Substance Use Prevention

Over 1 million people have taken the the quick quiz at AlcoholScreening.org, to learn about their drinking patterns and receive personalized feedback. You’ll find out whether your alcohol consumption is likely to be within safe limits, or if it may be harmful to your health, either now or in the future.  It’s confidential and only takes a few minutes.  Check it out!

Could a Friend Use Your Help?

When you talk, your friends will listen – even if you’ve tried drugs or alcohol yourself.

You may be worried that your friend will be mad at you – but if you really think that he/she/they needs help, you need to say something.

These tips from Above the Influence can help you get ready for the conversation.

If You Need Help

There are resources available, and people ready to help. The following are a really good starting place:

• Text ABOVE to 741-741 for 24/7, anonymous, free crisis counseling via the Crisis Text Line.
• Connect with the Brewer Chapter of Young People in Recovery (YPR).
  • YPR envisions a world where everyone can access the necessary resources to recover from substance use disorder.
  • They offer monthly meetings and ways to connect and get involved.
  • YPR’s mission is to provide the training and networks all individuals, families, and communities need to recover and maximize their full potential.

Be Informed

Get the latest information on how drugs and alcohol affect the brain and body from NIDA for Teens.

Dealing with Media

There’s no shortage of youth-targeted advertising by the alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco/vaping industries.These companies are looking to develop lifelong customers and “replacement smokers”. Many are marketing their products as healthy and a good alternative to other choices, but often that’s not the real story.

These tips from The Media Literacy Project can help you critically evaluate the messages you’re receiving:

• Recognize what the media maker wants you to believe or do
• Recognize bias, spin, misinformation, and lies
• Discover the parts of the story that are not being told
• Evaluate media messages based on your own experiences, skills, beliefs, and values.
• Advocate for media justice

Get Involved

If you’re interested in working with us on Project Sticker Shock, youth advocacy or other opportunities for substance use prevention or leadership development, please contact us.

All youth are at risk of substance use, and what you do matters! Parents are the #1 influence of whether or not their children choose to use substances.

Marijuana comes up in conversations and in the media a lot these days. So we’ve created a parent website specifically focused on preventing youth marijuana use.

For more prevention information, check out SAMHSA’s Talk They Hear You Campaign to help you start—and keep up—the conversation about drinking alcohol and using other drugs.

If you’re worried that your child may be drinking alcohol or using substances, visit Partnership for Drug-Free Kids Parent Toolkit.

We offer several services, free of charge, to all schools in Penobscot County.

Classroom Education for Students (Prime for Life©)

This is not a “one and done” special assembly, but a series of classroom sessions designed to help students identify their own risk for substance use disorder, while also defining low risk and high risk choices with a certified Prime For Life© instructor. Each student receives a workbook that is also provided free of charge. Contact us to schedule Prime for Life.

Training for School Faculty/Staff and Parent Education

Workshops on a variety of topics such as marijuana trends, e-vapor devices, and Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey data presentations. We also collaborate with law enforcement agencies to offer drug/drug paraphernalia identification training. Contact us to schedule a workshop.

One of our presentations available for adult audiences.

Technical Assistance with School Policies

Schools should take a look at their substance use policy every two years, and when new problems arise. A comprehensive policy that fits your school’s values is a powerful tool in preventing student substance use problems. Contact us to request policy support.

Brochures, Posters and Fact Sheets

Bangor Public Health provides a variety of prevention-focused material at no-cost to schools. You can request materials for your school building and/or to send home to families. Contact us to request print materials.

Alcohol Server/Seller Trainings

If you sell or serve alcohol, we offer free server/seller trainings. You’ll gain a professional certification valid for 3 years as well as new tools and strategies. We offer classes throughout Penobscot County and are able to come to your establishment (for larger groups).

Alcohol Sales Policies

Sales policies help liquor licensees stay compliant with Maine liquor laws and assist employees with the responsible sale of alcohol. Maine offer a free, online policy generator for businesses. Contact Brianna Bryant for policy assistance.

Participate in Sticker Shock

If you sell alcohol in a retail store, contact Brianna Bryant to implement Project Sticker Shock. The goal to reach people over age 21 who legally purchase alcohol and provide it to a minor. The project consists of stickers being adhered to multi-packs of alcoholic beverages (beer, alco-pops, etc) in stores. These orange stickers explain the legal penalties for providing alcohol to minors. A group of youth accompanied by adult chaperones – including a law enforcement officer, visits stores to place the stickers. This is a great thing to do during high-risk drinking times for youth such as prom or graduation season.

Drug-Free Workplace Policies

Bangor Public Health & Community Services can help your work site establish a drug-free workplace policy or update your current policy. Contact Brianna Bryant for policy assistance.

