October 2017 Volume 9, Issue 7

A monthly newsletter to keep you current and In The Know on topics related to the Prevention of Substance Abuse

Do you or someone you care about need help because of Drugs, Alcohol or Gambling call:

1-877-8HOPENY(1-877-846-7369)

24 hours a day, 7 days a week * Free & confidential information and referrals.

Steuben Council on Addictions

A program of Substance Free Living

Red Ribbon Week, October 23-31 Each October, during Red Ribbon Week (RRW), there is a focus on alcohol, tobacco and other drug and violence pre-vention. Since its beginning in 1985, the Red Ribbon Week Celebration has touched the lives of millions of students and their families throughout the country. It is the oldest and largest awareness campaign in the United States. Red Ribbon Week represents the nationwide commitment to raising drug awareness in our schools. By honoring the history of DEA agent Enrique "Kiki" Camerena's sacrifice, students wear red ribbons with drug free life slogans, deco-rate doors, and school hallways. On February 7, 1985, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administra-tion Agent Enrique (Kiki) Camarena was abducted by drug traffickers and murdered. His body was found one month after his murder in a shallow grave 70 miles from Guadala-jara, Mexico. Later that same year, the National Federation of Parents for Drug Free Youth joined forces with the DEA and implemented a Red Ribbon campaign. The National Red Ribbon Week is celebrated every year and is dedicat-ed to Kiki Camarena and all of the people who have been

wrongly killed due to the violence of drugs. Kiki was a believer that one person can make a difference and he sacri-ficed his life to prevent drugs from entering the United States. Red Ribbon Week (RRW) is a time to pro-mote having a drug free life in. Getting clear messages to youth about the dangers of drugs is an important educational piece that is reinforced during RRW. Positive activities help reinforce the important mes-sage that can help mold better choices for the growing child. Steuben Council on Addictions helps promote RRW campaigns in local schools.

• The National Family Partnership estimates that more than 80 million people participate in Red Ribbon events each year.

• Red Ribbon Week educates individuals, families, and communities on the destructive effects of alcohol and drugs and encourages the adoption of healthy lifestyle choices.

• The campaign is a unified way for communities to take a stand against drugs and show intolerance for illicit drug use and the consequences to all Americans.

• Wearing a red ribbon during the last week of October has come to symbolize zero tolerance for alcohol, drug, and tobacco use and a commitment to substance abuse pre-vention.

• DEA joins with community coalitions and prevention groups to plan and carry out Red Ribbon Week activities, ranging from classroom events to stadium-sized rallies.

It is important to talk to children early and often about the dangers of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. For information about drug prevention or how to talk to your children about drugs please contact a Prevention Educator at Steuben Council on Addictions (607) 776-6441.

SUPPORT NATIONAL RED RIBBON WEEK

Drug use and drug addictions are preventable

by being educated and being involved in the

lives of children!

Wear on Monday, October 23rd

and show your support for drug free living!

Steuben Council on Addictions is a program of Substance Free Living, which is a service priority for Catholic Charities of Steuben. In The Know is a regular monthly update about alcohol, tobacco and other drugs to help in the prevention of substance use and abuse. For more information please contact Stacey O’Dell, Prevention Educator at sodell@dor.org.

October is Bullying Prevention Month. Bullying has been a major topic in our society over the past few years and com-munities across the nation have been trying to educate and reduce bullying and its’ effects. Bullying has been defined as unwanted, aggressive behavior that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The unwanted behavior is re-peated over time. The imbalance of power and repetition are the two main components of bullying. Bullying behav-iors may include threats, rumors, physical and/or verbal attacks, and excluding someone from a group on purpose. Also, there are different roles in the bullying dynamic. There is of course the bully and the victim, but there also can be a witness(es).

Bully prevention programs try to teach that if you are a wit-ness to this behavior that you should intervene. Interven-tion can be direct or indirect. If the situation is not a safety concern, the witness can try to calm and separate the peo-ple involved. If safety is a concern, the witness can seek help from an authority figure such as a parent, teacher or police officer. The witness should never ignore the situa-tion. The effects of bullying in our society can be very seri-ous. Bullying has been linked to mental illness, substance abuse, low self-esteem and suicide.

