deep breathing, including some of the "fun" variations. Begin making moments of mindfulness a more regular part of your life. Over time, your child will become better at emotional regulation with practice and maturity.

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Emotion Regulation: Managing Intense Feelings Sober

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Parents often tell us that their child is "self medicating" with alcohol or other drugs. One of the goals of treatment is to teach coping skills while also connecting families to clinicians who can provide the appropriate medications (if necessary). Learning to manage intense feelings can seem difficult.

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Practice talking to your kids about the dangers of alcohol.