October is Substance Abuse Prevention Month
In its monthly meeting, the Mountain Village Town Council approved a proclamation from Tri-County Health Network declaring October 2019 Substance Abuse Prevention Month.
As the Mountain Village Town Council, we also call upon the citizens, government agencies, public and private institutions, businesses and schools in the Town of Mountain Village to recommit our community to increasing awareness and understanding of substance use disorders, the steps our citizens can take to help their fellow citizens who are experiencing addiction, and the need for appropriate and accessible services for all people who are living with substance use disorders.
The month is intended to highlight the vital role of substance use prevention in both individual and community health, to remember those who have lost their lives to substance use, to acknowledge those in recovery, as well as those supporting them, to encourage all to speak openly about this topic to help end the stigma, and to direct those in need to the appropriate support services.
Substance Abuse By the Numbers:
- In the United States roughly 7.7 million people meet the diagnostic criteria for a substance use disorder
- People who begin using addictive substances before age 15 are nearly seven times more likely to develop a stusbance problem than those who delay first use until age 21 or older and every year that substance use is delayed during the period of the adolescent brain
development, the risk of addiction and substance abuse decrease. - Over 70,000 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States in 2017
To learn more about Tri-County Health and its substance use prevention work, please visit their website.
