Education
Quiztime
- PREPARING EDUCATORS TO HELP SAVE LIVES: WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT OPIOID USE AND ADOLESCENTS
- Opioid-related overdoses, including prescription pills (e.g., oxycodone, hydrocodone), heroin, and synthetics like fentanyl, are increasing among our adolescents and young adults. School leaders, teachers, coaches, and staff play an integral role in creating safe learning environments for our youth, educating students and families about the dangers of drug use and preventing opioid misuse and addiction, enhancing student wellness to reduce engagement in dangerous behaviors, and being prepared to respond if an opioid overdose occurs on school property or during a school activity.
- Five minutes of your workday could provide you and your colleagues with the knowledge to save a life. This course is designed for school leaders, teachers, athletic directors, coaches, trainers, counselors, school nurses, and all educators who work with adolescents and young adults. Topics include understanding how opioid-naïve adolescents are exposed to opioids, suggestions for non-opioid pain management to prevent these exposures, impact of opioids on the developing adolescent brain and physiology of addiction, interplay of sports injuries, depression/anxiety (about not playing) and opioid misuse strategies for best practice management when treating adolescents with acute painful conditions, the recognition of signs and symptoms of opioid withdrawal plus opioid use disorder in adolescents, how family factors and adverse childhood experiences contribute to opioid misuse in adolescents, and key knowledge about naloxone including when to give it, how to administer, and address concerns about side effects.
- Use the following link to enroll in Quiztime, an educational application developed by Vanderbilt University Medical Center and take this learning opportunity - QuizTime Catalog 2024 Preparing Educators to Help Save Lives: What You Should Know about Opioid Use and Adolescents Part 1 (quiztimehealth.com)
Additional Education Resources
Research tells us that adolescence is a critical period for risk of developing substance use disorders as the adolescent brain is not yet fully developed and can be characterized by impulse behaviors and reward-seeking. Preventing or delaying the onset of substance use among adolescents is an important public health strategy.
This guide developed by the Partnership to End Addiction is a guide for parents and families to better understand the risks of opioids, to arm themselves with information to spot early use and partner with their children in addressing risky behavior.
A Comprehensive Resource for Families with a Tenn or Young Adult Struggling with Opioid Use
Botvin LifeSkills Training (LST) is an evidence-based substance abuse and violence prevention program used in schools and communities throughout the US and in 39 countries around the world. LST has been extensively tested and proven to reduce tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug use by as much as 80%.
Botvin LifeSkills Training
There are several evidence-based substance use prevention programs, that can be implemented in schools or other settings with youth.