PREVENTION

Why Prevention?

Prevention helps people develop the knowledge, attitudes, and skills they need to make good choices or change harmful behaviors. Primary prevention aims to prevent disease or injury before it ever occurs.

For example, research shows that people who start drinking before the age of 15 have a 5x higher risk for developing alcohol use disorder later in life. Preventing harmful behaviors in youth can prevent long-term health consequences.

Why Youth?

Because Lynnfield cares about our future generation. A Healthy Lynnfield uses a Positive Youth Development (PYD) Framework as part of our community prevention approach.

Positive Experience + Positive Relationships + Positive Environments = Positive Youth Development

Why Reduce Risk, Increase Protection?

The more we create a community environment that supports healthy decisions, the healthier our youth will be. By reducing risk factors and increasing protective factors associated with substance use and mental health we can help keep Lynnfield youth healthy. The National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) provides a list of factors that put youth at risk and factors the protect youth from the impact of using substances.

What Works?

What is more effective in prevention? Building early skills and social competence, peer-led programs, positive norms, and meaningful consequences. What is less effective? Scare tactics, one time assemblies and events, testimony from people in recovery, mock car crashes, moralistic approaches and more. Read Prevention, What Works? for more information.

OUR Framework

Much of our work at A Healthy Lynnfield is designed around a building a comprehensive, sustainable, community prevention partnership and addressing

Individual-level interventions

Change the way young people think about substances, so they are better able to resist pressures to use

School-based interventions

Provide students with the knowledge, skills, motivation, and opportunities they need to remain drug-free

Family-based interventions

Empower parents to set and enforce clear rules against drinking, as well as improve communication between children and parents about alcohol

Community-based interventions

Coordinated efforts across organizations to mitigate risk factors for substance misuse such as changing norms and behaviors that support use

Policy-level interventions

Makes substances harder to get-for example, by raising the price or increasing fines or consequences for selling to minors

Community Conversations Mini Series with Local Experts

Anxiety Awareness with Vasundhra Ganju, Professor of Psychology, Endicott College

Did you know in about 1 in every 5 adults will experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their life? And about 8% of children under 18 will experience symptoms of an Anxiety Disorder as well. Check out our episode on Anxiety Awareness with Psychology Professor and Mindfulness Educator Vasundhra Ganju.

Alcohol and Your Health with Ryan Rivard, Clinical Director, Riverside Community Care

Alcohol is the most widely misused substance among America's youth. Drinking by young people has big health and safety risks, check out our Community Conversation with Ryan Rivard from Riverside Community Care on Alcohol and Your Health.

Vaping 101 : Get Outraged with Ashley Hall Program Manager of Northeast Tobacco Free Community Partnership

October is Healthy Lung Month! We rarely think about breathing except when it's hard to do. Now more than ever it is important to educate ourselves and others of the importance of protecting our lungs. One way to protect our lungs is by not smoking or vaping, as we know vaping has reached epidemic levels in recent years.

Marijuana: Breaking Down the Buzz with Ryan Rivard, Program Director and LMHC, Riverside Community Care

Wrapping up Healthy Lung Month we talk about the harmful and mind altering effects of Marijuana. Tune in to learn more about Marijuana, information we feel you need to know and find useful information to talk to your teens about.

A Parents Role in Prevention, Addiction and Recovery with Certified Family Recovery Coach Lisa Costa

One of a parent’s worst nightmares is seeing their child become addicted to drugs or alcohol. Substance use disorders in teens leads to poor educational attainment, social and professional risks, physical harm and overdose. It’s critical that parents and guardians can recognize the symptoms of drug use, know where to turn to for help, and take action to get their child support.

Trusted Adult with Donna Kuasek with The Nan Project

With the goal in mind that “It takes a village to raise a child”, we would like to create the awareness that adults in the community play a very important role as part of a larger community support system for Lynnfield Youth. We will be discussing what it means to be a “Trusted Adult”. We’ll hear a little bit about the qualities and attributes of a trusted adult, some responsibilities and boundaries, and also the importance of supporting a child’s or a teen’s autonomy within their support systems.

A Healthy Lynnfield Substance Use Prevention Coalition