The week of October 20th celebrates Character Education Week! This is a week dedicated to character education pro-grams, similar to those taught throughout Steuben County. Character education is programs that are designed to help

kids make better choices in their everyday lives. Schools across the country have adopted strong character educa-tion programs to improve student performance, have few discipline issues, and it increases student involvement throughout the community.

One example of a Character Education program that edu-cators from the Council are presenting is called Too Good for Violence, which focuses on teaching children how to handle their emotions, learning problem solving skills, and dealing with differences and bullying. This program is 7 weeks long, ranging from grades K-6. Prevention Educa-tors are also teaching a program called Second Step, which provides the children with a range of lessons, from not tattling on other students, to lying, to how to handle strong emotions. This program is 15 weeks in length. The educators have also come up with lesson plans to be taught in the classrooms, focusing on specific topics (such as team building or gossiping), based on the needs of the teacher. Character education programs help to shape who kids become, helping them learn right from wrong and ulti-mately help them make healthy choices later in life.

Steuben Council on Addictions offers several prevention education programs that try to teach coping skills, emotion management and problem-solving to reduce aggressive bullying behaviors and much more. If you would like more information about these programs, please contact us at 607-776-6441.

8 East Morris Street, Bath, NY 14810

Phone: (607) 776-6441 * Fax: (607) 776-6664

Prevention Director: Jim Bassage

Prevention Educators: Barb McCollumn, Stacey O’Dell, Stephanie Wilcox, Julie Camacho

Administrative Assistant & DDP Coordinator: Diana McIntosh

Clerical Assistant: Jessica Allison

Drug Free Communities Coordinator: Norman McCumiskey

Drug Free Communities Program Assistant: Colleen Banik

Bath Hope for Youth Counselors: Sherry Sutton—Campbell-Savona Tara Chapman—Hammondsport

Jennifer Beaty—Haverling

Bullying Prevention and Character Education

This message brought to you by Steuben Council on Addictions and the offices of the Steuben County Sheriff and the Steuben County District Attorney.

⇒ It is illegal to provide minors with alcohol or a place to party with alcohol.

⇒ If you serve alcohol to minors you could face serious legal consequences.

⇒ It is NEVER legal for any adult to provide alcohol to someone else’s child even with the permission of that child’s parent.

DID YOU KNOW?

Youth who drink alcohol are more likely to experience: School problems, such as higher ab-sence and poor or failing grades. Social problems, such as fighting and lack of participation in youth activities. Legal problems, such as arrest for driving

or physically hurting someone while drunk.

Anyone with information relating to underage drinking such as parties, underage sales, etc. or information relating to illegal drugs, such as sales, dealers,

or other suspicious activities are encouraged to use the tip line.

The tip line will be monitored seven days a week, 24 hours a day, all calls are kept anonymous.

Do your part to help make our communities safe for everyone!

1-844-378-4847

Tuesday, October 24th Corning Painted Post East High

School, 201 Cantigney Street, Corning

6:00 – 7:30PM – Forum

Please join community leaders, addiction service providers, and other key stake-holders in a discussion that is critical to our community – combating the spread of the opioid crisis and substance abuse.

You will hear from service providers about the resources available for addicts and their caregivers. In addition, you will hear personal stories of recovering addicts and their loved ones about their journey to sobriety. There will be a Q&A with a panel of experts to address any questions the community may have.

Refreshments will be provided, and repre-sentatives of these support services will be in attendance for additional information.

CommunityOpioid&

SubstanceAbuseForum

Recovery Month Highlights

During National Recovery Month (September), edu-cators from the Council worked with those in re-covery to create shirts that promoted recovery and also to create and come up with tools for recovery, such as calming jars, stress relievers and more.

Recovery is a process that should always be celebrat-ed and so we commend those in the process and those that are working on achieving their goals.

This was a great time of celebration for all involved.