Where does our stress response come from, and what actually happens to the brain when it’s under stress?

Watch this extended footage from our film BREAKING POINTS, featuring George Slavich, PhD, Director of the UCLA Laboratory for Stress Assessment and Research, discussing the effects of stress on the brain and why some students turn to risky coping mechanisms — like abusing prescription stimulants — to alleviate it.

Thank you to Gray-New Gloucester High School students, Joe Schnupp, Community Policing Officer for the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, Michelle Murley, Gray-New Gloucester High School Social Worker and our local businesses- Hannaford and Rite Aid in Gray for a successful Project Sticker Shock.

Sticker Shock is a project that brings community members, youth, law enforcement and local businesses together to raise awareness about the risks of providing alcohol to minors. The students place bright orange stickers on alcohol containers which emphasize the state law for providing alcohol to minors. The goal is to keep youth safe by reaching adults and reminding them they play a vital role by not purchasing alcohol for minors.

Tip: It is difficult to reach peak performance and learn new information if under the influence of marijuana.

The effects of marijuana can remain in the body for up to several days and may negatively impact attention, motivation, memory and learning. It can also compromise judgment and affect many other skills necessary to be successful in sports.

The Partnership for Drug-Free Kids writes that almost two-thirds of teens and young adults who use Juul e-cigarettes don’t know they contain nicotine, according to a new study.

Juul cartridges, which look like a USB flash drive, have nicotine levels equal to a pack of cigarettes, researchers from the non-profit health organization Truth Initiative report in the journal Tobacco Control.

To read the full article click here.

Parents: How to Practice Self-Compassion

Self-compassion entails three components:

1) “First, it requires self-kindness, that we be gentle and understanding with ourselves rather than harshly critical and judgmental.”
2) “Second, it requires recognition of our common humanity, feeling connected with others in the experience of life rather than feeling isolated and alienated by our suffering.”
3) “Third, it requires mindfulness—that we hold our experience in balanced awareness, rather than ignoring our pain or exaggerating it.”

To read the full article from Greater Good Magazine, Science-Based Insight For a Meaningful Life click here

Get Opioid Resources and Personal Support Sent Straight to Your Phone Via Text

The Partnership for Drug-Free Kids would like to introduce you to Help & Hope by Text, a way to get customized, mobile messages on your cell phone that provide you with personalized, ongoing support and relevant resources for families struggling with heroin and other opioids.

How It Works

It’s a simple process to sign up:

• Enter your mobile phone number or text JOIN to 55753.
• Answer a quick series of questions about your child and his or her substance use in order to help customize the messages you’ll receive.
• Receive messages with information, support and hope specific to your family’s needs.
• Text CHAT at any time to speak directly with a Parent Helpline Specialist.

Thank you to Scott Gagnon, MPP, PS-C, for providing Casco Bay CAN Coalition members an informative presentation on, “Clinical Skills in the Era of Legal Cannabis”