Brochures, Posters and Fact Sheets

Bangor Public Health provides a variety of prevention-focused material at no-cost to employers. Contact Brianna Bryant to request print materials.

The Drug-Free Communities (DFC) is the Nation’s leading effort to mobilize communities to prevent youth substance use. Directed by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), the DFC Program provides grants to community coalitions to reduce youth substance use and increase community collaboration.

Recognizing that local problems need local solutions, DFC-funded coalitions collaborate with many sectors of the community and use environmental strategies to address local substance use problems.

Monthly DFC Coalition meetings are held at Bangor Public Health & Community Services that are open to all. To learn more about attending a meeting or getting involved, contact us.

The DFC program is funded by ONDCP and SAMHSA.

Coalition staff, with Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of American (CADCA) officials, graduating from CADCA National Coalition Academy, 2019.

Hawks 4 Change, a youth coalition at Hermon High School was created as part of our Drug-Free Communities (DFC) program.

Hawks 4 Change is hard at work, making many positive changes in their school and community.

Their accomplishments include:

• Starting a school food pantry, with Grab and Go Boxes in each homeroom funded by local businesses and donations.
• Hosting educational workshops and social gatherings for students.
• Presenting to the town council, school board and administration.
• Providing education to parents to prevent hosting underage drinking parties.
• Participating in youth leadership training.
• Working with businesses to prevent alcohol being purchased for minors. (Project Sticker Shock)
• Writing and recording substance use and mental health awareness PSAs with local media partner, WHSN
• Placing peace cranes on school lockers

Overdose Prevention Education & Narcan Distribution

Bangor Public Health & Community Services works with community organizations to create access to naloxone in Penobscot, Piscataquis, Aroostook, Hancock, and Washington Counties.

We can provide virtual training and in-person training as well as print materials about opioid overdose prevention, how to recognize and react to an overdose, risk factors for overdose, and how to use Narcan in the event of an overdose. All services are free and available in Penobscot and Piscatquis Counties.

If you have questions or would like us to present at your workplace, community forum, or school, please contact Denise Smith at denisesmith@bangormaine.gov for more information.

Bangor Public Health & Community Services created a brief video to explain the signs of overdose and how to save a life. Please watch the following video and share it widely:

You can also download the Overdose Prevention Rack Card.

Many of our friends, family and neighbors are affected by opioid use here in Maine.

Opioid overdose deaths have been increasing over the past few years. People can overdose on prescription and illicit opioids. Knowing the signs and emergency-response steps is essential to saving lives.

Signs and symptoms include:

• Blue/purple fingernails or lips
• Breathing slows or stops
• Make gasping, gurgling or loud snoring sounds
• Limp body
• Won’t respond to yelling or touch

If you suspect someone is experiencing an overdose, follow these emergency steps:

See if they are responsive

• Call the person’s name.
• If this doesn’t work, vigorously grind knuckles into the sternum (the breastbone in middle of chest) or rub knuckles on the person’s upper lip.
• DON’T put the person into a cold bath or shower. This increases the risk of falling, drowning, or going into shock.
• If the person responds, assess whether he or she can stay awake and breath on their own.

Call 911

• AN OPIOID OVERDOSE NEEDS IMMEDIATE MEDICAL ATTENTION.
• All you have to say is “Someone is unresponsive and not breathing.”
• Provide a specific address and/or description of your location.

If Available, Give Naloxone (sometimes called Narcan) 

• If the person overdosing does not respond within 2 to 3 minutes after receiving a dose of naloxone, give a second dose of naloxone.
• Both the nasal spray and naloxone auto-injector are packaged in a carton containing two doses for repeat dosing, if needed.
• Treat all overdoses like opioid overdoses. Fentanyl-laced substances are a growing problem. If available, give naloxone in all overdose situations. This reversal medication won’t hurt a person if they are not experiencing opioid overdose.

Help the Person Breathe

• An opioid overdose reduces a person’s ability to breathe.
• Provide rescue breaths by tilting the head back, pinching the nose, and giving two slow breaths.
• Watch for the person’s chest to rise and give one breath every 5 seconds.
• Chest compressions can help provide ventilatory support as well.
  • Place the person on their back.
  • Press hard and fast on the center of the chest.
  • Keep your arms extended.

Monitor the Person’s Response

• Stay with the person and keep them warm.
• Watch for returning signs of overdose for at least 4 hours from the last dose of naloxone.
• Most people respond by returning to breathing on their own within 2-3 minutes of receiving naloxone. (Continue rescue breathing while waiting for the naloxone to take effect.)
• Because naloxone is short-acting, overdose symptoms may return. That’s why medical care is essential even if the person seems to feel better.
• If you must leave the person for any reason, put them on their side in the “recovery position.”  This will help prevent them from choking.

An opioid overdose prevention toolkit can be found on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website samhsa.gov.

