Staff Writer
HOULTON — The Aroostook Substance Abuse Prevention has been playing a key role in the fight against substance abuse throughout the county. Their goal is simple: engage communities in implementing developmental assets. Those assets, 40 to be precise, are a set of guidelines of how to interact with youth in a way that will promote factors that will decrease their chances of abusing drugs.
Recently, ASAP met with Region 2 superintendents to share information with them, as well as plans on initiating programs in Caribou on developmental assets.
But that’s not all they do. ASAP continues to promote educational defenses throughout the county, most recently information on the dangers of providing alcohol to minors, along with the risks for the parents who do so.
Clare Desrosiers is a director for ASAP and she said one of the key problems facing Aroostook County youth is geographics.
“I think geography can be both a negative and a positive so we do know that in rural areas that substance abuse problems can be worse than in non-rural areas because of lack of things to do,” she explained. “I think there are fewer resources for kids and at the same time, there is less exposure to certain things as well.”
Once again, education is a factor in the prevention and treatment of substance abuse.
“We can offer resources on information for parents, and a lot of websites on where you can go to get stuff,” she said. “I have information for community groups about what to do if you want to start an initiative in your area to prevent substance abuse, as well as information on what programs for youth work for prevention. We also provide/sponsor training every year.”
A 4-hour training session is being planned for Tuesday, March 25 at the Cary Medical Center. The first session will be held from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. for non-law enforcement participants. The second session will be for law enforcement personnel from 1 to 5 p.m.
“This is training for community members and it provides information on what heroine and prescription narcotic abuse is and also how to recognize it and how to work with people that have this kind of addiction,” explained Desrosiers. “Prescription drug abuse is a problem here. It is the fourth highest among youth.”
And it continues to rise. Desrosiers said according to the MDEA, there is an increase in adult drug abuse, according to records which show child neglect as a result of that use, as well as an increase in theft. Knowing more about drug abuse and its effect on users helps both the community and the police in preventing the spread of substance abuse.
“There has been some recent increase in heroine abuse, but heroine abuse is far less than prescription drug abuse,” remarked Desrosiers. “They are related and that’s why we want people to understand how prescription narcotics are related to heroine. They work similarly on the brain so sometimes people who start with prescription narcotics often move to heroine.”
For more information on how to implement substance abuse education in your community, contact Desrosiers at 521-2408.