The OD-ME Phone App

The OD-ME app is a tool for overdose rescue education.  It can be downloaded for free from the App Store or Google Play to your mobile device.  It provides step-by-step visual and audio instructions on what to do during an overdose and signs to look for if you think someone is overdosing. 

Bangor Public Health and Community Services in partnership with the Bangor School Department are collaborating to promote the attendance of every student, every day at school.

Chronic absenteeism is missing 10% of school days. It’s a big risk factor for youth substance use as well as poor academic outcomes. When youth aren’t in school, they miss opportunities for learning and academic growth. They also miss out on relationships, connection and bonding within their school-community. Nutrition support, exposure to health education and health-related screenings offered at school also provide students with a layer of protection. When students miss school, they miss out on too much.

Everyone can help our youth get to school. If you’re a business, work with a local school to provide incentives for good or improved attendance, such as gift certificates, books, healthy snacks or backpacks. If you’re a parent, learn ways to make going to school a habit.

These tips may help:

• Set a regular bedtime and morning routine.
• Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.
• Introduce your child to her teachers and classmates before school starts to help with transitions.
• Don’t let your child stay home unless she is truly sick. Keep in
  mind complaints of a stomach ache or headache can be a sign
  of anxiety and not a reason to stay home.
• If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to
  teachers, school counselors, or other parents for advice on
  how to make her feel comfortable and excited about learning.
• Develop back-up plans for getting to school if something
  comes up. Call on a family member, a neighbor, or
  another parent.
• Avoid medical appointments and extended trips when school
  is in session.

If you’re a parent or caregiver of a student in Bangor Schools who’d like support with student attendance, please contact the School Attendance Specialist.

Check out Attendance Works for more ways to get involved or contact us.

Currently, our project is focused on The City of Bangor, but we hope to design interventions and tools that can be adopted by other school systems.

This project is funded by a SAMHSA CARA Act grant.

Medicine Safe Storage and Disposal

You want them to reach for their goals…not your medicine.

Safely Store:

• Secure your medications in a place where kids can’t access them. Lock them up if possible. This includes marijuana.
• Remember, how you store medicines should change as your children get older. What works to protect a toddler from accidental ingestion may not work to protect a curious teenager who might actually be looking for it.

How To Lock Your Meds

Keep Track:

• Count your medications, and keep an inventory sheet.
• Let your kids know that you are keeping track.
• Download a tracking sheet

Take Back:

• Get rid of any unused medications.
• Many local police departments have drop boxes, and also hold take-back events twice a year.

Patient Education Campaign – Knowledge is Power

A 2014 study done by the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) found that 1.9 million people had a substance use disorder involving prescription opioids.

There is no evidence that opioids benefit those with chronic pain, but there is plenty of evidence that shows that these drugs lead to increased risk of heart disease, accidental overdose, and a 35 percent risk of addiction.

Oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine – the list goes on.

In 2014 there were 47,055 lethal drug overdoses. Deaths related to prescription pain relievers accounted for 18,893 of them.

The United States is the biggest consumer of prescription opioids. We account for almost 100 percent of the global total for hydrocodone and 81 percent for oxycodone, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Knowing all the pain treatment options available to you is the difference between being overpowered, and being empowered.

SAFER, EFFECTIVE TREATMENT OPTIONS DO EXIST.

They come in forms that you might not recognize. Chiropractic treatment, acupuncture, massage therapy, nerve blocks, trigger points injections – this list goes on, too, but those who use opioids may not be aware they have so many options.

That’s why Bangor Public Health and Community Services and Penobscot Community Health Center have teamed up to raise awareness – both about the opioid epidemic, and about having a conversation with your doctor about the potential non-opioid treatments available to you.

Do your research. Initiate the conversation. Listen to you Doctor

1.Do your research

Educate yourself about prescription opioids, their addictive qualities, and other options.

2. Initiate the Conversation

Let your doctor know that you would like to hear about non-opioid treatment options for your pain. They may have suggestions for your specific type of pain and other options available to you. The Centers for Disease Control reports that “clinicians should consider the full range of therapeutic options for the treatment of chronic pain. However, it is hard to estimate the number of persons who could potentially benefit from opioid pain medication long term.”

3.Listen to your Doctor

Your doctor will be the best person to go to with questions. They may refer you to trusted sources for alternative pain management. If they suggest that you use prescription opioids for your pain, but you would like a second opinion, you have that option as well.

Know what it means to have choices. Know what opioids can do.

Providers, please feel free to use the following resources for patients. If you need printed copies, please contact Nikki Hollobaugh.

For more information, download the materials below

Brochure

Infographic

Fact Sheet

Robin Carr 
Phone: 207-992-4465
Email: robin.carr@bangormaine.gov 
Fax: 207-945-3348